Christmas in July: Excerpts from a Wedding Homily
What comes to your mind when you hear the word, light? You might picture a porch light on a summer night, the air full with the sound of crickets and the glimmer of lightening bugs. You might imagine a stop light and waiting for it to turn green or the lights on a combine lumbering its way down a county road. Who you are and where you happen...
Burgers and Wedding Bands
Kate milks cows with her dad each morning. She then drives to her full-time job in town at a day-care center. Her fiancé, Travis, works for a local plumber. He moonlights on the weekends. They’ll be married in a couple of months. “Looks like we’ll be renting an apartment,” says Travis as he, Kate and I take our seats in a restaurant. ...
What Weddings Can We Attend?
This article was previously published in Sword and Spade magazine. Around the issues of belonging and communion, marriage is front and center. Setting aside the flagrant disregard for the obvious nature of marriage today, Catholics of goodwill can still be more than confused in regards to what weddings they can/should attend and which they ought...
Pray, Talk, Do
In her book, Rebuilding a Marriage Better then New, Cindy Beall notes there are three things husbands and wives need to do together build a healthy marriage: pray, talk, and do. Pray Many Catholic couples find it difficult to pray together. For many prayer means reciting rote prayers such as the Our Father or the rosary. Outside of grace be...
Renewing Intimacy in Marriage
Every married couple wants to have a healthy marriage. This means fostering healthy intimacy throughout the marriage. Intimacy is the emotional connection between two people. It’s where you both know each other thoroughly. You feel completely safe with one another and can talk about anything. When two people have this kind of intimacy, ...
A Wedding Homily: “Pray Your Rosary”
There is a popular song by a man named Matt Stell that opens with these words: Never been the kind to ask for help. If a mountain needs moving, I move it myself. I’m far from a preacher, But I’m a believer. And every single day I prayed for you. I didn’t know your name, I couldn’t see your face, But I prayed for you. It’s hard to...
Financial Honesty in Marriage
Tony and Laura are newlyweds who have been married just one year. They came to my office visibly angry with each other. Laura was angry because Tony had a secret credit card that he had been using to view pornography and attend strip clubs. Tony was angry with Laura because she had amassed over $40,000 is student loan and credit card debt, wh...
Do Not Neglect to Treasure Your Wife
Once upon a time, my career was landscape design and installation. When I was entering the Church, my sponsor asked if I would install an irrigation system for him which, of course, I was eager to do – for the sake of business and because he was a friend. But I learned then, and many other times, that often those closest to us not only learn ou...
Early Bird Special Romance
The event happened about fifteen years ago, but remains etched in my memory as if it was last week. There are times when God treats us to something special, if only we pay attention. Fortunately for me, it was one of those times that I was paying attention. It was so unexpected. And simple. And beautiful. I had arrived at the West Des Moines rest...
A “Workout” for Your Relationship with God and Your Wife
In his book, Vertical Marriage, Dave Wilson provides an excellent formula for growing in our relationship with God and with our wives. Dave Wilson is a pastor and chaplain for the Detroit Lions. After ten years of marriage he and his wife, Ann, were in crisis. His focus on his ministry and career left her feeling lonely and rejected. Realiz...