Assumption at Assumption Grotto - Video Preview: Anointing and Benediction of the Sick

If you watch this, be sure to do so with the sound on, or headphones plugged in. It's just not the same without the music, especially the beauty of the Benediction which takes place down by the Grotto.

Be sure to rate the video using the common star system . Read this post and then go to this page to rate the video.

I will be making a post soon on details for those looking to come on August 15th. I'm waiting on some info and when I have it, the post will go up. Stay tuned.



One of the Seven Sacraments is the Anointing of the Sick. Your parents and grandparents probably called it, "Last Rites". Today, people are encouraged to have this Sacrament if it is canonically suitable for them to do so. From the Code of Canon Law:

CHAPTER III.

THOSE ON WHOM THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK IS TO BE CONFERRED

Can. 1004 §1. The anointing of the sick can be administered to a member of the faithful who, having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger due to sickness or old age.

§2. This sacrament can be repeated if the sick person, having recovered, again becomes gravely ill or if the condition becomes more grave during the same illness.

Can. 1005 This sacrament is to be administered in a case of doubt whether the sick person has attained the use of reason, is dangerously ill, or is dead.

Can. 1006 This sacrament is to be conferred on the sick who at least implicitly requested it when they were in control of their faculties.

Can. 1007 The anointing of the sick is not to be conferred upon those who persevere obstinately in manifest grave sin.

Since one must be in the state of grace for the Sacrament to take affect (and to not commit an offense against the sacrament by receiving unworthily), Confessions are offered at 1:30pm, among other times, to assist those who need it before anointing. I will be making another post on the Sacrament of Penance, with links to various Examinations of Conscience and instructions for those who have forgotten how to go. Assumption Grotto is probably the Confession capital of Detroit, with many going on Sundays before the 9:30am and Noon Masses on Sunday, and at it's regular time of 2:30-3:30 on Saturday. Many go frequently just to build virtue if they have no serious sins to confess, as is recommended by our priests. More on this in another post and back to Anointing...

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Anointing

1517 Like all the sacraments the Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration,132 whether it takes place in the family home, a hospital or church, for a single sick person or a whole group of sick persons. It is very fitting to celebrate it within the Eucharist, the memorial of the Lord's Passover. If circumstances suggest it, the celebration of the sacrament can be preceded by the sacrament of Penance and followed by the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the sacrament of Christ's Passover the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey, the "viaticum" for "passing over" to eternal life.

When I first posted this video last year, a few people got the impression that anyone and everyone was being anointed at will. This is not the case at all. Most of those I witnessed being anointed were the very elderly and infirm, and quite a few people visibly very ill with things like cancer. I have actually seen someone seeking it who was not elderly, infirm or visibly sick and the priests will make an attempt to find out if they are truly eligible with regards to their health. In other words, it is not for someone with a cold or sniffle.

Priests will give this Sacrament to those who will undergo general anesthetic or other procedure in which there is risk of death. At Assumption Grotto, parishioners will approach the Sacristy door after Mass to make the request.

BENDICTION IN THE GROTTO

Benediction occurs in the Grotto following the anointing. This is where the priest, with the Eucharist in a monstrance blesses those in attendance. If God can become Man in Jesus Christ, Our Lord can become a humble piece of bread in the form of the Eucharist. It is probably the most moving part of the slideshow video, and one that will not have the same impact if watched in silence. Turn on the sound and plug in those earphones.

Many today have never witnessed or been at a Benediction. We have them every Sunday after the Noon Mass at Assumption Grotto - outdoors at the Grotto in the Summer, weather permitting.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Q & A: Can unborn, unbaptized babies have Catholic funeral & burial?

I have seen a various forms of the same question crop up in the comboxes of some blogposts on the recent Mass & burial with aborted babies at Assumption Grotto.

First, I am most grateful to all bloggers who responded to my request to give it the publicity it deserved. Perhaps this was my error to report that it was a Mass for the babies. This will be explained below...

I thought the question was a good one to ponder, given canon law. At the blog of Fr. Tim Finigan - a pro-life champion in the UK - a commenter by the name of Tomas, asks in a post Father made about my photostory:

Just a question Father...can unbaptized babies receive a Christian burial? God bless

Since I had seen this question before and was unsure how to respond myself, and with Fr. Perrone gone on vacation, I put the question to my parish priest who responded, as follows (emphasis mine, and comments in brackets):

1. Baptism is essential for salvation. Without it, you can’t get to heaven. This is why the Church developed the theologoumenon [a theological opinion] on Limbo for unbaptized babies and the just who were not baptized.



2. There are three ways in which baptism can take place: water, blood, and spirit (desire).



3. Catechumens who intended to be baptized but die before baptism are considered baptized by desire and receive a regular funeral. Likewise were those who died as martyrs for Christ before baptism—they were baptized in their blood. Unbaptized or unborn children of parents who intended to have them baptized could be considered to be Catechumens and, therefore, could be considered baptized by desire. This is why canon law affords them a funeral. Aborted children, however, were not likely going to be baptized and their being considered Catechumens is more remote—not impossible, just more remote.



4. Aborted babies are not in Purgatory. If they are not in Purgatory, then there is no reason for praying funeral prayers for them asking God to release them from Purgatory. (It goes without saying that neither are prayers offered for souls in heaven or hell.)



5. The Church entrusts these souls to God’s mercy with prayer. Their eternal fate is in God’s hands, but the Church’s funeral rites are not among the prayers intended for them.
   

He further adds...

The Mass intention on that Friday was for atonement for sins of abortion, not the souls of the unborn. However, since they were human beings with an eternal soul, we perform the corporal act of mercy of burying the dead. The Mass offered on that Friday was not a funeral Mass—it did not use the funeral prayers or rites in any way.

Hopefully, this clarifies not only the question, but what actually took place at Assumption Grotto on June 27th, 2008.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!.

Updated Sidebar: Liturgy and Sacraments

If you scroll up and down my sidebar, you will find many sections with good resources. I have everything from Latin, Liturgy, and sacred music resources, as well as links to Catholic Scripture study sources, canon law, info about private revelations, and much more. Every now and then, I must check these to see if they are still working. Don't hesitate to email me if you find a broken link: TeDeumBlog@gmail.com

CONFESSION
The link I had to a page containing Fr. Z's examination of conscience was no longer working. I have provided, in it's place, an examination of conscience by Fr. Robert Altier. Both priests spent time at St. Agnes in Minnesota (they have beautiful liturgies, with symphony so stop in if you are out that way). Fr. Robert Altier - a diocesan priest - is also a third order Carmelite.

I have added three additional links on confession. These are direct links:

• The Seven Sacraments - Pope John Paul II (EWTN)
• Confession of Sins to a Priest (Catholic Answers)
• Surprise! Early Christians went to Confession (Catholic Answers)

MARRIAGE
While I was on the subject of sacraments, I also added a link to Our Lady's Brides - a woman to woman forum on the subject of marriage and Catholicism. If you are getting married, or are already married and have something to offer and want to learn from others, consider joining Our Lady's Brides.

I will likely add more to the liturgy and sacraments section.


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First "Tridentine" Wedding at Grotto in 40 Years!

An extraordinary wedding.....

On Friday, January 4th, at 4:00pm, Assumption Grotto was graced with the Sacrament of Marriage in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (EF) for the first time in 40 years. You may recognize it by another name, the so-called "Tridentine" or "Traditional Latin Mass" (TLM).

I did not post the photos sooner because I was unable to connect with the bride and groom to get their permission to share the pics online (and I did not want them to learn about them via the web!).

Kathryn & Thomas Hulett became husband and wife at this majestic celebration.


Clicking on any pic should enlarge it on your computer. Bloggers: feel free to post any pics you want, but kindly provide a link back to this post (click the time stamp below for the url).

An Unplanned Shoot
I had gone to take photos during what I thought was going to be the First Friday Adoration for the Sacred Heart, which normally takes place from 9:30am to 6:30pm each month. We have adoration daily, save Sundays in the convent chapel. I also knew the Christmas decorations would soon be coming down and had not been able to take many pictures.

What? A Wedding?
When I got there shortly after 3:00, the Blessed Sacrament had just been returned to the Tabernacle and preparations for the wedding were underway. I was short on time and was planning to leave before the wedding until........the altar cards came out.

I was already feeling bad because I missed a wedding between Christmas and New Years that I had been asked to shoot some months earlier. I hadn't committed, and never commit to weddings because I have many variables in my personal life, especially my mother's ill health, and I would not want to blow the only opportunity someone has to have pictures of such a special day.

What? A "Tridentine" Wedding?
Seeing those altar cards, my first plea to God was, "Oh Lord, don't do this to me - you know I won't be able to resist this". A short time later, I learned who was getting married. I did not know the bride, but I knew her father, Mike, who recently passed away after a long illness. I met him in the school hallway of Grotto about two years ago when, seeing my camera, he introduced himself and asked if I was the same Diane who was active on the web in Catholic forums and blogs. We had some good conversations about the faith and the liturgy.

That was it. I finally realized that Mike's Guardian Angel was working overtime along with mine to get me to stay. How could I walk out now? I asked the Blessed Mother for her assistance as I so often do when shooting anything sacred (and because I really have no idea what I'm doing). Below is the result of that prayer.

I did not find out until the sermon that not only did I capture this beautiful wedding, I captured a piece of history for Assumption Grotto. Deo Gratias!

You may have noticed that the bride and groom where exchanging vows at the beginning, rather than mid-Mass. I thought this was awesome.

One thing to note for couples considering a wedding in the Extraordinary Form: Start kneeling daily for longer and longer periods until you can do so comfortably for at least an hour. There was no place for chairs in the Sanctuary and from what I'm told, this is the way it use to be.

I am speaking from experience when I tell you that if you can only kneel for 5 minutes today, with time and practice, you can easily work your way up to an hour over a period of time. I recall my first days at Grotto where I use to break a sweat kneeling for just 7 minutes or so during the short Eucharistic Prayer in the Ordinary Form (or New Mass).

There's one more thing about getting married at Grotto, either in the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form (and you get to choose): No one escapes the pre-Cana classes by Fr. Eduard Perrone, Grotto's pastor. If you want to understand the beauty of marriage in the context of theology of the body, you will have your fill.

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Priest anoints dead robbery suspect in Philippines

Witnessing Christ Abroad

A missionary priest is caught on camera anointing a robbery suspect who was shot dead. As pointed out by Fr. Edward McNamara on Zenit last year:

"...if a person is apparently dead but the priest 'is in doubt whether the sick person is really dead, he can give him the sacrament conditionally.'"

While someone may appear dead visually, without sophisticated equipment it can be hard to say that someone's heart has stopped beating and the brain has ceased activity. Canon 1005 says:

If there is any doubt as to whether the sick person has reached the age of reason, or is dangerously ill, or is dead, this sacrament is to be administered.

This story also had me reflecting about my own attitude of such people (the robbery suspect). We don't know the state of someone's soul as they are dying. Even if in the midst of doing something wrong, a person may repent in his final moments and for this we can always pray for our loved ones, and for strangers. The sins of some are readily visible, but less visible sin can get anyone into hell if it is grave and they leave the world without repenting.

Nothing is beyond God's mercy and forgiveness. For that, we have the Sacrament of Confession which should be used frequently. Bewteen confessions we should be doing a daily Examination of Conscience and Act of Contrition. If we uncover a serious sin, we should go to Confession as soon as is practical.

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Can Spouses use Sacramental Confession Jointly?

This in from Ed Peters:

The practice of spouses jointly celebrating the sacrament of confession recently garnered support from Catholic News Service veteran columnist Fr. John Deitzen. Provided that couples "approve and consider it helpful for their marriage", Deitzen holds that spouses may confess their sins in each other's presence and receive absolution. He notes only that each spouse would be bound by the seal of confession in regard to what he or she learned about the other.

I believe, however, that there are formidable canonical and practical objections to joint sacramental confession, and I set them out for consideration.

.....continue reading at, In Light of the Law

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Anointing & Benediction Video Moved to GodTube.com

EDIT: GodTube seems to be down at the moment (perhaps they too have been hit by storms).

With a violent storm approaching I have only a moment to pass along that I have done some adjustments, added two photos to the video slideshow on the Anointing and Benediction on August 15th, 2007, and have moved it to GodTube.com. GodTube was working today.

It is no longer on YouTube so any links to that will be broken. YouTube did not provide any way to filter out what kind of content gets advertised next to my video. Unfortunately, some very unholy videos were made with keywords we typically assocate with holy things. This made their program think I would want those video's shown next to my video as "related". Not!

I understand some people were very upset by what they saw, and I cannot blame them. With Cardinal Rigali, the Filippino Bishops Conference, and other priests & bishops making use of YouTube, I did not see why we couldn't do so too. Fortunately for them, I don't see the kind of vile titles showing up next to their videos. I was unable to find a way to regulate this within YouTube, and was turned off by something else: Very foul language in the comment sections of ordinary videos like one of Hurrican Dean from space. There is software technology they can use to prevent these typed words from showing up, or the software can jumble them. Many sites will suspend or ban people who repeatedly try to use foul language. YouTube appears out of control as much of what I experienced shocked me and there was nothing I could do about any of it, but leave, which I did.

The software at GodTube even thought the name of our parish - Assumption - was a bad word (presumably because of the first three letters). It was being displayed as, !^&#xum;ption . I had to use hyphens between the first few characters in order to get the name of our parish in the description.

Original post still contains an embedded video, but it is now via GodTube. I would be interested to know if anyone seeing it now senses the quality is far better than it was with YouTube. It loaded better, and the pictures were clearer. For those who seen the previous version, I would like to know what you see on quality.


CATHOLICS: USE GODTUBE
I want to encourage other Catholics to make use of GodTube.com. There is a channel for the Catholic Church. We may get some exposure to people of other faiths, but the moral trash should not be an issue. I have turned comments off so that those who do not understand our faith cannot lead weakly catechized Catholics astray.

Without further delay, and because the lightening is as intense as I have seen, this video replaces the previous. Please email me at TeDeumBlog@aol.com if there are any further issues.



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Grotto Video: Anointing & Benediction on Assumption Day

EDIT 8-23-2007: Video has been pulled from YouTube and has been uploaded to GodTube where we hope siteowners ensure we aren't led into exposure to videos that are displeasing to God. There was no way to block or control which videos were being "advertised" next to mine and some of them were quite inappropriate.

This is the first in a series of slide-show videos that I hope to bring you on Assumption Day 2007 at Assumption Grotto. This is not something I can do with frequency as it is highly labor and time intensive and it will be a week or two before I try to complete another segment.

I originally intended to put this up on GodTube.com - a service similar to YouTube.com, but without the trash. However, their upload service was down and I had no idea how long it would take to be available. I plan to eventually move there. Lesson Learned: Wait next time.

This roughly 3 minute video was not intended to be my first production. It was part of a longer, 6 minute clip which some of you seen when I brought my laptop to Grotto. This segment, which features the Sacrament of the Sick and Benediction which took place in the afternoon on August 15, 2007. It was so moving and so beautiful, it deserved to be pulled out so that it could stand alone.

SACRAMENTAL PHOTOSTORY
May it be a testimony for the Sacrament of the Sick, for Benediction and most of all, for our Eucharistic Lord. I wanted to capture this sacrament and the mercy and compassion with which it is given. The faces of the priests tell the story. I merely captured it.

I owe it all to the Blessed Mother and the holy angels who made everything fall right into place. The royalty-free music you will hear fell beautifully over the piece, with only minor adjustments needed here and there in timing.

I highly recommend hitting the pause button right after you click twice in the window to start it. Let the video load first (you'll see the red bar struggling along). When it is loaded, then press the play button and it will not be interrupted. Try to use the sound as it really boosts the overall quality of the piece.

COMMUNAL ANOINTING?

It was brought to my attention that people may mistakenly believe this was one of those communal type anointing services where everyone and their uncle gets anointed casually. Those of you who know Fr. Perrone and Assumption Grotto know this kind of thing would never happen.

At Assumption Grotto on August 15th - our feast day - the priests, lots of them, offer sacramental Confession before the Anointing of the Sick. It is announced over the PA by Fr. Perrone - the conditions for receiving this sacrament, one of which is to be in the state of grace. One cannot use the Sacrament in lieu of confession, if one is capable of confessing. It's different for someone who is comatose and dying. The person cannot confess.

Fr. Perrone listed several other conditions. Bottom line is that because you have an annoying hang-nail, you don't need to have the Sacrament of the Sick. But, if you are very elderly and frail, then you could meet criteria.



Bloggers, by all means, embed this video and give it exposure if you are so compelled after viewing it. The (updated) embed code for your html page can be found here. For those emailing, please send a direct link to this blogpost rather than the homepage. It can be found by clicking on the time-stamp at the bottom of the post and copying the URL.

Feedback in my combox, or at YouTube is welcome. Both are on moderation.

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Fr. Vincent Serpa, OP on Fear of Confession

"The Perfect Sacrifice"

by artist Tommy Canning

Visit Art of Divine Mercy Online to purchase stunning Catholic artwork by this great artist I met at the 2005 Call to Holiness Conference here in metro Detroit.

Over at Catholic.com, where he is a staff apologist, Fr. Vincent Serpa, OP has given a most thought-provoking and powerful response to someone who experiences tremendous fear of using the Sacrament of Confession.

Fr. Serpa words give us all something to meditate on the next time we find ourselves less than enthusiastic to go, or don't want to take time out of our day:

You say that you hate this sacrament. What you hate is the way you feel when you receive it. You need to acknowledge that your fear is subjective. There is nothing objectively dangerous in having one’s sins forgiven.

It seems that the stating of those sins and the hearing of oneself state them to another person and the anticipation of a response could be what scares you. It would seem that somewhere in your past some experience has made you fearful of such vulnerability. You really do need to find out what it is that is really going on here.As for approaching the sacrament, you need to make a list of your sins and simply read them to the priest. But even more importantly than this, you need to focus on what the Lord was willing to endure that your sins might be forgiven.

As the result of the loss of so much blood from the scourging at the pillar, he endured a pounding headache that accompanied Him to His death. Receiving the nails into the carpal tunnels of His hands brought pain to His whole upper body. When the cross was lifted and put in place, the nails in His hands held His body up. His up-stretched arms then began to squeeze His lings and He began to gasp. So He had to push down on His crucified feet to raise His body so that He could fill His lungs with air. This caused additional pain to His feet. Such strain required additional energy and His energy was steadily decreasing from the loss of blood. Nevertheless, He maintained this agonizing routine while hanging on the cross for three hours. As He became weaker, His struggle became greater. After three hours He came to the point where He just could not raise His body one more time. Finally in that eternal moment He gave up His spirit and died, giving us life. That moment was the reason He became man. It’s eternal because it transcends time and touches every human being who has ever lived or will ever live. It’s the moment that gives us a window into what it means to be loved with a love that is infinite.

The more we reflect on this eternal moment, the more we begin to realize what it means to be loved by Him. When the priest raises his hand as he absolves us, it is really the nail-scarred hand of Jesus who is absolving us. We must never forget this. This is how to cope with your fear. As St. John says, love banishes fear.

I will remember you at 2 a.m. during my hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.

Source post at Catholic.com

If you have questions about the Catholic faith, you can always use Ask an Apologist at Catholic.com after registering.

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A Marriage at Assumption Grotto

Molly Murphy and Jason Kucel - May 26, 2007

I've long wanted to capture more of sacramental life at Assumption Grotto, but just have not had not gotten around to it. The very sacraments I've participated in and witnessed, are so different from what I grew up with in the 70's and 80's. I feel it is well worth sharing. I never cease to be surpised with ordinary life at this great parish. I've experienced many weddings at Catholic parishes in my lifetime. However, I have NEVER been to a wholly Catholic wedding until just over a week ago.

A member of the Assumption Grotto Choir - Jason, who has also been active in the music program at Grotto in a variety of other ways, was married on Memorial Day weekend. The choir sang, so I was there singing, as well as taking photos for Fr. Euteneuer's visit. I decided to take a few wedding shots from the balcony. This photo is still undergoing some editing and the camera in the foreground will disappear eventually. Jason and Molly gave their permission for me to post their photo, to use their names, and to use the sermon provided by Fr. Perrone.

In the photo above, the couple gazes upon the Body of Christ just moments after they were united in sacramental marriage. May they always bring themselves back before the Lord with thanksgiving for the many blessings they will receive in their marriage. And, may they always bring themselves before Him, together, with their trials and difficulties. Spending time in adoration rains down graces to embrace and endure all that God wills for them to experience. It leads a humble human to meditate on sacrifice - something that is very unpopular to even mention today, yet so necessary for a successful marriage.

Below is a solid Catholic wedding sermon. There is a good deal of catechesis involved. The sermon is something all married couples should ponder, as well as those who will some day enter marriage. There are some things for all of us to reflect on, as well. The emphases in bold are mine...

May 26, 2007, Sermon of Rev. Eduard Perrone

The festivity of a church wedding has remained, even in our very non-religious time, a very desirable and impressive thing. Everybody puts forth his finest efforts to make this an impressive and memorable event. The detailed preparations made for this day are now unfolding as the day moves on.

In the midst of all those matters of dress and ceremony and protocol, there is a very brief moment of absolute significance, a moment without which all this pomp and display would be entirely vain, empty and thus, ultimately, meaningless. I speak of that great but ever so swift ‘happening’ that’s about to take place in just a moment from now: the exchange of the wedding vows. It’s all so simple and unostentatious at one might easily overlook it. It’s the moment of the “I do” when–invisibly to all of us who are intently looking-on–a transformation will take place.

We call it marriage, a uniting of two persons in an unseen but essential change, whereby they are made one thing: a married couple. ‘Looks’ can’t inform us about it. By human nature, Jason and Molly will appear to be every bit the same after as before their vows. But what a deception. An act of God almighty will be worked in their souls that will change them, and raise them to a new height of status, dignity and holiness.

If I may, I would liken this to the sacramental action of the Mass itself: bread and wine remain what they are only until the priest’s transforming words make something new out of them, so that they become the true flesh and blood of the Lord. Marriage, as you know, is one of the Sacraments. It produces a change, an interior change that’s substantial. Surely, married couples remain who they are and don’t become someone else than who they were. But between the two of them there comes to exist something that did not exist before. They become a couple.

I said that they remain, as individuals, the same after as before the vows. This is true in one sense, but not in another. What stays the same is obvious in their looks and personalities. What can and should change is the manner in which the Sacramental union affects each of the individuals. God’s grace should make them grow in such a way that the good of what they already are should increase and the bad points (dare I even mention imperfections?) about what they are should diminish. This is not a magical change of course, even though the Sacrament itself makes its change infallibly. These secondary and enhancing effects of matrimony’s grace happen only as they become willing partners with God’s grace.

Now there are three words that stood out in the readings Jason and Molly selected for the wedding Mass that could be taken as their life’s plan for making the grace of their marriage work. Here they are: virtue, order, love. Just a brief word about each one:

1. Virtue. Here’s a reminder of what you already heard from the first bible reading: “The beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.” A happy marriage has a certain ‘radiance’ about it, a kind of pleasant light. Where does that light come from? We can say, of course, that it comes from God, or from His grace–true–but that’s too broad a cause. The radiance of a happy marriage comes from virtue. The word of God calls virtue a form of beauty. One can’t mistake it when looking upon someone whose life has been formed by virtue. They’re beautiful! And we are drawn to them because of this spiritual kind of beauty that shines through their eyes and graces their speech. With God’s grace behind them, Jason and Molly can be beautiful through the goodness of their lives.

2. The second word comes the second reading. It is Order. That word may sound a little cold, ‘order’–but it’s something that a good marriage can’t be without. Order is where there’s a structure, a hierarchy, an ordering of things in life according to their rightful place. Here’s the biblical and theological right ordering–what we would call priorities. Christ should reign supreme over all. (In effect that means ‘the Catholic faith.’ Nothing should even take precedence over it.) The husband is then head of his wife and over his household in his responsible role as leader. His wife is subordinate to him. Their children, subordinate to their parents. All other matters, interests and concerns take their place after these. This order, when it is motivated by faith and exercised in charity makes for marital happiness. Dis-order, or bad structuring, brings on martial sadness and misery. Subverting this right structure has been the ruin of many marriages and the cause of much suffering, spiritual and emotional.

3. The last word is Love–a word one can never omit when speaking about marriage. Too often, however, the singular emphasis of that word is on the couple’s mutual love. The biblical understanding is much more comprehensive than that. Love is first the love of God, of the Church, of the Catholic faith, and then love for others. The teaching of our Lord in this Gospel specifies what this loving of God means. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” Love, according to the doctrine of Christ, then is interchangeable with obedience to the commandments. No sentimentalism here in the doctrine of Christ’s love!

So we have three concrete ways for Jason and Molly to grow in the matrimonial grace that will receive momentarily. By choosing the ways of virtue, order and charity they will show themselves very wise in the ways of God. They will also find themselves undergoing a wonderful change. By them, they will become a happy and holy married couple–and, we pray–family. May our Lord and our Blessed Mother grant them the things they have so prudently identified as the program for their married life!



Deo Gratias!

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