//Diocese of Charlotte – Office of Family Life//
What We Remember Each Week of Advent
Sermon Notes – November 26, 2023 – “I Believe in Good Health but I Really Love Bacon“
“I Believe in Good Health but I Really Love Bacon“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
November 25 – 26, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to His disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him. And He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the king will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, a stranger and you welcomed Me, naked and you clothed Me, ill and you cared for Me, in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit You?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, a stranger and you gave Me no welcome, naked and you gave Me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for Me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to Your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for Me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
This week I barged in on a family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and I had a thought while I was there. Why don’t they make turkey parmesan? Turkey and chicken are both poultry. So, why not? I’m just thinking outside the coop. I mentioned this to the Godmother . . . she was not amused, so I won’t be asking that question again.
I was good friends with a chaplain I served with several times while in the military. You never say “goodbye” to your friends in the military; you say, “I’ll see you at the next assignment.” If you stick around long enough, eventually you will see everybody again. She was a wonderful chaplain, but she said, “I don’t understand you Catholics.” Why not? “Well, you believe in this works righteousness thing.” Now I’m probably not the most attentive student – look squirrel – but I think I would have heard of that before. We would have gone over it once or twice in seminary and tested on it. I never learned that because there is no such thing. All the good works we do flow from Whom? From God. What is God’s essence? His essence is love. He is love itself. Why did He make us? Remember your Catechism. He made us because He loves us. Love is always generative, and it produces fruit outside of itself. When we produce fruit outside of ourselves, we have proof of God’s love. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” That love now becomes external. Keeping His commandments is fruit outside of ourselves. Our Lord wants more than just lip service. If you want to be like Christ, you must do what He did. Doing the proper works of mercy as described in the Gospel are works outside of ourselves. They are works just like God’s. They are external signs of an internal reality of possessing and being possessed by our good Lord. We produce fruits as God does.
God gives His gifts to both the good and the bad. When emergency vehicles come screaming down the highway after you call 911, do they ask if you have been naughty or nice? Do they ask if you are worthy of them risking their lives to come save you? No. Regardless, they come flying down the highway to save us. That’s how God’s love is. We produce fruit for both the good and bad. Sometimes that isn’t easy because we tend to be highly sensitive people. When somebody doesn’t thank us, we get a little upset. Sometimes people are just not nice, and it’s unpleasant to be around them. But we do these works of love because we love God, and it is He who gives us the strength to do them. Working with the sick can also be unpleasant. I walked into hospice the other day, and someone was having a procedure done. Whoa! There’s not enough Lysol in the world to cover up that smell. But we still must do our job. It’s not about us. Love is always generative. Even if there is work involved, the work itself is love as Saint Augustine reminds us.
I’m ticked off at my cousins. They called to torment me by telling me about all the delicious food they had for Thanksgiving Dinner. They had mashed turnips and carrots, which I love. It’s a New England thing. They also had stuffing like my mother made. Oh my gosh! Turkey always tastes better cold, so I always go for the fixings. The little things like the way the table is set up, the presentation, and all the other things that go into preparing Thanksgiving dinner are all fruits of love. It’s not just filling the trough as my mother would say. They are all signs of love scattered about which come from what’s in the soul. This is how God knows that we love Him because He knows us by our fruit. Some people say, “I believe in God, but I don’t go to church.” Well, I believe in good health, but I really love bacon. Others say, “Well, I love God. I go to church, and I participate in the Sacraments. God knows that I love Him.” No, He doesn’t. Well, actually He does because He’s God. But you’re kinda rewriting scripture. If you love Him, then do something about it. Love makes itself external, and this is how He knows we love Him. If you say you love someone, but you never want to be with them, do you really love them? All these good things we do, we do because we are loved by God, and we love Him. These are external acts of an internal reality, and we cannot help but do them. You can tell how much the Just in the Gospel were in love with Him because of all the things they did. They weren’t doing it for something in return. They did it because it was the right thing, and they didn’t even think about it. It was a natural kind of spiritual muscle memory because of Who they possessed and Who possessed them.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – November 12, 2023 – “Love Banishes Fear”
“Love Banishes Fear”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
November 11 – 12, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told His disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards, the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But He said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
In the Gospel, it sounds as if they were having a midnight wedding. People don’t have weddings during the day in the Middle East. Know why? Because it’s hot! You don’t want to look like a sweat hog coming down the aisle, do you? No!
Now, I’m willing to bet, without taking a poll, that you all want to go to Heaven. I’m also willing to bet that none of us are looking forward to the trip. According to my research and experience, you have to die first. A while ago I was making my rounds at the VA’s emergency room, and I recognized a couple whom I had met previously. I asked them why they were back. Were they back for lunch? Did they miss us? The man said, “No, I just came in for pain management.” We talked for a bit, and the man said, “Chaplain, may I ask you a question?” Sure. He said, “I want to stop the chemo. Is that okay?” I looked at his wife and asked her, “Are you okay with that?” And she said ‘yes.’ So, I looked at the man and said, “It’s okay to stop the chemo.” He’s only in his early 40s, but it was time. He’d had enough.
We all know we are going on a trip, but we know not the day or hour. During the years that we are blessed with life, know that they are growing shorter. We are not looking forward to the trip because of fear. We were never meant to die. The sin of our first parents caused that. Our sins after baptism and the sins committed against us increase that fear. But love casts away fear. The more we grow in holiness, the more and more that fear subsides. We can look forward to being with the Person we have loved all our lives and never to be separated again by sin. We don’t know what is on the side. However, it’s not a ‘what’ that is on the other side. That’s a blasphemous statement because on the other side is a ‘Who.’ That ‘Who’ is always with us as we make our journey to Heaven. So, we are not alone. Now, there is a little doodoo fairy that sits on our shoulders and is always telling us that God is not with us otherwise we wouldn’t be afraid and that we would be perfect, etc. “Oh, God doesn’t love you.” Just like everything else he fills our heads with, that is a lie. God is always with us. We tend to forget that our guardian angel is always with us too.
Will we always have some fear? Yes. But our fear of death will decrease as we grow in holiness, and we will look forward to going to our Savior. That doesn’t mean we want to leave our loved ones in this life. But we will be going home to our Almighty God. Now when we get to Heaven, we won’t be just sitting around. It won’t be snooze time. As Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “I will spend my eternity in Heaven doing good on Earth.” That’s what we will be doing in the presence of our Lord, God. We will have God’s ear and will be able to pray more effectively than ever before for all the loved ones we left behind. So, our dying is not exactly the worst thing that could happen to us. But dying and being separated from God is.
I was doing Mass over at the women’s maximum-security prison in Troy. That’s always fun. I’m ready for Mass, and we played “Stump the Priest.” One of the women said, “Father, when I get out, I’m going to visit you.” Well, I’m looking forward to that day! She said she was very upset, and I asked her why. She said, “I read in the paper that everybody dies, and they all go to see Jesus.” I said, “That’s true.” She didn’t like that answer, so I said, “When we die, we all will see God. Some stay for only a cup of coffee while others get to stay longer.” How long we stay depends on how we live. In the Gospels, from the Book of Matthew to Revelation, are the final exam questions. We don’t know when our good Lord will come for us. Looking at myself in the mirror, combing my hair doesn’t take that long anymore. That’s just age. So, my meeting with our Lord is approaching sooner and sooner.
I went to Ms. Dottie’s 99th birthday party. When I knocked, she came to the door holding a big glass of wine. Cool! Dottie is now 101. My aunt was 98 when she pulled the plug on herself. Time to go! Another aunt passed at 93. My mother was an underachiever and died at the age of 77. I may not make it to 77, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not about age but rather our state of love and living a perfect life until our good Lord comes for us. I tell patients in hospice who have made their peace with God, that soon, and I don’t know when, but soon, they will see the good Lord coming for them. He will have a smile on His face with His arms open. Put a smile on your face, open your arms, and run toward Him. Have that embrace which is Heaven. You will be one with your Maker.
Before you go to bed at night, always pray the Prayer for a Happy Death. With that Sacrament, we will be assured, in the same way Christ assured the Good Thief on the Cross, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
Prayer for a Happy Death (Ven. John Henry Cardinal Newman)
O my Lord and Savior, support me in my last hour in the strong arms of Thy Sacraments and by the fresh fragrance of Thy consolations. Let the absolving words be said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me; and let Thine own Body be my food, and Thy Blood my sprinkling; and let my sweet Mother, Mary, breathe on me, and my Angel whisper peace to me, and my glorious saints and my own dear patrons smile upon me, that, in them all and through them all, I may receive the gift of perseverance, and die as I desire to live, in Thy faith, in Thy Church, in Thy service, and in Thy love. Amen.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Our Job Is to Love
//Bob Holmes Contemplative Monk 2.0//
Sermon Notes – November 5, 2023 – “Love Is an Action, Not an Emotion”
“Love Is an Action, Not an Emotion”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
November 4 – 5, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
In the Gospel last Sunday, the Pharisees asked our Lord, “What is the greatest Commandment?” Jesus answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Mark 12:30). The second greatest Commandment is, “You must love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40). Our Lord knows that most people, when left to their own imaginations, will screw it up. So, in the Gospel, He tells us exactly what love is and how to manifest it. “If you love Me, take up your cross every day and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). “If you love Me keep My commandments” (John 14:15). By the way, there are many others.
Love is an action and not an emotion. It is an act of the will and not a feeling. Sometimes acts of love are very easy to do and enjoyable like giving your spouse a gift or making your children and grandchildren smile and laugh. Those are great gifts of love. But loving God can be difficult because He is not us. Often, I think I love myself more than God does. Some gifts of love are a little harder like taking up our daily crosses. Most people do not like their crosses. Do you think I enjoy walking around like a question mark? No. Do you think I enjoy eating fish twice a week? Heck no! Thank God for French dressing! Sometimes I do not like getting up in the morning. I’ve put a lot of mileage on this body, and getting up can be a very painful experience. But these are minor ways to love. Look at the Good Samaritan. He was on a trip when he came upon a man who had been beaten and robbed. The man was not lying on his side of the road so, legally, it was not his business, and he was not morally bound to help the man. But love is outside of oneself. So, even though it delayed his trip and traveling at night was very dangerous, the Good Samaritan went outside of himself to care for the man who had been beaten and robbed.
Sometimes we don’t like what God asks us to do. When someone is hurt or sick and needs our help, we think, “Nope. I’m not cut out for this.” That doesn’t matter. It’s not about you; it’s about that person. Acts of love may be very inconvenient. But we are called to not only show our love but also to grow in love. An act of love can be as small and mindless as eating fish. Some crosses are pretty easy like mine and others are much more difficult. Taking up our cross is not always pleasant to the senses. Changing diapers is not bad until the smell reaches you. That’s when you rise to a whole different occasion to love. This is what God calls us to do if we love Him. What do all these acts of love do? They take us away from ourselves.
When you work in medicine, you encounter things that are not pleasant, and the gag reflex kicks in. Sometimes acts of love can be rather repulsive. When a helicopter crashed, I showed Bubba, my staff assistant, how to bring patients in on gurneys just like on Mash. Bubba, who was on the verge of being sick, said, “Sir, [Bleurgh] what do you want me to do, Sir [Bleurgh]?” I said, “First, turn your head. Step outside, get some fresh air, and come back.” Bubba was doing acts of love while his organs were trying to leave his body in no particular order. The sounds and smells were traumatizing. Bubba was 19 years old and had never been exposed to anything like that. But he did what needed to be done, and that was an act of love. Bearing our crosses and those of other people including our family and friends is difficult, but they are crosses of love. People say, “I don’t feel comfortable doing that.” Ahh . . . I don’t care. I don’t like going to prisons even though they allow me to leave. As long as they don’t make me eat fish, I’m good. “I don’t feel comfortable with that.” Good! Our Lord never said anything about being comfortable. “I don’t get anything out of it.” Great! I’m not the world’s greatest spiritual director. I’m like to the right of Genghis Khan. “I don’t get anything out of it.” Don’t care. You aren’t supposed to. Spiritual direction is not about you. I don’t care how you feel. Not one bit. We are given the grace of comfort more often than we think, but not as much as we would like. It is not about us. Love is a gift to the other. When Jesus gives us these directions about how to love, it trains us to love like Him.
When you give gifts of love, you are dying to self so that you can feel what our good Lord felt. You are imitating what happened to our Lord on the Cross. People say, “But no one says thank you.” Many people in my priestly ministry don’t say thank you, and I’ve been doing this for a long time. Believe it or not, I have been cursed out, and not just by my family. In the Book of Acts, the apostles rejoiced because “they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name” (Acts 5:41). We get the strength to do that by prayer and through the Sacraments. When we fail in our acts of love, as we all do, we have the Sacrament of Penance to not only heal the wounds of our failures but also to heal the wounds that other people have inflicted upon us. This strengthens our resolve to pick up our cross and follow Him.
In the spiritual life, love is not an emotion; it’s an action. We have to love. In the various stages of life, love takes on different forms. Sometimes when people will soon meet their Maker, and I’m preparing them for their passing, I’ll say, “On this bed is your cross imitating Christ. You are at the right hand of Christ like the Good Thief.” So, offer your sufferings up. You have much to offer through all the suffering you endure although we suffer much less than our grandparents because we have much better medicine now. Still, when you are going through it, it seems like a lot. I had a man who just passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He couldn’t breathe. When you can’t breathe, you tend to panic, so he was on a lot of antianxiety medicines. In that patient’s bed, you could see the suffering of Christ. By your suffering, you are imitating Christ’s sacrifice.
When I was a seminarian, I learned an important lesson. I was assigned to Saint John’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. As I was making rounds with a good Jesuit priest, all of a sudden, the door to a patient’s room opened. The smell was so, so bad. I went out into the stairwell retching while I tried to hold my stomach down where it should be. I did not go to medical school, but I knew my stomach should not be up in my throat. I told my father about it, and he said, “That’s good, son.” So basically, he didn’t care either. He was an Army medic before he became an officer. My father said, “You know, it’s not about you. You leave that room, get sick, and then go back in. It’s not about you.” That was one of the best spiritual directions I ever received. Just remember that there will be occasions when our gifts of love will make us feel bad. But there are two things we are learning: 1) It is not about us; and 2) When it’s really hard, when people are repulsive, abusive, and ungrateful, that’s when we grow in love. It is then that you have some conception, in a very minor way, of what Christ endured. His greatest act of love was on the Cross. What did His own chosen people do at the foot of the Cross? They jeered Him.
How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – October 1, 2023 – “Love is an Action Not an Attendance Record”
“Love is an Action Not an Attendance Record”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
September 30 – October 1, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
28“What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 30 The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
I heard you had a rather long and interesting sermon last week. Mine may not be as long, but I’ll give it a shot.
Love is an action. It is not an emotion. Our good Lord calls us to respond to His love by living a life of charity and self-sacrifice. Some will say, “Father, I went to Catholic school, and I’ve always gone to church.” Now, the lawyer in me says, “I don’t care that you have been to church. But did you go into the church?” There’s a difference. I’ve been to the hospital, but that doesn’t make me a doctor. “But, Father, I’ve been to church all my life.” That’s great. I’ve been going to the bathroom all my life, but that doesn’t make me a toilet!
How have you responded to the love God offered you, all the classes you took, all the Masses you participated in and the Sacraments you received? How did you put all of that into action? That is what our good Lord will ask us. “You have My love. What did you do with it?” If you read further along in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Jesus gives us the final exam questions. Go read it. They are all about how we responded to His love. “Lord, You know I love You.” That’s fine, but Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (Matthew 14:15). That is an action. It’s an act of both positivity and negativity. Avoid sin and do good works. I’ll give you one of the 25 exam questions from the Gospel of Matthew. The others you can study on your own: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35-36). Those are the final exam questions, and they are all actions.
So, love is an action. It is not an attendance record. Yes, it’s the part of love that has nothing to do with attendance. It’s a little more than that considering the amount of love God offers us as well as to prostitutes and tax collectors. We are all sinners, and all our sins are vile. Now a Canon lawyer might say, “There’s a difference between mortal and venial sin.” No, no, no. You can play a lot of theological games with that. Basically, when you say “no” to God it is “no” to God. Period. Finito. That’s like comparing the difference between slapping a guy and slapping a baby. Why is slapping a baby worse? Because the baby is pure innocence. The guy may have deserved it…the baby did not. However, it is still a slap.
Love is an action and that is what our Lord asks of us. “I’ve given you My love. Are you giving your love back to Me?” We come here for the Sacraments and for prayer. We need God’s grace so that we have the energy, will, and ability to give those acts of love. His great act of love sustains us. Now He wants our acts of love in return.
[Father, looking at his watch] . . . Well, that was less than 30 minutes.
Father’s Reflections. . .
People ask me, “Father, did you have a good vacation?” Well, I’m still working on the after-action report. Now, I don’t know if this is an up or a down, but I had to let my belt out a notch because I ate like a pig. The food was wonderful. I was having lunch with a friend, a nurse, who I’ve known for 30 years. The restaurant is on the water and is a really nice place. I had seasoned blackened salmon, and I was going to order some fruit for dessert, but I got ice cream instead. My friend said, “You’re a cardiac patient,” which prompted my inner Italian to almost show itself. The next day, she had a birthday party with a huge pumpkin spice cake made with four eggs and butter that I shouldn’t eat. Thanks a lot! I’ll tell you one other story about my trip. I was sitting in the diner [see a pattern here?] where food was being served with a huge side of sarcasm which is always available. I had seen these men in the diner before, and they were talking about this woman whose husband would beat her. So, the woman’s three brothers visited her husband and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Afterward, he moved to Virginia. Rhode Island has a huge bay, and everybody has a boat.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
The Catechism in a Year – Day 271 – Love of God
We continue our overview of the Ten Commandments by looking at the two parts: love of God and love of neighbor. Together they form a “coherent whole,” and there is a unity between the two. While the Catechism shows us our obligation to follow the Commandments, it also reminds us that, “What God commands, he makes possible by his grace.” Fr. Mike emphasizes that even though it may be challenging at times, we are not alone. Jesus is here to help us keep his Commandments. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2064-2082.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/WXFNAQQMhKU?si=BSTCdFRsWyPD6Brj
The Catechism in a Year – Day 242 – The Virtue of Faith
The origin, motive, and object of the theological virtues are God himself. Today, we dive into the theological virtues, beginning with the virtue of Faith. Fr. Mike unpacks the meaning and purpose of the virtue of Faith and emphasizes that Faith is deeply rooted in trust in God. Lastly, Fr. Mike reminds us that Faith should be lived out along with Hope, and Love, and also professed to those who do know yet know God. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1812-1816.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/CBL3LGHBCUA?si=KZOMnrHHPJcMwYhj
The Catechism in a Year – Day 226 – The Supreme Gift of Marriage
“Children are the supreme gift of marriage,” says Vatican II. Marriage is directed by its very nature toward the procreation of children. Beyond this, parents are the primary educators of their children, responsible for their holistic formation. Sadly, many couples suffer from infertility. Even in their struggle, they can provide a powerful witness of love, sacrifice, and fidelity. In all this and more, we see the family as the Domestic Church. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1652-1658.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/D_V1oXAOcz0?si=vCELSKKzYjjyw82c
The Catechism in a Year – Day 225 – Total Fidelity in Marriage
“Love seeks to be definitive,” the Catechism tells us in this section on marital fidelity. The faithfulness of husband and wife in the sacrament of Matrimony is a sign of God’s irrevocable covenant with humanity. This fidelity is both beautiful and challenging. Fr. Mike addresses painful separation and divorce situations and how the whole ecclesial community should respond with truthful love. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1646-1651.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/QmixPmwXOi8?si=sBXyGM68jGNdbCTb