The Sacrament of Matrimony

The sacrament of Matrimony is a very powerful one in the Catholic Church. Though received by many, priests are not allowed to receive it because they devote their life to God. In the sacramental union of husband and wife we discover also the union of Christ and his Church as well as the union of the Father and the Son—each union sealed by the Holy Spirit. And since the union of husband and wife shares in the union of God, it is one and indissoluble. Jesus says: “What God has joined together let no man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). Since this union is sacramental, grace is given. The married life, although at times very difficult, is not impossible. The Church cherishes a very high and precious view of marriage, but it is not a falsely idealistic or quixotic teaching. What we believe about marriage reflects what we believe about the power and presence of Christ in our life.

Divorce within the Catholic Church is very complicated. If you have not remarried and are properly disposed, you can receive the sacraments of Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance or Anointing of the Sick. A declaration of nullity, sometimes called an annulment, says that you are free to marry within the Church or that an existing marriage can be regularized. Declarations of nullity do not render children illegitimate because the Church presumes that the bride and groom married in good faith—even if that marriage is later declared null. All in all, obtaining a legal divorce in the Catholic Church can be proven to be very difficult. 

Entering the Priesthood

Entering the Priesthood

             Hello, today I will be blogging about the increase in young men entering the priesthood. In a time where kids are surrounded by temptations through social media and other places, more young men are entering seminaries on the road to priesthood.  Why is this happening?
               I’ll tell you what I think. Many young men feel like their lives are missing something. They eventually find prayer and God and fill that hole start to fill up. Growing up, teenagers are taught that fulfillment and happiness in life is found through material or unimportant things such as money. After achieving these attribute there is still a feeling that they are missing something. The culture kids are raised in teaches kids all wrong, but eventually they find God and truly come to know what true fulfillment and happiness is like. These men then spread the word and help other young men find happiness in life.

We should know that God gives us true happiness in life. Material things can make us happy for a while but then we still need more. Material objects cannot satisfy our want for a relationship with God. God makes us happy and adds fulfillment in our lives. God is the reason why we live and should play a huge role in our everyday lives.

Universal Call To Holiness

Today will be an informative blog on the call to holiness. As members of the Church we are all called to holiness. This universal call to holiness stretches out to any baptized member of the Church. According to John Paul II holiness isn't simply one option among many; it is the essence of being Catholic. To be Catholic is to be called to holiness. Holiness can be summed up in one word – love. Christ calls his disciples to authentic love – love of God and love of neighbor. Saying this is one thing. Living it is another. We might think that holiness is the stuff of priests and nuns. We might think of living a holier life as something we will do tomorrow or sometime in the future. This is wrong. Sacred Scripture tells us the time to be holy is now. There is no need to wait to be holy. Performing one small act of holiness right before you die will not ensure you a place in Heaven. This call to holiness is an ongoing thing. The spiritual journey is entirely dependent on God. It is a gift God gives us. It is a grace. Going to Mass doesn't make us holy. We must participate in Mass and accept God the father. Neither does saying a million rosaries. God sustains us in life – in everything we do. We are entirely dependent on his mercy. Our effort is necessary. What we can do to place ourselves in the presence of Christ we should do. Daily prayer is essential. Reading the scriptures is another key that unlocks the doors to eternity. God loves us abundantly. God knows us completely. Everything we say and do should be a response to that Love.

Losing

I recently went to the Houston Dynamo game. I am a big fan and go to all their home games. Since the construction of the new stadium back in 2012 we have not lost. The Dynamo have gone 39 games or so without losing a game. But like every team or individual, you must eventually lose. We lost this Sunday in a disappointing 0-1 game. I was devastated and frankly annoyed. Failing is a part of life. Losing in sports will happen, along with losing/failing at other things. A great common quote said by many: "Why do we fall, so that we can learn to pick ourselves back up" tells us that as humans we are not perfect, we are not God. We will fail again and again and again. But through these failures come learning opportunities. God created man so that he could fail. He gave us free will which lets us make decisions, and sometimes we will fail. God is not stupid, he is smart. He knew that by giving us free will and allowing us to fail would only make us stronger. Now this may not be the case for some people. Once you fail you cannot just give up. You must work even harder and learn from your past mistakes. An example from my life could be something simple like golf. I may make a terrible shot on one hole, but I will look over what I did wrong and try to fix that mistake. You may not always get it right on the second, even third try, but eventually you will. You should trust in God and believe that he will guide you closer to success. Their is a good bible verse that shows this: "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1)