Thursday, August 23, 2007

Open letter to engaged couples

Dear young couple,

When we were engaged we sought direction from married couples and the current popular Christian books on the subject of contraception in marriage. We desired with all our hearts to worship and honor God in our sexual union. From many books and leaders of Evangelical Christianity, we got the same message that the Bible did not speak specifically about this issue. Therefore, it was a “personal” decision to be made with your doctor’s advice.

We muddled along but kept searching for the truth. How could the most significant physical/spiritual act in creation, “procreation” be something in which only my physician could give me direction? It is obvious to us now how the secular world with its “culture of death” is winning the battle against Life, when Christians only see the sexual union as something physical to be under the direction of a physician. Sadly, to many Christians, fertility is just something to be manipulated like a runny nose. But in reality, it is a precious gift and privilege from God.

Primarily, Natural Family Planning is about inviting the Holy Spirit into the marriage bed. Practically, NFP is about “fertility awareness” and responsible parenthood. Practicing NFP, especially in our overly sexualized culture, gives couples a powerful tool in unselfishly honoring one another in physical intimacy. Statistically, even for purely health conscious reasons, couples that practice this method have less than a 5% chance of divorce. It is even less when couples have a genuine desire to be in harmony with the way God designed us to live out the marriage covenant in self-giving love.

Our prayer is that you, as a couple, will be generous in the service of life and be a witness to the world of what a godly marriage should be!

Choose Life!

Sunday, August 5, 2007

The Mass "Il est là!" He is there!

The Mass is the best place in the world for me. Yet, I struggle with resentment and anger toward those that profane the mass, especially with a lack of respect for Christ's presence. May God humble me and help me to teach others what this dear saint knew and expressed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saint Jean–Marie Vianney, "All good works put together are not equivalent to the Sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men and the Holy Mass is the work of God." It is in the Mass that the sacrifice of Calvary is made present for the Redemption of the world. Clearly, the priest must unite the daily gift of himself to the offering of the Mass: "How well a priest does, therefore, to offer himself to God in sacrifice every morning!"

Read this article here. "The Holy Mass is the Work of God"