Author Archives: Father L
St. Anthony of Egypt
Friends in the Lord, today is the feast of St. Anthony of Egypt. This is not Anthony of Padua, but Anthony of Egypt. He was born around the year 250AD, and is honored in both the East and the West, and is most famous for his life of penance in the desert.
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When Anthony was only 18, his parents died, leaving he and his sister. He cared for her and looked after their home and property. One day, he was on his way to church for his usual visit, and he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Savior; he also thought of those in the Acts of the Apostles who had sold their possessions and gave the money to the needy. He reflected too on the great hope stored up in heaven for those who give all for Christ.
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This was all in his mind when, entering the church, he heard the gospel being read. ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor – then follow me. It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had earlier brought all those thoughts to his mind, and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church and gave away the property he had inherited: 200 acres of beautiful, fertile land, However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.
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The next time he went to church he heard the Lord say in the gospel: ‘Do not be anxious about tomorrow.’ Without a moment’s hesitation, he went out and gave the poor all that he had left, and he placed his sister in the care of some trustworthy virgins, to be brought up in the convent. Then he himself took up the ascetic life, not far from his home.
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He prayed without ceasing, and was so attentive when scripture was read, that nothing escaped him. He retained all that he heard, and therefore his memory served him in place of books. The villagers came to call him the friend of God, and they loved him as both a son and brother.
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He then went off to live a life of penance in the desert, and many would follow him. His bed was the hard ground, he fasted rigorously, eating bread and salt, and drinking only water. Often, he spent whole nights in prayer. He often taught that we should begin each day as if we will not live ‘till evening, and go to bed as if we will not awaken in the morning. If we live this way he said, as if each day is our last, then we will not fall into sin, and no desire will enslave us, no anger move us, and no treasure bind us to earth.
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Anthony of Egypt died in 356 on Mount Kolzin by the Red Sea. He was 105 years old.
Christian friendship (children’s Mass)
Dear children, this morning in the gospel today, we read about a man who was paralyzed. That means he could not get up, he could not walk, or move, or anything. he just laid in bed all day. Well when his friends heard about Jesus in town, they told him, we are going to take you to the Lord! So they put him on a stretcher, and carried him down the street. But there were such crowds that they could not get into the house. The paralyzed man said, ‘its no use, we might as well go home.’ ‘No said his friends, and they got ladders, and began to climb up to the roof. Then they dragged that man up those ladders to the top; then they cut a hole in the roof with a saw, and lowered the man down inside, to Jesus.
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So there he was, on a stretcher, hanging from the ceiling by ropes, swaying back and forth in front of Jesus; Our Lord gazed up at the hole above, to see the faces of his friends. He was very proud of those boys who did all of this for their friend – so he cured him then and there.
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My question for you today is, what kind of friends do you have? Do we have good friends? And also, how do we make friends? Friendship is very important to us as we grow up. We are usually friends with people who like the same things we like, we do things together, share in games and activities, and enjoy being together because we are, kind of alike. Most of the time friendships just happen by accident.
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But you know, it would be very good if we THINK about who our friends are, not just let it happen. Let me give you an example. Suppose one student is kind of quiet, and so we don’t talk to that person very much. But then we think, he might be a very interesting person, maybe we actually have a lot in common. So you say, ‘hey, would you like to play this game with me at recess?’ or maybe you ask that person for help on your assignment. Many times we are surprised, and we make a new friend – but we had to think about it, and ask that person.
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Another time that we should think about being a friend, is if another student say, does not seem to have a friend, or other kids pick on a student – then we could go and be a friend for that person, so that they feel happy. I knew one student who was very sad, but when another boy became his friend, he was happy every day. This is what Jesus would like us to do, to help others.
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Good friends listen to each other, and they don’t hurt the other person’s feelings, and they stick up for each other. Let’s say there is a party you really want to go to; you get invited, but they told your friend that he is not invited? What would you do? I think we should stay with our friend, and if they won’t invite him, then I’m not going either.
Friends are also dependable. That means if you tell your friend you will be at this place at a certain time, you make sure you are there.
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How can you tell when a friendship is bad? A friendship is bad when it is based on foolish or sinful things. If someone is your friend just because you have beautiful hair, or if you are friends with someone just because they have nice clothes, or because a boy is quite handsome – well, these are not good reasons to be a friend. If your friend wants you to do things that are sins, then you should get rid of that friend. If he says, we should go to such and such a movie or place, even though your parents don’t want it – then you should tell him – I am a Christian, but you are not: goodbye!
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If your friend uses bad language, or does not love God, then we should be through with him. Bad friendships cause us to give up praying and forget about God – they are no good, but pure and good friends make us modest, and courteous, and help us to do what God wants.
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Therefore, let us have good friends, and pray for them each day. If we have good friends, they will still be our friends when we get to heaven.
The Compassionate Christian
Friends in the Lord, today we see this leper who comes to Jesus seeking to be healed. In ancient times, if a person had leprosy, they lived a sad life. They were ostracized from society so that no one else would get the disease. Quarantined, if you will.
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During the Middle Ages, leprosy was also a grave problem. In the early 13th century, it was estimated that there were some 19,000 lepers in Europe. But unlike in pagan times, Christian institutions sprang up to help lepers; these institutions were actually run more like monasteries; lepers were encouraged to live there for their own health as well as a quarantine.
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People then thought that those suffering from leprosy were going through Purgatory on earth, and so they were deemed to be holier than ordinary people because of their suffering. The Order of Saint Lazarus was an order of monks that began as a leper hospital outside Jerusalem. In fact, the first members were all lepers. A historian of the 12th century tells of a monk named Ralf who was so moved by the plight of lepers, that he prayed that he himself would catch leprosy, which he did.
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In those days, a leper would carry a bell to warn people, and this also attracted attention so that people might give alms to help him. In churches, there was a slot in the wall called a ‘leper squint’ by which the leper could peer through to participate in Mass.
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Leprosy is not in our modern society much, yet it remains true that when a person contracts a serious disease, they often feel alone and isolated; friends don’t come around so much, people feel too awkward to visit.
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In light of this, we see today a revealing picture of Jesus Christ. The leper who came to see him, broke the law, for he had no right to approach Jesus. But Christ does not drive him away. He meets the man in his very human need with compassion, and he healed him: ‘Be thou made clean’ and he was. Our Savior gives us an example: when someone is sick, or shunned, or unwanted, or for some reason is ostracized from the circle of humanity, we should be the first to show compassion and understanding.
Christ saves us from the fear of death
Friends in the Lord, consider a man who did something illegal, trying to solve his financial problems, but he makes a bad mistake, and gets involved with a criminal group. So he’s – an accomplice, with this criminal network, and they tell him, that if he doesn’t continue to cooperate – well, there just might be “consequences.” If he goes to the police, he will be surely convicted of the death penalty. So he’s stuck. Those thugs hold it over his head, he lives in the fear of death.
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Well, this is life without the redemption of Christ. By our sins, we have colluded with the devil, and he holds our guilt over our head every day. We have a crime on our record, and the penalty waiting for us is death.
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Deep inside of each person is the fear – the dread – of death. It is the root of the uneasiness of mankind. The root of every worry: someday I will die.
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But what has Jesus done. He has taken our part. He has joined with us, to be one of the guilty. Just like us, his sentence is death. Christ dies a most brutal death, and as with every human being before him, when he dies the devil laughs. But this time its different: this Brother of ours, who takes our part, he rises and conquers death.
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So here now is this man we spoke of, who has gotten himself aligned with a criminal network – he is us. Let’s say he leaves these criminals, turns himself in, and accepts that he will receive the death penalty. Sitting there in his prison cell, he is waiting his death.
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But then a visitor comes. It is Jesus, and he asks this man: ‘Have you ever thought about how you could survive death?’ ‘Lord, in order to conquer death, a person would – would have to have your resurrected Body in them. But then Jesus reaches into a gold pyx, and holds up a white Host; ‘this is my Body’, he says. ‘I give you the antidote to death and the secret of the Resurrection.
The early Church called the Holy Eucharist the ‘Antidote to death.’
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Friends, the Book of Hebrews today says that Jesus came, that he might destroy the one who has power over death and thereby, free us from the fear of death. The fear of death is the root of the angst in humanity; Jesus came to free us from the fear of death. He has given us the antidote.
A Daily plan of Life
Friends in Christ, today, after the long beautiful Christmas season we return to Ordinary time.
We see today how Our Lord calls his first disciples; “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Those disciples were eager to follow Christ, but they had to learn how to do it, how to keep going and not lose their focus or get off track. They did get off track a lot, but eventually they figured it out and became saints.
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Now Mother Church has figured out, through the centuries – by the experiences of holy men and women – that in order to live the Christian life well, we need to have what we can call a Daily Plan of Life. What does this mean?
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We might think it means to write down a plan of the things we have to do today – and that actually is a good idea. But the Plan of Life we speak of, consists of the pious actions and activities that we wish to habitually do, which will help us keep the Lord in mind all day, and thereby do everything for God’s glory.
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Our Plan of Life could include:
First, upon rising, we kneel down and make a Morning Offering. This is a prayer in which we offer everything we do for God’s glory, asking for the Lord’s help, and I would say, telling Jesus that we love him with our whole heart, speaking a word to Our Father in heaven, and the Holy Spirit.
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We pray before each meal: Bless us O Lord.
We might say the Angelus at noon.
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So we are punctuating our day with prayer.
And before we go to bed, we kneel down and make a brief examination of conscience, an Act of Contrition. And a ‘good night to Mary’, before sleep.
This frames out our day.
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But added to this, we would like some time to meditate, or what we would call mental prayer – to just ‘think’, and speak to the Lord.
We also try to fit in the Rosary – it only takes 20 minutes.
10 minutes of spiritual reading, from a good Catholic book.
5 minutes from the Holy Scriptures.
And if we can, stop by the Church or chapel to make a Visit to Jesus, even if just to say, ‘I believe, I love you.’
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Now through the day, we try to make little ‘Aspirations:’ ‘Jesus I love you. ‘Help me O Holy Spirit. ‘Mary, help me to know your love. ‘My Guardian angel, guide me.
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All of these acts of piety help us to live daily, Our Christian Life; and if you ask the saints, they will tell you that it really works to keep you on the path to heaven.
Catechesis on Baptism
Baptism of the Lord
Beloved in Jesus Christ,[i] when we enter a Church, the 1st thing we do is bless ourselves with Holy Water. Why? Well, holy water does bring us protection and wards off the demons. But Holy Water is also a sign: A sign of our Baptism. Just as we sign ourselves with water before physically entering the Church, so does the sacrament of baptism allow us supernaturally to enter the Church. Baptism is the door to the Church, it is the door to salvation.
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Today we celebrate the Baptism of The Lord. Jesus Christ, who is perfect God and perfect Man, did not need to be baptized.[ii] In fact, John said, it is you who really should be baptizing me ! But Jesus does this as an example for us.
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The Son of God was born into the world, he took on our life. Jesus was born, he grew up, he worked, he suffered, and died. Then he rose in his glorified Body and ascended to Paradise. Well, we follow him – we are followers of Christ. We grow and work and suffer in our life, we will die and be buried – and we will rise in our glorified bodies and ascend to Paradise. What happens to Jesus is supposed to happen to us.
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But how can we do this, how can we live this Divine Life? We need supernatural power. As Christ came into this world to share our human nature, we humans must share in his Divine nature. So the Lord gives us baptism, that we may enter into the Divine Life of God.
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What happens in baptism? really 3 things. Firstly, Original sin is washed away. We came into the world lacking grace, this is the state of Original Sin. But washed in baptism, we are cleansed of original sin, and brought into the family of God. We are ‘regenerated.’
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We in baptism, become sons and daughters of God by adoption. Adoption is real, and can never be undone. You can never be ‘unbaptized.’ You can leave your family, reject your family, but you can never stop being a member of the family of God.
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Perhaps the most wonderful thing that happens in baptism, is that the Holy Spirit takes up his life in our soul. We become a living temple of the Holy Spirit. And here is the beginning of greatness, of growth in holiness.
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Our protestant friends make a grave mistake when they say that baptism is merely a sign of faith. This is false. Baptism actually produces a supernatural change in our soul, elevates us to the supernatural organism. The apostles and the first Christians believed this, just as we do to this very day, and that is why Jesus says that baptism is necessary for salvation.[iii] ‘Unless you are born again in water and the Spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.’[iv] When the people had repented of their sins, they asked St. Peter, what shall we do? ‘Be baptized every one of you, he said. Save yourselves from this evil generation.[v]
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Baptism is so essential for salvation, that the Church urges us to baptize our children promptly; canon law says: ‘parents are obliged to have infants baptized in the first few weeks.’ Can 867 Therefore, we must never play fast and loose with our children’s salvation; we must never delay baptism for months and months, in order to arrange a party or wait for relatives.
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Some say, ‘we’ll allow our child to decide when he grows up to be baptized. But baptism is not a decision to join a club or an organization, it’s adoption. If we adopt a baby, we don’t leave it in the yard until it decides whether to join our family, it would die. We don’t let our kids wait until they grow up to decide for themselves whether to go to school. In baptism, they are adopted into God’s family, and given Life.
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Now as a baby, that Divine Life at baptism is a seed, waiting to grow. But when the child gets to be about 7 years old, the age of reason, he starts to make decisions of right and wrong. This child can begin to cooperate with God’s grace, or not. If that child, each step of the way, tries to do what he is prompted to do by grace, trying to be good – he or she will grow up to become great – to become a saint who will shine in this world. If the person at some point chooses serious sin instead – then they lose the Divine Life in their soul. They lose sanctifying grace.
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Does God give up on those who fall into serious sin? No. He has given us the rescue sacrament: Confession. Confessing serious sins to the priest restores the Divine Life and allows that Christian to be happy again and grow in holiness.
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Some people say they want to be ‘born-again’ Christians, and leave their sins behind. Well, that is what Confession is for heaven’s sake! That is how we are ‘born-again,’ we begin again.
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Now the normal minister of baptism is the priest or deacon. But because baptism is so essential for salvation, in an emergency anyone can baptize. If there is an emergency – if you are at the mall and a person collapses, and they are dying, and they say: I want to be baptized – what do you do? What if a baby is dying and there’s no time for a priest, what do you do? You get some water – it does not have to be holy water, and pour it on their head – and say: I baptized you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
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What if a person wants to be baptized but cannot? They receive baptism by desire. If a person is in RCIA, preparing to be baptized at Easter, and they die before they can, they have received baptism by desire.[vi]
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What is baptism by blood? When a person gives their life for Christ as a martyr – even if not baptized, they have been baptized in their own blood for Christ.[vii]
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Jesus leads the way; he shows us that we must be baptized, and then follow in his way, as a disciple.
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We ask the dear Blessed Virgin to help us be great disciples; help us Mary, to follow Jesus in his way; because if we do, we will follow him, right up to heaven.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas]
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[i] This homily had to be shortened due to a speaker at Mass.
[ii] St. Maximus says, says that Jesus was baptized, not to become holy,
but to make water holy, so that we may come to share in his Divine Life. Brev I, p. 613.
[iii] Mark 16:16
[iv] John 3:5; He who believes and is baptized will be saved: Acts 2:37
[vi] This is like the person is serious sin on his way to confession,
who gets hit by a car – his intention to confess is accepted by God.
[vii] By the way, why should we take the name of a saint at baptism?
So that saint will pray for and help us,
and ever be a friend and example for us.
Christian Families
Latin Mass: Feast of the Holy Family
Beloved in the Lord , today in the Tridentine calendar, it is the feast of the Holy Family.
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When we look at the lives of the saints, we find that most of the saints learned how to be great disciples of Christ by the example of their parents. We know that the image of God that a child develops – the way that he sees God – is often a reflection of how he sees his parents growing up. If a child has a harsh, condemning image of God, it can be because his parents were very harsh. If a child believes that God is strong, kind, forgiving, and loving; it can be because his parents were this way.
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But this should be no surprise to us; in Ephesians chapter 5, St Paul explains that the love of husband and wife is an image of Christ’s love for his Bride, the Church. And we have said here before, that the love within the Holy Trinity Itself, of the Persons, is imaged in the family. This leads to the fearful conclusion, that parents REALLy need to love each other, not only for their sake, but for their children.
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Kids take it for granted that their parents will love them; what they are sometimes not sure of, is if mom will love dad, with all his defects, or that dad will love mom, with all her defects. This is what children need to know. This is why hatred between parents and divorce is devastating. Because their love is a sign of God’s love. Actually, they have no right to stop loving each other, no right, because God commands it. ‘Husbands, love your wives.’ (Eph 5) That’s a command. And this is something we have to learn to do. St. Paul says that the young women should be TAUGHT to love their husbands. ‘Older women, he says, must train the younger women to love their husbands.’ Titus 2:4
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Love is not a feeling, it is a decision. And for a Christian, it is not an option.
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With these synods on the family going on in Rome last October and the next, there is a lot of discussion about the family. In this regard, Cardinal Muller of the CDF, wrote a little book that I’ve been reading, ‘The Hope of the Family.’ He says, ‘Young people from the first moment of their lives have the right to experience the things that only the family can offer: the confidence that comes from being accepted and welcomed unconditionally by parents. ‘There is no better way,’ he says, of laying the groundwork for true hope in young people.’ p. 20
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Being unconditionally loved – this is the foundation that is so needed in the formation of the next generation. But the more marriages break down, the more difficult it is to believe in God’s love. p. 32
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We see the Holy Family today in this journey to the temple; with what solicitude Mary and Joseph search for the lost Child. They are not bickering with each other over how this happened, in fact, when they find Jesus, Mary says ‘Son, your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.’ So even though Mary knew that Jesus’ real father is in heaven, and that she herself is superior in grace, out of respect she names Joseph first: ‘Your father and I have been searching for you.’
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In the coarse society of today, in which words are loud and blunt and without decorum, how much more must parents show the gentle respect necessary to illumine the home with charity?
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You know, we Americans are very big on ‘results.’ We might say, ‘the proof is in the pudding;’ Jesus himself says that things should be judged by their fruits. So let us ask: Over the past 50 years, what are the ‘fruits’ of the modern ideas about marriage? Millions of orphans of divorce, disoriented young people unsure of any stability in life; deep wounds, women in poverty; the ‘hook-up’ culture in which girls and boys learn to use each other; dangerously low birthrates which is altering entire cultures. Here are the fruits of this experiment.
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There has been much talk in the Church in the last 15 years about the ‘New Evangelization.’ A ‘re-evangelization’ of the world, re-introducing Christ to today’s society. There are many different kinds of efforts and programs and encyclicals and movements to that end, all good. But I’d like to return to Cardinal Muller’s book; they asked him this question, and his answer was that holy Christian marriage is the best way to evangelize.
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Young people today get married in this hedonistic society, believing what every one has told them: that this world is all there is; they have lost confidence in the future, convinced that their only goal in life is to maximize pleasure and acquire comforts and wealth, and look forward to the next vacation. Marriage is reduced to egotism for two.
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This false ideology has destroyed families and poisoned the joy of having children. If we are living only for comfort, then difficulties that come will require walking away from commitments.
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Evangelizing the world requires teaching the truth to families. We received life through the love of parents, we were happy when we were loved with such generosity. So when WE give ourselves in this way, we will be happy. ‘Give, and you will receive.’
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If I am made to see that this life is an arena for glorifying God, and that the New world lies ahead, well – I can cope with sickness, anger, loneliness, rejection, challenges of raising children, and all the rest. When things are hard, we ask ourselves, ‘Why am I doing this? What motivates my life? If I am doing all for the glory of God in this short life, I can patiently embrace all crosses.
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One reason it is so difficult for Christians to live out the truth of marriage today, is that they are trying to do it in isolation: ‘us against the world.’ But this is not the best way. Families need to be living this life along with other families.[i] New communities of Catholic families need to form, to help each other, compare notes on parenting, and allow friendship and shared values to blossom. In his famous book After Virtue, Alisdair MacIntyre says[ii] the way to recover a life of virtue has to be in community; virtues must be learned, lived, and reinforced in a community. That is why Catholic families must become friends, so that they and their children can grow up in Christian friendship.
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Some want to water-down the truth of marriage; but Christ did not come into the world to give a few ideas about going along with the status quo. He preached conversion of life, and this is why the Christian life is so demanding; demanding, but beautiful.
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We have to change course; the Church’s doctrine on marriage is the remedy.
May our Mother pray for Christian families. The world needs them and Jesus wants them.
Mary help us, to build happy and confident lives for our children, within the love of our family.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas]
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[i] The Hope of the family, p. 37: families cannot live ‘atomistically’
[ii] After Virtue, p. 263.
