Reflecting on Love | Reflexionando sobre el amor
February 8
Dear parish family and friends,
Love is in the air. Of course, next Saturday is Valentine’s Day. While we celebrate romantic love and friendship in a special way on this day, remember how much God loves you personally. He has loved you from all eternity, just as you are. And because He loves you, He calls you to holiness and greatness. But He loves you just as you are now. Here is a special valentine from God to you (John 3:16) to help you delight in this everlasting truth:
For God so lo V ed the world,
that He g A ve
his on L y
begott E n
So N
so T hat everyone who
believes I n Him
might N ot perish,
But might have E ternal life.
And… this Sunday is World Marriage Day, an opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family. I’d like to recommend to you the website www.foryourmarriage.org, a wonderful Catholic resource to help you strengthen your marriage and family with lots of good resources.
But I also thought I’d share with you this little Valentine’s Day indoor scavenger hunt that I came across from the marriage ministry known as Communio, too. Print out the list below, and make sure you and your spouse each have a copy. Put on a fun, energetic playlist and set a timer for 30 minutes. Whoever completes the list first or has the most points at the end of 30 minutes wins! No need to go in any order and have fun getting creative! Competitive much?
1 POINT
__A movie or concert ticket stub
__A souvenir from a vacation you took together
__A funny hat
__Something sweet
__Something sour
__Something that’s your partner’s favorite color
__Something heart-shaped
__Their favorite book or movie
__Something that represents where you first met
__Something that smells like your partner
__Something that lights up
__Something from your favorite holiday
__Something that starts with the first letter of your partner’s name
__Something from nature
__A picture of the two of you
__A gift you gave your partner
__A recent news article
__Your partner’s favorite snack
__Something older than you
__Something that reminds you of your partner
5 POINTS
__A coin with the year of your anniversary/when you met
BONUS—10 POINTS
__Write a 1 page love letter to your partner.
__Mention 5 specific things you love or appreciate about them.
God bless your week – Fr. Marcoe
Español
Querida familia parroquial y amigos,
El amor está en el aire. Por supuesto, el próximo sábado es el Día del Amor de de la Amistad, también se conoce del Día de San Valentín. Si bien celebramos el amor romántico y la amistad de una manera especial en este día, recordemos cuánto nos ama Dios personalmente. Él nos ha amado desde toda la eternidad, tal como somos. Y porque nos ama, nos llama a la santidad y a la grandeza. Pero nos ama tal como somos ahora. Aquí les comparto un poema especial del P. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., que expresa este amor. Se llama ¡Enamórate!
Nada puede importar más que encontrar a Dios.
Es decir, enamorarse de Él
de una manera definitiva y absoluta.
Aquello de lo que te enamoras atrapa tu imaginación,
y acaba por ir dejando su huella en todo.
Será lo que decida qué es
lo que te saca de la cama en la mañana,
qué hacer con tus atardeceres,
en qué empleas tus fines de semana,
lo que lees, lo que conoces,
lo que rompe tu corazón,
y lo que te sobrecoge de alegría y gratitud.
¡Enamórate! ¡Permanece en el amor!
Todo será de otra manera
Y… este domingo es el Día Mundial del Matrimonio, una oportunidad para centrarnos en construer una cultura de vida y amor que comienza con el apoyo y la promoción del matrimonio y la familia. Me gustaría recomendarles el sitio web www.portumatrimonio.org, un maravilloso recurso católico para fortalecer su matrimonio y familia con muchos recursos útiles.
Que Dios bendiga su semana – Padre Marcoe