Wisdom of Age

Friends of Faith:

Wisdom of age says to “Know Him, Love Him and Serve Him.”

Marriage is the core reflection of God’s wisdom because He created marriage with a purpose to unify and procreate—to know each other, to love each other and to serve each other within a family.

Beyond this core are all other relationships – especially those of our neighbors and the “stranger.”

The wisdom of God is handed to us through Scripture and the 2014 years we have known Christ in our world.

 

So I found it interesting how the wisdom of 153 years of marriage (4 couples) without planning and yet profoundly developed the same theme in our Date Night panel discussion last night for our relationships—to know, love and serve each other in marriage.

The parallels from the following 6 wisdom of age “pointers” tie directly tied to our personal relationship with Christ – to know, love and serve each other AND Him.

1)Life isn’t about me – life is about we! When we marry we can no longer think just about doing something for ourselves, but rather if we are going to strengthen and build our relationship we need to make each decision based on the WE – how will this decision impact us, and how this decision serves our mutual purpose and each other. Likewise if we truly believe in Christ’s presence in our lives, then we will make our decisions based on how it impacts our relationship with Him—making our decisions based on Him, loving one another as he loved us.

2)Make Time for Each Other: You don’t build a bond with someone without taking time to be with them, physically, mentally and spiritually, so take and make time to continue to date your spouse for a lifetime. Likewise if we don’t make time for Christ for a LIFETIME then at some point our relationship with Him will falter. How much quality time do we spend with our spouse? And is spending time with God a priority?

3)Know Them—Communication and Education: In any relationship, but especially in marriage, we need to learn what matters, what impacts, and what is important to our spouse through continuing education and constant communication. By paying attention to details we learn what is important to each other because it probably isn’t the same as what is important to us because of male female differences and our life experiences. Likewise we need to grow comfortable with Christ to build a lasting relationship with Him. If we don’t know what He/She/They/Christ wants and needs from us then serving and loving them/Him is almost impossible. Knowing, loving and serving our spouse will bring us peace and joy, just as knowing, loving and serving Christ brings peace and joy to the world.

4)Let God lead you: Prayer for and trust of the circumstances God places us in. Marriage mirrors and strengthens our bond with God because it is the very bond that God initiated in Genesis to teach us about His love for us. When our faith is our stronghold then we are allowing God to take charge of our lives and through him all things are possible. Do you value the opinion of your spouse? Does God lead you in prayer together?

5)Expect Good: Too many times we blame, don’t take responsibility, or forget the reasons and purpose of our marriage. Likewise it can be in our faith or lack of it. We may blame God for our circumstances instead of looking to Him to help us make our choices in life. We can try to do marriage and life on our own, but without God our focus will become blocked by life’s circumstances instead of revealing to us the beauty God has created. If we have faith in God and accept Him and His creation as good, then he must have a purpose for the spouse and family He has given us.

6)Support of Others: Every couple who spoke of hard times in their relationships (illness, broken dreams, accidents) spoke of the faith and family communities who supported them and made those difficult times not only bearable, but true learning and enriching experiences. That is what Church is all about – a community of support—of knowing, loving and SERVING each other.

"Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” 1 Thes 1: 1-5

Heavenly Father Your wisdom is beyond all ages. Grant us Your mercy when we fail to know You, love You and serve You, especially when we fail to know, love and serve you through our spouse . Give us wisdom to learn through our marriages and our relationships the reasons for which you have created us. Thank you for the blessings of the bonds of marriage, family and the Church who You created as our community of support. Amen.

God is all knowing so it makes sense that He would teach us about Himself through others. Allow us to show our love for Him by the way we know, love and serve others.

Reflect upon what the wisdom of all age looks like—know him, love him, serve him,

Blessings,

Charlotte

www.morningreflection.blogspot.com

Proclaim the Beauty

Friends of Faith:

Proclaiming the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of Christ.

Christ lived it. Pope Francis proclaims it. Are we doing our own part to live and proclaim it?

What does our life, our marriage, our family, our speech and our choices, say about the beauty, goodness and truth of being Christian? www.thealexanderhouse.org (Proclaiming the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of Marriage)

Do you have that one large family that you admire that doesn’t seem to have a lot of “rich” ie money, but always seems to have it together by just being together, by the way they take care of each other?

I often say I give credit for many of my behaviors and attitudes to my grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles. It is because they showed me what it means to help out a neighbor, to serve within our family and community, and to forgive those who hurt us in anyway. They showed me the beauty of having Christ thru the Church in our family and in their own marriages because being together as a family in church was always an important part of our gathering together.

It was important for us to gather not just on holidays, but whenever possible. Traveling and vacation meant visiting cousins, playing cards, flying kites and Grandma’s walnut cookies and kolaches. We enjoyed just being together. And we were taught that peace and joy was found in giving instead of receiving by being active volunteers in our neighborhoods and communities.

We went to church every week as a family and often as an extended family, looking forward to the next time we would gather. Church was a priority and a central gathering place, a treasure that we looked forward to, especially when we traveled and got to visit someone else’s parish.

Have you ever tried to “hide” what is important, good or bad? Have you ever noticed that it is the church steeple that rises above other buildings in your community, and the bad news which gets all the publicity? But dark (bad) can be hidden, extinguished, by just a little light. And the beauty of Christ is that light.

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, or will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Lk 8: 16-18

Light or darkness, there is no in between; for Christ or against him, there is no in between.

'The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God's creation, says this: "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,' and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. "'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne. "'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" Rev 3: 14-22

Hot or cold, not lukewarm; rich or poor—in God’s view; light or dark; open door or closed—It is our/my choice to see and proclaim the beauty.

God is standing outside our door with a light that is the truth. Do I see the beauty and proclaim the truth? Will “I enter his house (church) and dine with him, and him in me” (receive His body in the Eucharist)?

Or have I hidden the light, become lukewarm (through misguided priorities), or for any reason completely closed that door (through sin), so that all that is seen from the outside is a lukewarm hypocrite. (Do I proclaim my Christianity but do nothing to live it?)

In his goodness and mercy God will wait forever for me to turn the handle and reopen the door to arrive at His beauty. He will not leave, if I repent—he will forgive, AND His grace through the sacraments will help me get back up and come back in. That is the beauty of His proclamation to us.

So, am I “hot” for my faith? Have I opened the door to beauty and to proclaiming the Church teaching on marriage, love, relationships and life? Am I seeking to learn more and to be educated in God’s light?

Do I look forward to visiting Church, remaining in His presence, and proclaiming His good news? Am I regularly seeking nourishment (through prayer) that is full and fulfilling: Scripture, the Eucharist, and truth?

Or am I eating cultural lies and societal junk food (happy surface stuff) which only keeps me warm for a little while?

Christ, You are the Light of the World. You hold the keys to the heavenly kingdom, to the door of hope, healing and forgiveness. Help me to proclaim your beauty and goodness by showing all I meet how opening your door has given me peace and joy. Give each person the grace to open the door for themselves and the gifts of courage, wisdom and knowledge to make others curious enough to open the door for themselves. Amen.

Be Hot for Christ!
Proclaim the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of the one holy, apostolic and Catholic (universal) Church, of Christ, of marriage, of life and of unending joy by the way in which you live this week.
Blessings,
Charlotte