What's Your Sign

We had our weekly meeting on Wednesday afternoon, to discuss #1603 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here are the meeting minutes. And, just to get the ball rolling, it all boiled down to this question: What's your sign? I promise, it will all make sense in the end.

It wasn't difficult to see the contrast in popular culture's view of marriage, with the Church's teaching on the subject. Or, to put it simply, with the reality of marriage - and where it has its origins. 

• 1603 "The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator, and endowed by him with its own proper laws."
  

And, in case there is any doubt to whether or not marriage is a human institution - and, one that we can adapt to our own ideas of whom it should involve, we're reminded - again: 

•  1603." God himself is the author of marriage."
  

So, we continue to read - with our foundation set firmly in place. And, we find something somewhat surprising, in the next sentence: 

• 1603 "The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator. "
  

We realize that the vocation to marriage is a universal one. It's written in the nature of every man and woman. How, we wonder, is this possible? And, we note, that's a pretty significant blanket statement. 

But, it all makes sense when we think of one thing: The Sacramentality of the Body. And, Christopher West elaborates:

• "The human body itself is in some sense a 'sacrament'. It is a sign that makes visible the invisible mystery of God. God makes His invisible, spiritual, mystery visible to us, through embodiment as man and woman. But, how?

• The answer:  'The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator.' And, what is the crown of creation? What more than anything else in God's creation speaks of divine beauty? The answer is man and woman - and their call to fruitful communion. "

But, there are a few questions that arise, after hearing Christopher West's words. Why does the fruitful communion of man and woman reflect the infinite beauty of the Creator? Why does that most perfectly image God? We find the answer in Genesis. 

• "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; man and woman he created them." And, to them, He said: Be fruitful. 

But, there is also the fact that God, Himself, is a Communion of Persons. He is a communion which is engaging in an eternal exchange of love: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

To put it simply: God is Love. 

So, we see the beauty that there is in our embodiment as man and woman - and, the beauty that there is in the vocation to marriage - to fruitful communion. And, from our reflections, we come to see the Beauty of God that there is in every male and female. 

And, that is our sign. Our sign of His Love. 

And, to clarify the point, though the vocation to marriage may be written in the nature of man and woman, how much more beautiful would it be, for one to forego the sign of His love (in the fruitful communion of man and woman), and choose the destination of ultimate Communion with Him?

That choice - that vocation - to forgo the sign of His love found within the communion of man and woman,  certainly is beautiful. In fact, it's supernatural. 

And, together, it's the mystical body of Christ. 

Communion

As a reminder, here are the details for our meeting, today:

• We'll be meeting at 2:00 p.m.
• It will take place at the McGlone's home 
• We'll be reading #1603 in the Catechism

For those of you who will not be able to attend the meeting this week, we'll be posting the "Meeting Minutes" after we're done with our discussion. Hope to see all of you in a couple of hours! 

Tying It Together

We've posted the "Meeting Minutes", from our latest gathering. We've had fruitful discussions and encouraging conversations. Now, let's get to the root, and tie it together, with the basis for our fellowship: the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

We begin with sections #1601 and #1602 in the Catechism. From here, we learn what marriage is, and why it was created. And, most importantly, we learn by Whom it was created.

• 1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.. 

Marriage is, above all, a covenant. Two become one - and, unlike goods or things in a contract, our whole persons are freely exchanged and totally given, to our spouse.  And, in this covenant, we are not alone: 

• 1601 "..This covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."84
  

Christ, Our Lord, unites us in this marriage bond - and, He sustains us in our ability to become one; He - in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit - allow us to abide in this state of free and total gift of self. 

We, as husband and wife, are able to live faithfully in this covenant because we were made to do so.  But, how do we know that? 

God is Love. And, we were made in His image and likeness. 

• 1602 Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb.."
  

We realize that though we were made in the image and likeness of the God Who is Love, there are daily struggles for every married couple. Though we are dedicated to our marriage covenant, and we work hard to faithfully live our call to total self giving, it can - at times - seem completely mysterious to us, how to do so. 

But, we are assured, that's not unexpected. In fact, it would be ridiculous to expect it to be otherwise. 

• 1602 "..85 Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its "mystery," its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal "in the Lord" in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church.86
  

Despite our personal inadequacies or deficiencies to image the God Who is Love - especially when loving our spouses, we have hope. For, we have Christ. And, He makes all things new. 

8-19-08 Meeting Minutes

We finally have #1601 & 1602 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church under our belts - so what has become of our discussion so far?

On one hand, we have agreed on several different levels, that our marriages pull something extraordinary out of us. Being with our spouses, we realize very intimate details about ourselves. Our discoveries can be uncomfortable for us to adjust to, but we know that they are necessary things to know. We are forced to look at ourselves, authentically - in order to make our nest of love where ever we go.

The beauty of "becoming one flesh" helps us realize something deeper in us - something that could only come from God. The process is a "beautiful struggle" a struggle with the soul and the body. Dying to our old selves to give birth to our new selves - in Christ. What a gift to have, especially when you are sharing it with the one person you promised "until death do us part".

On the other hand, there are very "domestic" elements to all of this - such as, the "spot behind the toilet", the dinners to make, the kids to take care of, the laundry to do - so on and so forth. Here we have to recognize our limits, because we don't want to over expend ourselves. We naturally we want to give selflessly and sometimes endlessly, however this can come from a place of pride that can lead to resentment. We need to be able to recognize that sometimes the "5-course meal" is not applicable every single day.

Luckily, God has provided men in our lives to remind us of "simpler moments". Although there are 20 thoughts swirling in our heads in any given 2 minute span, they can sit between thoughts and breathe - then move on. We need to do that sometimes.

Ah, the great works of God when He created male and female. It is no wonder, we were made for one another - reaffirming to each other why we are here in the first place...

Coming from Love, with the hopes of returning to Love.

Graceful Details

We've decided on an official day, for our weekly meetings: Wednesday. We will be alternating homes each week - and, I'll be coordinating our schedules for every month. If you haven't done so already, please e mail me with the available dates for September, that you will be able to host our gathering. I'll post the schedule as soon as it's ready. 

Also note that on the right side of the page, we've listed the daily prayer commitments. It's a great reminder that every day, someone will be interceding for our intentions - not to mention the fact that it will remind all of us, which day is our own. 

We'll be posting the recent "Meeting Minutes" soon; the points that we reflected on during our latest gathering. Until then, I think it suffices to say that one thing was clear in our discussion: 

No matter what we have to accomplish in our daily responsibilities, to fulfill our beautiful vocation as wife and also, to many, as mother : all is Grace. Nothing more, and nothing less. 

Sanctifying Moments and Special Forces

As part of Fiat, we will each be taking one day a week to offer our sacrifices, works, and prayers as intercession for the wives within our group - and, for their intentions. 

As we said in our meditation on "A Wife's Work: A Nest of Love", a Catholic spouses' work is sanctified by her love - and in turn - her love is sanctified by her work. 

For your particular day of prayer and intercession, remember that you can offer a Rosary, a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, participation in Mass, or time in Adoration (Special Forces) - or, you can offer your day's work : the laundry, the vacuuming, the dishes, the dusting, and the cooking) as an equally acceptable sacrifice (sanctifying moments). 

Because, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

"And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives."

And, so, to do the housework with great love - and, out of reverence for Christ - the ordinary and mundane is transformed into the magnificent. 

Here's our schedule: 

Monday - Rosanne

Tuesday - Ashley

Wednesday - Anita

Thursday - Christy

Friday - Cathy 

Saturday - Jackie 

A Wife's Work: A Nest of Love

"What is the value of a housewife?" Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand answers our question. For, as she will propose, a wife accomplishes far more in her ordinary tasks than any hired help could. The reason? Draw your own conclusions, but part of the answer is clear. The wife's work is sanctified by her love.  And, the fruit of that sanctified work, is nothing less than a home. 

"Home must be much more than just a place to sleep and eat. It should be that mysterious enclosure in which your two lives can take root; a place where you both are sheltered and protected. The place where you can rest spiritually and can dare to be yourselves because you know you're loved. 

Each of you [husband and wife] now has a calling to create this spiritual space in which your two lives can blossom. 

Your own mission as "wife" goes far beyond household chores which could be done just as well by hired help. You must create a nest of love, a place where it is good to be.  Let your love for your husband transform the small, boring, tasks of everyday life into magnificent works of love.

And, new light is brought to washing dishes and doing laundry. For, when you do them with love, the everyday becomes magnificent. 

When we look to the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, we find that all of it rings true. As it says, we were created for work. Even before the Fall.  And, work was created to bring things to perfection.

378 The sign of man's familiarity with God is that God places him in the garden [in Genesis]. There he lives "to till it and keep [the garden]". Work is not yet a burden, but rather the collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation

Couple that concept of work - and, its original purpose - with our Catholic identity, and you can begin to see just how a wife's work [who is united to Christ] can be sanctified by her love. And, how her love can be sanctified and perfected by her work. 

901 "The laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit maybe produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives."

It almost appears that the work of a housewife is not only valuable - but, irreplacable.  So it is. 

And, our work is redemptive by virtue of our vocation as "wife". For, we are dedicated to Christ. And, it is out of reverence for Him, that we live as we do.

2427 .. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish. Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.

In the work that we are called to accomplish as a wife, let us never forget that the small, boring tasks of everyday life are simply waiting to be transformed into magnificent works of love - through our true and honest "Fiat".

E5 First Wednesday

Ladies,

Tomorrow, Wednesday August 6th is the first Wednesday of the month. Being so, a number of our husbands who are E5 Men - and, a number of other Catholic men across the country - will be fasting for their wives, and making reparation for all offenses against the dignity of women.

Let's keep all men who are making this first Wednesday commitment in our prayers! 

And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting."

-Mt. 9:29 RSV

By Love Refined

Ladies,

Welcome to Fiat! This is a Community for Catholic Wives to Gather, Supporting Each Other In the Quest for Holiness, and Striving to Echo Our Lady's Perfect "Yes" in God's Will for Her Life. 

Some might ask if there's a need for such a community. My answer would be: Yes! 

"Because of human imperfections, difficulties crop up in marriage, even between people who love each other deeply. You'll soon find that for this reason, although love is a gift, it must also be learned."

- Alice Von Hildebrand

Popular culture devalues the dignity of the Sacrament of Marriage - and, the role of both husband and wife, constantly. From assuming that permanence in marriage is optional, to belittling the role of spouse, marriage is viewed as anything but a sacred institution. 

But, with the fullness of Truth - through our Catholic faith - we know what we are called to be, as Catholic wives. "Holy and without blemish" ,  by love refined - and, we are to become such in part, through the effort and aid of our husbands. In this life of self giving and sacrifice, we are also called to support and strengthen our husbands, as they fulfill their call. And, we are called to do so, in the communion of saints.  

Community

The joys, sorrows, and sufferings are meant to be experienced in community, and by supporting each other with both advice and prayer, we can accomplish great things, for the glory of God. 

• We will meet twice a month, to dedicate ourselves and our marriages to Christ Our King, through the intercession of Our Lady.
• We will speak about the joys, struggles, and sufferings in our lives
• We will support each other with virtuous conversation

Holiness

As Catholic wives, we share a common experience of pursuing the call to Holiness in the married vocation. 

• We will read about the married vocation each meeting - and, God's specific call to us as women
• We will pray for each other daily, between meetings
• We will pray for our husbands, especially on the first Wednesday of each month 

E5 Wives

Many of our husbands are involved in a group called "E5 Men". Modeled after Ephesians 5, those husbands involved, fast on bread and water on the first Wednesday of each month, for their wives. 

As wives of E5 Men, we can support them in their efforts, and pray especially for our husbands on the first Wednesday of every month. 

If you know of other Catholic wives who would be interested in Fiat, feel free to pass on the website. And, if you feel like it, you might want to check our our husband's website: The Men's F.I.A.T. Group!