Every year on March 25th, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the mystery wherein God takes on flesh and comes to dwell in the womb of Mary. This mystery has always had a special place in Catholic devotion and piety. For one, we remember Jesus’ incarnation, the truth that God put on flesh and became man in Jesus Christ. In addition to this life-altering event, we honor Mary’s role in this whole drama we call Salvation History. That despite her confusion and the plans she may have had for her life, Mary gave her fiat, her total and complete yes, to her role in God’s plan of salvation.
Not the Destination...
Marriage is a journey, not a destination...
When an engaged couple comes to us for marriage prep classes, one of the first things we do is ask them to do is to tell us their love story:
How did you meet?
What attracted you to one another?
We also ask them what motivates them:
What is most important to you?
Why do you want a Catholic wedding?
These questions might seem easy at first glance, but I think all Catholic couples could benefit from answering them. Let’s examine each one.
My years as a Catholicmarriageprep.com instructor and blogger immersed me in the world of Theology of the Body and the beauty of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Beginning the course with Creation and the Fall of Man, I knew that God created us good, and that without sin, nakedness wasn’t shameful because the body revealed the soul. Adam and Eve saw each other as God saw them, and therefore were able to make a gift of themselves to one another in love.
Then came sin, and as is taught in marriage prep: “They severed themselves from God’s gaze of love and couldn’t see God’s image in each other, as before. Their bodies were not transparent windows to their souls, but more of an obstacle hiding the soul…”
“In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth will be seen as no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” ~St. Teresa of Avila.
Whenever I hear or read this quote, I am reminded of one of the most “inconvenient” nights of suffering I had in a hotel many years ago. My husband and I were living in Italy at the time, and we were driving home from a vacation to the north of Italy. We decided to stop for the night at a place that sounded nice: “The Romantic Hotel.” The night was anything but romantic. The Italians didn’t put screens on their windows, there was no air conditioning, it was summertime, and the mosquitoes were hungry. It was a night from hell. But we were tired, so we took refuge under the sheets and tried to sleep.
When you’re looking for ways to spice up your love life, you probably don’t think of consulting the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You might be surprised.
It is striking that non-Western – and often non-Christian – people seem to be able to teach us essential lessons about life. Lately, two encounters with non-European women have made me question our individualistic lifestyles in a particular way.
Recently, I’ve come across a surge of debates that address the issue of a Catholic mother staying at home vs. working outside of the home, taking on the form of either digital article or social media. The abridged version of proponents of each side tends to go as follows:
“The Catholic mother should never, under any circumstance, work outside of the home. Their children are too important.”
“You don’t understand our specific circumstance.”
“I don’t care what your specific circumstance is. Here is a quote by a prominent Catholic author supporting me.”
“Well here’s a quote by a prominent Catholic author that supports me.”
