ject but a subject of the new evangelization.” The Alexander House Aposto- late is committed to strength- ening, educating and renewing married couples, this is why we strongly believe that hav- ing a strong Marriage Ministry in every parish is of the utmost importance for our Church. When marriages are in trouble they instinctively turn to their Parish for help and we can of- fer the solid formation and faithful support that they seek. Our COVENANT OF LOVE MINIS- TRY seeks to create and sup- port an infrastructure at the parish level that will aid priests, through the laity in being there for the many cou- ples who are in need of hear- ing the Good News about their marriage, a true New Evangeli- zation for the heart of society. Whether our culture recog- nizes it or not, we know that MARRIAGE is important. It is the foundational structure of the family and thus, of every society. Blessed John Paul II reminded us that “It is in the family, that the mutual giving of self on the part of man and woman united in marriage cre- ates an environment of life in which children develop their potentialities, become aware of their dignity and prepare to face their unique and individ- ual destiny”. (CA 39) This fact leads us to think very seriously about what we are doing as a society, and more especially as members of the Church to support, enrich and educate those who are looking to get married as well as those couples who are already mar- ried but find themselves with- out direction. In this Year of Faith, which Our Holy Father, Pope Bene- dict XVI has called out of a profound love for his children. He reminded us in his homily at the opening Mass for the Synod of Bishops that: “Matrimony is a Gospel in it- self, a Good News for the world of today, especially the dechristianized world. The un- ion of a man and a woman, their becoming “one flesh” in charity, in fruitful and indis- soluble love, is a sign that speaks of God with a force and an eloquence which in our days has become greater be- cause unfortunately, for vari- ous reasons, marriage, in pre- cisely the oldest regions evan- gelized, is going through a pro- found crisis. And it is not by chance. Marriage is linked to faith, but not in a general way. Marriage, as a union of faithful and indissoluble love, is based upon the grace that comes from the triune God, who in Christ loved us with a faithful love, even to the Cross. Today we ought to grasp the full truth of this state- ment, in contrast to the pain- ful reality of many marriages which, unhappily, end badly. There is a clear link between the crisis in faith and the crisis in marriage. And, as the Church has said and witnessed for a long time now, marriage is called to be not only an ob- THE HEART OF THE PARISH: TAKING MARRIAGE TO A NEW LEVEL Love connections Love connections Love connections Winter 2012 Proclaiming the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of Marriage
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Transcript
ject but a subject of the new
evangelization.”
The Alexander House Aposto-
late is committed to strength-
ening, educating and renewing
married couples, this is why
we strongly believe that hav-
ing a strong Marriage Ministry
in every parish is of the utmost
importance for our Church.
When marriages are in trouble
they instinctively turn to their
Parish for help and we can of-
fer the solid formation and
faithful support that they
seek.
Our COVENANT OF LOVE MINIS-
TRY seeks to create and sup-
port an infrastructure at the
parish level that will aid
priests, through the laity in
being there for the many cou-
ples who are in need of hear-
ing the Good News about their
marriage, a true New Evangeli-
zation for the heart of society.
Whether our culture recog-
nizes it or not, we know that
MARRIAGE is important. It is
the foundational structure of
the family and thus, of every
society. Blessed John Paul II
reminded us that “It is in the
family, that the mutual giving
of self on the part of man and
woman united in marriage cre-
ates an environment of life in
which children develop their
potentialities, become aware
of their dignity and prepare to
face their unique and individ-
ual destiny”. (CA 39)
This fact leads us to think very
seriously about what we are
doing as a society, and more
especially as members of the
Church to support, enrich and
educate those who are looking
to get married as well as those
couples who are already mar-
ried but find themselves with-
out direction.
In this Year of Faith, which
Our Holy Father, Pope Bene-
dict XVI has called out of a
profound love for his children.
He reminded us in his homily
at the opening Mass for the
Synod of Bishops that:
“Matrimony is a Gospel in it-
self, a Good News for the
world of today, especially the
dechristianized world. The un-
ion of a man and a woman,
their becoming “one flesh” in
charity, in fruitful and indis-
soluble love, is a sign that
speaks of God with a force and
an eloquence which in our
days has become greater be-
cause unfortunately, for vari-
ous reasons, marriage, in pre-
cisely the oldest regions evan-
gelized, is going through a pro-
found crisis. And it is not by
chance. Marriage is linked to
faith, but not in a general
way. Marriage, as a union of
faithful and indissoluble love,
is based upon the grace that
comes from the triune God,
who in Christ loved us with a
faithful love, even to the
Cross. Today we ought to grasp
the full truth of this state-
ment, in contrast to the pain-
ful reality of many marriages
which, unhappily, end badly.
There is a clear link between
the crisis in faith and the crisis
in marriage. And, as the
Church has said and witnessed
for a long time now, marriage
is called to be not only an ob-
THE HEART OF THE PARISH: TAKING MARRIAGE TO A NEW LEVEL
Love connections Love connections Love connections
Winter 2012
Proclaiming the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of Marriage
Visit us at www.thealexanderhouse.org
TAHA offers Marriage Disciples services to couples via confidential in-person, email or phone consultations. Greg
and Julie Alexander are in charge of personally training each coaching couple to be able to respond to God’s call
for helping bring healing, and forgiveness to those who need it.
For more information on our 6 step program call us at (210) 858-6195 or send us an e-mail at:
Q: If I forgive my spouse, does that mean I have to immediately trust again? A: Forgiveness and trust are two different things. Forgiveness should be given unconditionally, but trust must be earned. Forgiveness, like love, is not a feeling. It's a conscious act of the will. When we forgive we give up our desire for ha-tred, resentment or revenge and we put justice in God's hands where it belongs. Our feelings may not change right away, but we can still make the choice to forgive. Remember that when we say the Our Father we are asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. But just because we forgive our spouse it does not mean that trust will automatically be restored. It takes time to rebuild it. The spouse who broke the trust must be willing to do the little things that will earn trust while the spouse who was hurt must be willing to give opportunities to earn it. When our trust has been broken by our spouse it is important not to equate forgiveness with trust because when we do we risk hindering healing and restoration in our marriage.