It is autumn, a season unique in the variety and sometimes brilliance of colors seen around us. While this can be said of spring and summer too, those seasons reflect the burst of new life. Autumn, on the other hand, shows us the beauty in life matured.
So too with the cycle of human life.
The world makes idols out of those with power and strength. But real beauty lies in the vulnerable, the forlorn, the forsaken. It is in these that we see the majesty of God, who created and carries them forward even when they are without means to sustain themselves.
80% of marriages end up in divorce within five years of a child loss. Don’t become one of the silent sufferers, part of the 95% of parents who do not seek support after the loss of a child. And don’t be afraid to accompany others as well. It’s time to embrace radical solidarity.
A two-part article on pornography: Part One: The Nature and Blinding Effects of Pornography; Part Two: Redemption and Restoration in Christ.
The basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is doing it is a person… it is always man who is the purpose of the work.
–Saint John Paul II, On Human Work
We forget that our free-will acts of virtue are blessed with grace and gifts by God that impart a supernatural quality to their effect. With that in mind, how can our small acts of sacrifice and virtue be anything other than heroic?
Many in the world today are in despair. The smog of hopelessness has taken over their hearts. They never have known, or have forgotten, His merciful love and forgiveness.
For many, our future looks dark and grim because they have lost the light of faith. Jesus is the only cure to hopelessness, and His love is our key to happiness. But we cannot share that which we do not possess. For love of country, we must first allow ourselves to be loved by God.
The more we possess, the more problems we have stemming from our possessions. We engage in these to satisfy the emptiness that only God can fill. But these also provide diversion from being with our Father. Instead, let Jesus be your sanctuary of solace, your refuge of relief.
As children launch into adulthood, an empty space remains in the heart of the parent as mom and dad strive to let go of their babe-cum-adult.