Article 107 – Marriage v Situation Ethics

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Irish Bishops are Harming MarriageThe Irish Bishops are doing serious harm to Catholic marriage and family life with their ‘Amoris’ programme which is being promoted to every parish in Ireland. The key to understanding why this is, comes at the beginning of the programme where it states. “The programme takes, as its starting point, people’s experience of love and their hopes and fears with regard to marriage and family” Situational EthicsThis is the basis for what is called ‘situation’ or … Read More

Article 79 – Marriage! – The Virtue of Hope

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Pray for VocationsThe brother of the young eighteen year old American lady, whom I wrote about recently, arrived for a visit with our family on New Year’s day to join his sister. His name is Joe and he is in his early twenties. Joe feels a certain call to serve God as a priest but he not certain about this just yet. Please pray to help him to discern if indeed he is called to serve God as a priest. … Read More

Article 67 – Marriage – Genesis summary of Life

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, August 2016   Divorce Issue Still being used as a Trap Today, we go back to the book of Genesis, to the beginning. When the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus on the question of marriage and divorce, he pointed them back to the beginning. It is interesting to note that this very same question, nowadays framed in the benign, and seemingly caring terms of re-admitting the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion, is … Read More

Why are our young people delaying marriage?

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The Traditional Catholic Family, broadcast on Radio Maria Ireland on Friday 5th August is now available to listen to online. Go In By The Narrow Gate! You can listen to the show HERE You can read a transcript HERE This show continues to examine why it is that in Ireland our young people are no longer getting married. According to the latest statistics from 2014, the average age for women getting married in Ireland is 33 and for men it … Read More

Article 52 – Marriage! Instituted by God

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First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, December 2015 Male and Female He Created Them We have seen that, in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, God created man in His own likeness and image, with only two genders, male and female, and instituted marriage for the purpose of begetting sons and daughters to become heirs to the Kingdom of God. The Purpose of Sacred Scripture The second chapter of the book of Genesis gives us another account … Read More

Article 26 – Marriage! The Solemn Magisterium is Infallible

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First Published in The Catholic Voice – December 2014 Confusion about what the Church Teaches I like to talk to people about these articles and to discuss what is contained within them as it gives me greater insight into the state of both the world and the Church and it also gives me fuel for future articles. Recently I met with a young woman who had just returned from Rome where she is studying about marriage and family. I put … Read More

Article 24 – Marriage & Virginity Council of Trent

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Jovinian, Doctors, Council of Trent In our last article we met up with Jovinian, the heretic from the late fourth century, who dared to equate marriage and holy virginity. We saw how three of the doctors of the Church who were alive at that time came to the defence of holy virginity and we saw how the pope of the time St Siricius excommunicated Jovinian. Another doctor of the Church St Jerome, who came after Jovinian had died, further clarified … Read More

Article 22 – Marriage! Nothing new under the Sun

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There is nothing new under the Sun. “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there … Read More

Article 21 – Marriage! The Discarding of Beauty

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Beauty Discarded. Imagine, if you will, that you are walking by your nearest town hall. You notice a skip outside the town hall and a wooden frame protruding from the skip. On closer inspection, you find that a masterpiece painted by the artist Rembrandt, which used to hang in the main reception area of the town hall, has been thrown out. In disbelief you enter the town hall to find that the masterpiece has been replaced by a modern art … Read More

Article 19 – Marriage! The Martin Family

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The Martin Family. In the last article I introduced my newly found devotion to St Thérèse of Lisieux, and one comment I received was that whilst it was a good article, it did not say much about family life and prayer. I responded that, patience is a virtue, and that the article was going to be written in two parts the second of which would look at the family life of the Martins. Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin had nine … Read More

Article – 18 Marriage! – St Thérèse

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Falling in Love with St Thérèse. Today I have a confession to make. In July I made my annual five day silent Ignatian retreat with the monks of St Joseph’s Abbey from Flavigny in France. The retreat was held in the Ards Friary retreat centre in north Donegal and, as I told my wife on my return, I met a beautiful woman there and I fell in love with her. No it wasn’t Our Lady! It was St Thérèse of … Read More

Article 17 – Sacred Heart Promises cont’d

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Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Eight Promise – “Fervent Souls shall speedily rise to great perfection” In St Matthew we are told “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) We know that of ourselves we can do nothing, let alone become perfect, and yet Christ desires this perfection of us so that we can enter into Heaven where nothing imperfect may enter. Christ saves sinners first by bringing them to repentance … Read More

Article 16 – Sacred Heart Promises cont’d..

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Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Peace for Families In the previous article we covered the first two of the twelve promises normally associated with the Sacred Heart Devotion as given to St Margaret Mary Alacoque. I also recommended this devotion to families, particularly on account of the second promise which promises peace to the families of those who practice this devotion. In our own family we have found that the practice of a particular devotion provides a … Read More

Article 14 – Marriage! The Sacred Heart

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Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart. It’s not easy to be Catholic. It has never been easy to live life as a Catholic and this is still true today, especially in Ireland, where hostility to the Catholic Faith seems to have reached an all time high amongst the Irish and the faith is regularly derided by those who do not believe and is often poorly presented or distorted by those who do believe in order not to cause … Read More

Article 12 – Marriage! St Paul again

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Husbands, Love your Wives. We now return to St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he addresses husbands and wives. This time we will look first to what St Paul says to the husbands. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it: That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot … Read More

Article 10 – Marriage! According to St Paul

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St Paul on Marriage St Paul has a lot to say to husbands and wives throughout his writings. Much of what St Paul says in this regard is seen as being contentious in our day. St Paul speaks plainly and very bluntly. He doesn’t beat around the bush but is very direct is what he has to say. St Paul is often accused of being misogynistic on account of what he says concerning women. “Let women keep silence in the … Read More