News - July 2019 RSS Feed

I recently received a note from Sean, who is a student at St. Charles Catholic School in Spokane. Sean painted the cover of the note card with the scene of Jesus walking on the water, which we find in the Gospels. The apostles were caught in a storm and, as they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water, they thought he was a ghost. They were filled with fear and anxiety. Despite their lack of faith, the Lord calmed the storm and restored peace in their hearts.

“I JUST DON’T FEEL RIGHT,” the post-partum mom told me as we waited together outside the classroom to pick up our preschoolers. She’d just had her third C-section three weeks ago and her incision wasn’t healing up well. She also shared with me that she’d had an IUD placed during the C-section. “I don’t do hormones, so this was our only option,” she said. She had three children spaced closely and her body needed a break. However, she was worried and uncomfortable about what the IUD may be doing to her body, in addition to her other post-partum complications. “Have you heard of Natural Family Planning?” I asked her. “NFP is completely healthy, with no side-effects. It’s highly effective, and it’s good for your relationship as well.” She was interested and asked me to bring her more information next time we met outside the preschool door. 

“Here’s the mailman,” Bishop Skylstad welcomed me with his customary greeting when I delivered the odds and ends of his mail that are addressed to the Chancery. But something was different: he was standing with a walker, and I don’t mean one of The Walking Dead variety. “My legs just gave out the other day. But I’m OK now."

From the moment we sat down, it was clear I should have brushed up on my Latin. Ad majoriam Dei gloriam (A.M.D.G.), cura personalis, Magis, Ite inflammata omnia – all familiar phrases to those immersed in Ignatian spirituality – roll gracefully off the tongue of new Gonzaga Prep aluma, Liza Christopher. Christopher holds dear the tenets shared by the students and staff of Prep, and credits the Catholic school system for inspiring her to live her faith actively rather than passively - to travel through life as a person for others rather than a person for herself.  

Recientemente recibí una nota de sean, quien es un estudiante en la Escuela Católica de San Carlos Borromeo en Spokane. Sean dibujó en la portada de una tarjeta la escena de Jesús caminando sobre el agua, que encontramos en los Evangelios. Los apóstoles estaban atrapados en una tormenta y, al ver a Jesús caminando hacia ellos en el agua, pensaron que era un fantasma. Estaban llenos de miedo y ansiedad. A pesar de su falta de fe, el Señor calmó la tormenta y restauró la paz en sus corazones.

La Iglesia Católica considera el matrimonio como un sacramento que une a dos personas para toda la vida. Al casarse, la pareja le promete a Dios mismo el poder durar casados para toda la vida – hasta que la muerte los separe. Sin embargo, cuando la relación matrimonial no funciona y ya los esposos se han separado por el civil (esto es, legalmente), se puede pedir la anulación del matrimonio eclesiástico.