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WHY DO WE DO THAT? - CATHOLIC LIFE EXPLAINED
Question: This time of year, I attend a lot of weddings. Why do Catholic weddings need to take place in a church? Answer: Technically, there is a clause in Church law that could allow for weddings to take place outside of a church, in a suitable space under special circumstances, but it requires the rare permission of the bishop. But the meaning of marriage goes very, very deep, and the Church has a vested interest in protecting that meaning. As Catholics, we don't see a wedding as an event that needs a pleasing backdrop. Marriage is a sacrament, both an occasion of joyful promise and symbolic solemnity. It is a spiritual event. The loving bond of marriage symbolizes the mystical union between Christ and his Church. The man and woman profess lifelong vows of fidelity, and they receive supernatural grace from God to keep their promises. Receiving the sacrament of Marriage in a church has broader symbolic meaning for the couple as well. Marriage isn't simply two people in isolation from the world around them. Marriage is the joining of families and the beginning of a new, holy mission in the life of the couple. Weddings are sacred occasions, and it's fitting that they occur in sacred spaces. "Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep us waiting for an instant." -- St. Maria Goretti
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The Eucharist
On feasts such as this, we recall miracles like the wedding feast at Cana or the multiplication of the loaves. Perhaps we remember the road to Emmaus, when Jesus was made known "in the breaking of the bread." In these stories, God satisfies our hunger in a supernatural way. But the cry of the human heart goes much deeper. "Man cannot live on bread alone," after all. In the Eucharist, God's supernatural presence takes the form of physical food. In the absence of physical nourishment, the body slowly begins to break down. Without an intentional pursuit of spiritual nourishment, our souls will similarly suffer. Our inner lives need rest and rejuvenation. We need daily connection with our Creator. We need to receive from the One who feeds us. The radical reality of the Eucharist speaks to our deeper aches, to the God who alone satisfies. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.  Totus Tuus is finally here! All Faiths Welcome Register on Monday in the school cafeteria Bugging Out A father was reading Bible stories to his young son and said, "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt." His son asked, "What happened to the flea?" ******************************************** A Round of Golf
Three men went out to play a round of golf: Moses, Jesus, and an old man. Moses tee'd off first, and the ball landed in the water. He parted the water and hit the ball in for a birdie. Jesus went next, and the ball landed in the water. He walked on the water and hit the ball in for a birdie. Lastly the old man tee'd off, but before the ball could hit the water, a fish jumped out and caught the ball in its mouth. Then an eagle swooped down and caught the fish. Lightning struck near the eagle, frightening it, causing it to drop the fish. When the fish hit the ground, it dropped the ball in for a perfect hole in one. Jesus and Moses turn to the old man, and Jesus said, "Dad, if you don't quit playing like that, we're not going to bring you anymore." |
