Hi everyone, we hope you are well. There is an excitement and sense of anticipation in the air as we approach the 4^th week of Advent and prepare to celebrate Christmas!

Last week, we thought about the joy of discovering our true selves by giving ourselves as a gift to others. So, this week, let's think about the gift of marriage.  When we consider the body of a man and a woman, we see that they are naturally designed to receive each other. The body of a man is naturally ordered towards a woman and vice versa. Genesis 2:24 says “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife and they become one flesh”. The calling to be a gift in this way goes far deeper than a simple fleshy instinct. Man and woman are designed for a sexual union that involves every aspect of their existence; physical, emotional and spiritual. We see from Genesis that God intended this union to be exclusive and permanent. Saint John Paul II said “the first man and woman emerged from love and initiate love. Therefore, the human is rooted in love”.  This is like an invitation from God for man and woman who came from love, to freely express that love to each other completely as a sign of God's love. In giving ourselves this way, we are saying to our spouse with our body and our soul; “I give myself totally to you – I am all yours” ‘Totus Tuus' as SJPII would say. But, we can only be sincere about this physical, emotional and spiritual vow if we are saying it within marriage, otherwise, how can we truly give ourselves totally and exclusively to one person if we don't intend to stay with him/her?  So, we see how marriage is a gift from God which should draw us closer to Him and bring us to a greater discovery of ourselves as we learn to love our spouse more and more deeply. Through our marriage we are called to imitate Christ as he gives Himself completely to His Bride, the Church – He holds nothing back. Even in situations where  we have been wounded by society's distorted meaning and purpose of sex and marriage, God's love brings healing and restoration which enables us to rise, live and love as we are called to. This is also true for those who are not called to marriage but to a consecrated life – their whole life demonstrates a sincere and exclusive commitment of love and service to God which should exist in every marriage.  

This week's song is “Without you” by For King and Country: https://youtu.be/4_zcjxDdZ1s

As we approach the great celebration of Christmas it seems right that we should say the following prayer from St John Paul II for marriages and families, through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth;

“Lord God, from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. Father, you are love and life.  Through your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman and through the Holy Spirit, the fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.  Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world. Grant that the young may find in the family, solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love. Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which families sometimes pass. Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family. We ask this of you, who is life and love with the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen” Pope John Paul II

Holy Family pray for us, Saint John Paul pray for us.

We wish you all a blessed Christmas filled with peace, joy and love from Heaven

Maisy and Olivia

*Theology of the Body 

*I Am My Body - Jim McManus C.Ss.R.

*Veritatis Splendor