Last Friday I was blessed to be one of two maids of honor in the wedding of my best friend to one of my favorite cousins.

After having time to process the events of the day, I came to realize what an incredible opportunity a Catholic wedding is for evangelization!

It seems that as soon as a couple is married it’s time for everyone to start mentioning kids (I myself was guilty of it as well, gesturing to the reception’s dance floor that my best friend will have a little kid out there in a few years). But while some say they’re expecting babies soon, others warn the couple to wait — “Enjoy yourselves first.”

Though these topics might not always come up at normal family gatherings, weddings seem to bring delicate moral issues to the forefront of conversation. For those who don’t understand that marriage is a vocation for unifying the couple and procreating new life to live for the Lord, it is seen as a social status in which you are now free to be with your significant other at any time and shouldn’t let anything or anyone stop you from perfect bliss – including an addition to the home.

There is, of course, the important distinction that in severe cases natural family planning may be used. But the remarks often made in reference to waiting don’t seem to suggest serious reasons. And then there’s also the suggestion that contraception is a possibility, which turns the marriage act into a means of simply using the other for pleasure, not to mention that many contraceptives actually act as abortifacients and kill a recently conceived child.

But I digress…

It can be difficult to find the balance between keeping quiet all together and mentioning how we should be trusting God with our life, body and family.

Next time you’re going to a wedding, say a few extra prayers that God will touch the hearts of those in attendance who only know the secular view of love, marriage and children.

May God’s blessings be upon all those newly married this summer!

Related Links:

• Family Life Center International

• NFP vs. Contraception

• Our Catholic Marriage

• Catholic Marriage Prep

• Catholic Marriage at Catholicism.org

• Catholic Wedding Help

It can be a delicate subject. For those in favor of fostering religious vocations in young people (or at the very least, not discouraging them), there are several ways to go about doing it. Two approaches seem to be the most common. Some ask point blank, “Have you thought of being a priest/sister?” Others will quietly observe and pray for the person to be open to God’s Will in his or her life.

For those on the answering side of the question, they’ll either take it very seriously (wondering if they do because someone asked them, making it a sign from God), get angry and feel insulted, or casually dismiss it.

There isn’t a blanket right or wrong way to approach someone about a potential vocation. It really depends on the person, his/her temperament, and how you think a comment would be received.

When I was younger and would go to Eucharistic adoration and daily Mass my grandfather would mention a potential religious vocation. When he saw my brother’s love for God and faithful service as an altar server he would mention the same to him.

We handled the remark differently, based on our temperament. My brother would politely say, “Maybe.” I would protest and get on my soapbox, declaring that every young person who makes adoration and daily Mass part of their life shouldn’t be made to feel like they need to become a religious.

Yes, it’s true that on a rational level it makes sense that those kinds of folks could be good candidates for religious life, but it’s also important for our Church and our world to have church- and adoration- loving people who aren’t religious. Still, I’ve also heard that comments from others encouraged priests to pursue their calling.

So the moral of the story is not to consider whether you’re more of a questioner or a silent pray-er but to consider which approach is best for the particular person you believe may have a religious vocation.

It can be easy to want to give up the battle to be pure, holy and faithful when life becomes difficult and the temptations pile up.

Today’s saint vowed to live his life to the fullest, not wasting a single moment. And thanks to the way he courageously lived out his promise, St. Alphonsus Liguori is known today as the patron saint of final perseverance.

For us, having the resolve to persevere to the end of our lives doesn’t mean we will do it perfectly. It simply means that we will keep trying.

Related Links:

• St. Alphonsus Liguori – SQPN.com

• Prayer for Final Perseverance by St. Alphonsus Liguori

• The Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori