Feast of The Holy Family

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, like you we are members of the Father's family. We pray that our family love may reflect his love on its openness to all people. May we forgive even when not forgiven, and be patient with others' weaknesses.

Jesus, give us peace, unit and strength to meet the difficulties of daily living. May we use our family resources to improve the quality of life for ourselves and all people. Let us show joy in serving, for whatever we do for others, we do for you.

Mary, inspire us, that our love may be strong but not possessive. Let our willingness to give depend on the needs of others rather than on the cost of giving.

Joseph, help us to be attentive to the Father's will. Let us be ready, as you were, to act whenever he calls us.

How Do You Know It's Love?

This is a question that I have found myself pondering alot in the last three years. What exactly is love? How do you know when you've found it? Is there a correct way to love? Everyday I am closer and closer to realizing all of these answers. Although I don't know them in full, I am well on my way.

What is love? When you are finding yourself wanting to give everything you can to a person and not expecting anything in return, that must be love. I cannot seem to find any other explaination for wanting to give in such a trusting way. This is a mutual giving that never ceases from either person, which truly amazes me. In terms of an ideal love, I always look to Mary and Joseph. Joseph gave so much to Mary knowing that she was not carrying his son. That trust was incredible, yet on top of that, he took care of her and accepted her as his wife.
In the last three years, Nathan and I have been through so much together. We have had happy times, hard times, and everything in between. After spending some time apart to discover who we were individually, we began to learn how to bring our individual selves into a relationship. Looking back at the transformation, I am in awe. I have never wanted to give so much to something before; to someone so important to me. He helps me realize that giving selflessly is truly the answer. No matter what may come our way, we know that as long as we keep God in the center of our relationship, we will continue to experience what love truly is.

Merry Christmas!

May God bless you and your family during this joyous day of our Lord's birth.