JP II beautifully explains the institution of marriage and what it symbolizes – something our modern society is trying its best to dismantle on a daily basis: They key for understanding marriage remains the reality of the sign with which marriage is constituted on the basis of man’s covenant with God in Christ and the Church: is is constituted in … Read More
Talk Like A Pirate’s Wench Wantin’ Holy Matrimony
Avast, me hearties! This is great. In honor of “Talk Like a Pirate Day” the Ironic Catholic has a dialogue between “Lizzie, the Pirate Wench” and her priest after she discovers Theology of the Body: Lizzie: Ahoy, Fath’r! I be needin’ some spiritual view from the mizzenmast. Fath’r: Aye, Lizzie, what need ye? Lizzie: I be thinkin’, Fath’r. Ye know … Read More
Tim Tebow Saving Himself for Marriage
As so many of our boys look up to athletes these days I’m happy to know they’ve got a role model like Tim Tebow to be inspired by. You can barely hear it here, but during a press conference at last week’s SEC Media Days one reporter asked Tebow if he was saving himself for marriage: Watch the entire press … Read More
TOB Tuesday: The Spousal Meaning of the Body and God’s Will for Man
The body has a “spousal” meaning because the human person…is a creature that God willed for his own sake and that, at the same time, cannot fully find himself except through the gift of self [Gaudium et Spes 24:3] ~John Paul II — General Audience 1/16/80 (TOB 15:5) By our nakedness we can clearly see that man and woman were … Read More
Charity in Truth on Openness to Life
Pope Benedict’s long awaited new encyclical is finally out! I’m with Thomas Peters on this one: Pope Benedict’s third encyclical is a mammoth work which will take some time to digest. The encyclical examines integral human development and the social doctrine of the Church which covers a wide range of issues. Since I haven’t had/taken the time to read the … Read More
The Couple That Prays Together…
In the first reading for this Thursday’s Mass we heard the beautiful wedding night prayer of Tobias and Sarah: When the girl’s parents left the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, “My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant … Read More
TOB Tuesday: A Real Love Song
Matt Maher sings his song “Set Me as a Seal” based on the Song of Songs (See lyrics.): A few years ago, Pauline Books and Media released a revised version of the Theology of the Body text – a collection of 129 Wednesday audiences delivered by John Paul II on God’s plan for human love. The biggest difference in this … Read More
TOB Tuesday: What is Marriage?
A few years ago Pope Benedict said: There are some who believe that it is legitimate to destroy human life in its earliest or final stages. Equally troubling is the growing crisis of the family, which is the fundamental nucleus of society based on the indissoluble bond of marriage between a man and a woman. Experience has shown that when … Read More
TOB Tuesday: The Call to Marriage
The spousal language of the body, as explained in John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, is lived out in two specific vocations: Marriage and celibacy for the Kingdom. Here, in part of the Road to Cana DVD series the late and very blessed Fr. Richard Neuhaus beautifully explains the call to Marriage: Strong, healthy, Christ centered marriages are the … Read More
TOB Tuesday: Lent and the Theology of the Body
Fr. Loya of Catholic Exchange has a great article on how Lent can be helpful to our sex lives: Lent is characterized by three things: prayer, fasting and almsgiving (increased charity.) Perhaps the most striking of these three features is fasting. The practice of fasting is found in many of the great Biblical figures the first of whom being Jesus … Read More