Darren & I were blest to enjoy a Lenten couples morning of retreat with guest speaker Deacon James Keating. It was awesome! We started with Mass, a lovely breakfast (complete with biscuits & gravy, egg casserole, & caramel rolls...yum), words from our speaker, time for adoration & meditation, as well as Q & A time. He was both hilarious & very wise. It put a lot into perspective. You should totally go next year! Here are some of my favorite quotes from the morning:
"Be together. Be present to each other. Behold your beloved. Choose your beloved & you are one. Peace is union. Alienation is strife."
"When you find yourself repeating the same sin over & over in the confessional, yes, ask Jesus to heal the sin but also to heal your affection for the sin. Tell him that you are tired of liking your sins. Ask him to help you lose that affection."
"If you went to the doctor & just said, "I hurt. Heal me," but didn't tell him where you hurt or how you hurt, he wouldn't be able to help. The same is true with Jesus. You have to tell Jesus where exactly you hurt. Be specific. He will heal you."
"The most important common interest for the Catholic marriage is SALVATION. Everything else is just activities. The one that counts is salvation."
"Don't waste your suffering. Use it for the holiness of your spouse. Replace the ego with an open, compassionate heart. Suffer one another's conversion."
"To stay in love is to choose to suffer the moral conversion of your spouse in & through the power of Christ loving you."
Oh Robyn, I love all these quotes. Thank you. (esp the second one). Also, I think those pictures of you both are just awesome. In fact, I remember specifically your wedding day...because I was there! Yay me ;)
ReplyDeleteActually...'yay' you!
(Ok, that didn't make sense...but you understand, right?)