Marriage Is For Losers

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Or his wife!  I highly recommend you read and contemplate the following post on losing oneself in marriage:

http://drkellyflanagan.com/2012/03/02/marriage-is-for-losers/

It will inspire you and renew your desire to have a servant's heart so that you two truly become one!  Enjoy!

Wisdom from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

"There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be."

"To a great extent the level of any civilization  is the level of its womanhood.  When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her.  The higher her virtue, the more her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her.  The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women."

"You must remember to love people and use things, rather than to love things and use people."

Happy Heart Day....!?

Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the plethora of Valentine's Day greetings this year which not only (once again) ignored the saintly origin of the holy day (from which we derive the word, "holiday"), but even excluded the saint's name altogether?  Instead, a graphic of a heart or even the actual word, "heart", was featured in the title greeting, thus rendering the salutation, "Happy Heart Day!", as in, "I [*heart*] NY!" or "I [*heart*] My Pekinese!"

Yes, my friends, here is yet another example of the secular commercialization of what was once a Christian holy day and now slowly has become a rabid excuse for excessive materialism.  Don't get me wrong -- I'm just as thrilled as the next girl to give and receive chocolates, flowers, and expressions of undying devotion from a loved one (...okay, just before Lent, especially the chocolates part).

But, amidst it all, I pause and marvel sadly at the subtle ability of the evil one to stuff our gaping maws with more unnecessary, worldly, marshmallow fluff, utterly diverting our attention from the real gift of love: Christ on the cross.  That's why Valentine died (all 14 of them -- see my other post today).  Not just for intense, but nonetheless limited, earthly love, whether passionate or filial, but for eternal love, so we may come to know, love, and serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.

That's what St. Valentine's Day is all about, Charlie Brown.

So this year, if you are buying your sweetie a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers, consider also gifting him or her with a Spiritual Bouquet, your own personally crafted gift of prayer.  Plus, it's free!  Whether your Valentine is a friend, a spouse, your children, or another loved one, pray that you both may arrive someday at The Pearly Gates, ready to welcome each other in to the presence of God.

What a celebration of love that will be! 

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

While the Church recognizes 14 saintly martyrs named Valentine, the earliest known one was St. Valentinus, a 3rd century Catholic who refused to obey Emperor Claudius The Cruel's dictate to worship 12 gods.  Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned.  His jailer surreptitiously asked Valentinus to teach his blind daughter, Julia.  Valentinus taught her the beauty of God's creation, as well as how to pray.  Julia believed and humbly prayed for healing, which God granted in a flash of bright light.  On the eve of Valentinus's execution (February 14, 270 A.D.), he wrote Julia a note encouraging her always to stay close to God, and signed it, "From Your Valentine."

And that, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, is the rest of the story!

Hebrews 13:2

So it happened not once but twice today -- the Lord put us in a position to share a moment of blessing with someone else.

We were in the adoration chapel at our church, and I had left momentarily with my youngest two children, who needed a potty break.  Suddenly, my other son came dashing into the bathroom, waving a $10 bill at me.  "Mom!  Mom!" he gasped, eyes nearly popping out of his head.  "The lady gave me this!  She said to take us to lunch at--- " here he blinked incredulously and gave an intake of breath suitable for the magnitude of the news he was about to impart.  "....McDonald's!!!"

Whoa.  A rare treat for us, indeed.

Puzzled, I returned to the adoration chapel and exchanged grateful tears with a woman who was there praying, who missed her own grandchildren and greatgrandchildren dreadfully, all of whom lived several states away.

"Enjoy them," she admonished sagely, wiping her cheeks and nodding toward my kids.  "I know I miss mine."

I felt joyous and awful, all at the same time.  How right she was.  How frequently do I outright ENJOY my kids?  Really just toss care to the wind for a moment and sit down and giggle with them?  I resolved to do so more often this Advent season.

(See?  It's ALWAYS worth it to squeeze in a visit for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, even if you can only pop in and say "Hi!" to Him for a minute.  He's ALWAYS glad you're there!  .....yes, YOU!  You and your whiney kids....probably especially the whiney kids.  Jesus never said, "Let the children come to me -- oh, except for the whiners."  Go and gain the strength you need as a mom to guide your children in His peace.  After all, He made 'em.  Let Him help you form them!)

Later, in a store parking lot, we pulled into our parking space next to a woman who was seated in her car talking on her phone.  Two beautiful rosaries hung from her rear view mirror, one blue with an antique cross, the other white.

Hmmmmm, I thought.  Shameless promotion or an opportunity for grace, I wondered?  Should I give her my business card, or pray a silent prayer instead and mind my own business?

I opted for both.  Something....imperceptible in her demeanor gave me the answer.  Before I even realized I had decided, I was breathing a prayer and tapping a fingernail gently on her window.  She paused, startled, and rolled it down a bare inch.

"Hi!" I grinned, slightly embarrassed, but now determined.  I pointed to her rearview mirror.  "I noticed your rosaries hanging there, and I make rosary bracelets,"  I raised my arm and wiggled my wrist, showing her mine and proffering my business card through the tiny crack with the other hand.  I shrugged, "in case you need a present for someone special for Christmas!"

Well.  Not exactly smooth, but the message was there.

She took my card, gave me a polite smile as if I was the village lunatic who had just escaped and was holding a knife, then quickly rolled up her window.  Well, who could blame her, I thought.  But, as I unloaded my kids, I saw her still talking on the phone, now reaching out her hand to finger the crucifix hanging from her rearview mirror.

We left the store and returned to the parking lot well over an hour later.  As we approached our van, I noticed the woman's car still was there, but she was gone (probably gone to request police protection).  As I was loading my kids back into the van, I turned to see her re-appear, now opening her own car door to leave, too.

This time, she smiled at me openly and broadly.

"Thank you for talking to me earlier," she began.  "I needed that.  I, uh....I was....I was having a bad day."  She nodded and seemed at a loss for further words, so she shrugged and smiled again.

I grinned back.  "Well, not any more!" I assured her, and nodded at the rosaries suspended in her car.  "You just keep close to your rosary and the day can only get better!"

Be an angel to someone else today, and allow someone else to be an angel to you!

Advent Blessings!

"Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it."  (Hebrews 13:2)