Song Amidst Sorrow Ten men stand gathered in prayer. Maximilian Kolbe leads the group and begins to sing. The men join him in song, and their praises echo from within Cell 18 of Block 11. The men are shut in an underground bunker in Auschwitz, sentenced to die because of a prisoner escape. And yet, … Continue reading St. Maximilian Kolbe
In our marriage prep, we'd heard about the stresses of NFP. We'd heard about the difficulties of choosing to abstain during times of fertility rather than choosing a form of birth control. We'd heard that NFP could cause fights and at times resentment. Everything we'd heard about the difficulties of NFP prior to our marriage was in the context of using NFP to avoid having. children (or TTA). Clearly, we weren't using NFP to avoid having children at this point in our marriage. It followed then, that there should be no difficulties caused by using NFP, no stress, no strain on our marriage.
The Visitation has always been one of my favorite images. I first came to love the Visitation because it tells the story of St. Elizabeth, my namesake. As I grew older, I came to love it because of the beautiful friendship and joy it showcased between two beautiful, God-fearing women--Our Lady and St. Elizabeth. When … Continue reading Entering into the Visitation: Announcing Visitation Bible Study
When people open up about their crosses, we have the beautiful opportunity to become an image of the visitation. We have the option to set out and travel to the hill country in haste to rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Christ, to share in their sorrows, and to carry their burdens with them. We have an opportunity to become an image of Christ to them and to recognize Christ within their hearts. And when we dismiss the sufferings of others, either by saying that they haven't gone through their suffering long enough, or not to worry, or that it isn't a big deal, we miss that opportunity.
