Many blessings…

Enjoy reading your words so much ! Have a wonderful Birthday in Rome!!!
Many Blessings,
Ann L.

Those marriage holy cards are so beautiful, both the image and the prayer. Is there any way for people who live outside of the Archdiocese of Boston to get a holy card? As a sort of newlywed (one year next month!), I find the prayer paricularly inspiring.

Thanks and ciao!

Welcome.

“We” find ourselves at a preciptous moment in a variety of affairs at this time in history.

Often in our culture, especially in the West, we find a need to understand patience. With so much instant gratification and consumerism, we forget that at times a harvest can take a great deal of time to mature.

This, of course, is the case with matrimony. Often, marriage has its beginings in introspection and focused care for children. This can be a trial… with the indifference of our culture to the value of social order… but also a time a great joy and growth.

Often, then, marriages take on a more outward reflection of God, in its particular and unique reflective quality. Providing hope and joy for the future of mankind and neighbor.

It is important, then, that we seek to understand the difficulties that occur in marriage. From those forced upon it by a secular society, so often self interested. Marriages so often planted at great distances from extended family. And the propensity, even, for those in such a relationship to be lonely.

It is by understanding how other suffer, that we can see their perspective and offer whatever personal relations, programs, and even legal assistance that springs from the charity of our hearts.

May you find great joy in your birthday, and the Holy Spirit provide you with great leadership, at this prudent moment of introduction.

Shalom and Joy,

David Lowery

I thnk yiur blog is outstanding and lets those interested folks a chance to hear your views directly without a filter. Regarding the recent definition of marriage. I was distrubed by my local Rep (Galvin from Canton) and my Senator (Joyce who represents Canton) and their decision to deny me the right to cast a vote on this very important issue.

Senator Joyce is a member of the Knights of Columbus. I asked our Grand Knight to inquire of Supreme why the K of C cannot expel Senator Joyce. He holds opposing views on marriage, embryonic stem cell research, abortion to include late term and other things the church and also the K of C oppose. I am told that the K of C can do nothing because the church has not sanctioned him. 100% of the members of our local Council would like the Senator expelled but we are told we cannot do it because the Archdiocese will not take action or at least publicly sanction the Senator. I have sent an email to the Archdiocese office via the home page but have not received an answer or even an acknowledgment of my email that I will get an answer. Hence my appeal directly to you. Have you directed the K of C not to expel members unless the Archdiocese takes some action first?

I look forward to your reply.

John Friel

Warm Regards from the Other Side of the Moon.

On a related note perhaps you might find the following link interesting. Its propossing a theory and i’ll like to hear your take on the subject via comments. See ya…

Was
Jesus an Essenes ?

Bibby

Kerala, India

Thanking Our Lord for your untiring and inspirational journey. It certainly is no surprise that your birthday coincides with the Feast of St. Peter. May his intercession continue to give you strength!

I recently made my first visit to Boston and was pleasantly surprised at its quaint beauty. I sense that there’s such an abounding spirit beginning to take hold through all the pain and turmoil. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more. The Churches are absolutely beautiful and I’m looking forward to another pilgrimage in the near future. (Your new prayer cards are beautiful as well!)

May Our Blessed Mother continue to keep you close to Her Most Immaculate Heart. Happy Birthday Cardinal Sean! You remain in my daily prayers. Mary A

How lovely to read the birthday wishes you have received
from your many friends.

May my wife Yvonne join me to wish you a very happy
Birthday, that you may envoy in Rome.

Our children are fascinated by your blogs and have already
read quite a number of them. Thank you for children who
now speak a lot about you every day.

Very best wishes and warm thoughts to you from Paris.

Peter.

Wishing you a happy birthday this week. Thank you for your efforts on the immigration issue. Many families have endured great hardship and endless red tape just to have a chance at escaping extreme poverty and to work for a decent wage and raise a family. I am sure the legislation is not perfect but I think it moves the country in the right direction and I think could be tweaked later. I think it probably needs some significant tweaking however. I agree with your concerns regarding family reunification. Also, if they make the legalization process so overly difficult with $10,000+ worth of fines and too many legal hoops and bureaucratic red tape that our governmental agencies, not to mention the immigrants involved, won’t even be able to handle then I don’t think it will work. I am concerned that our government is not administratively efficient or competent enough to handle the bureaucratic workload that this legislation will entail. Before the government sets up a new process I think we need to make sure the agencies have the capability to handle the volume and paperwork. I feel that the country needs to make it easier for people who want to come here to work and have a better life for their family to do it legally – within the system. We need to create an efficient and fair system whereby they can do that. Our country is blessed in that if you work hard you can get a good job with a decent wage and good benefits and that is so rare in other countries where there are no jobs – just poverty and the struggle to survive. I think it is our responsibility to share the opportunities we are blessed to have with others not so fortunate.

Like many others in the commonwealth, I was upset by the recent marriage vote on Beacon Hill. After awhile, however, I was able to calm down and remind myself that although the battle had been lost, the war was not over. I remembered some stories I’d read recently about great Rosary victories in Church history. A Google search pulled up the following information I found very encouraging….

In his Apostolic Letter on the Rosary Pope John Paul II mentioned Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical Letter: “Supremi Apostolatus Officio” on the Rosary, written in 1883.

Here are some excerpts from the letter:

“It has always been the habit of Catholics in danger and in troubled times to fly for refuge to Mary, and to seek for peace in Her maternal goodness; showing that the Catholic Church has always, and with justice, put all her hope and trust in the Mother of God. And truly the Immaculate Virgin, chosen to be the Mother of God and thereby associated with Him in the work of man’s salvation, has a favour and power with Her Son greater than any human or angelic creature has ever obtained, or ever can gain. And, as it is Her greatest pleasure to grant Her help and comfort to those who seek Her, it cannot be doubted that She would deign, and even be anxious, to receive the aspirations of the universal Church.
“This devotion, so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven, has never shone forth with such brilliancy as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of heresy spread abroad, or by an intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies. Ancient and modern history, and the more sacred annals of the Church, bear witness to public and private supplications addressed to the Mother of God, to the help She has granted in return, and to the peace and tranquility which She had obtained from God. Hence Her illustrious titles of helper, consoler, mighty in war, victorious, and peace-giver. And amongst these is specially to be commemorated that familiar title derived from the Rosary by which the signal benefits She has gained for the whole of Christendom have been solemnly perpetuated. ”

Jeff LaVictoire

Just Wanted to be the first to greet you a Happy, Happy Birthday. I always read your blog every week and also wanted to thank you for sharing your life to us. You mentioned that you will be in the Vatican to attend a series of meeting, if you happen to talk to Cardinal Rosales from Manila, please thank him for his visit here in California. I hope and pray that you will have a wonderful birthday celebration in Rome. May you have many more birthdays to come. Peace and blessings always to you and your loved ones.

Wishing you man blessings on your birthday and may you have a safe and happy trip to Rome.

Pax et bonum,
Fr. Phil

I think that if more people in the pew understood that Christian marriage is a holy order requiring a similar chastity, obedience, and divine providence as any religious, the sacrament would be venerated as the holy institution that it is.