What People are Commenting
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City of God & Age for Marriage
Wonders of Christmas
Dear Miss Marian,
Thank you very much for your e-card.
It's nice to be remembered in this season, especially in that particular characteristic very proper of my Redemptorist charism which is to preach at all moments -trying to remind everyone of that abundant Redemption that is in Christ- and using every opportunity (even a simple lantern) to direct souls to the light of God that shine especially in the Incarnation and the Nativity of the λóγος.
Precisely that mystery of the incarnation of the Divinity, His birth in the fragility of our mortal flesh, and His willingness to share with us the works of this life is, without a doubt, the most admirable example through which God showed us that with the help of His paternal guidance it is possible to overcome the difficulties of our pilgrimage through this world.
But not only was it wonderful in itself, that will of the Almighty to come and dwell with us, but it was also overwhelming the way in which He decided to do so. If we go to the Book of Genesis, we can read: “And when they heard the Voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise. And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou? And he said: I heard thy Voice in paradise; and I was afraid, and I hid myself.” [1]
Since then, the steps of the Word of God cause fear in human beings. Prophets and Kings trembled at every theophany, and this was always… always… until the extraordinary moment when the Lord decided to be born as a humble child in a manger in Bethlehem. He came to meet the children of Adam, not walking with heavy steps, but crawling like a baby, and a baby named not with an astonishing name, but with a name that subtly revealed the will of God: His will to save and bring hope to humanity.
That is why St. Alphonsus said: “Christ could, indeed, have appeared upon this earth a full-grown Man, as the first man, Adam, appeared. But the Son of God wished to present Himself under the form of a sweet little Child, that thus He might the more readily and the more forcibly draw to Himself the love of man.".[2]
Great joy is this! The Word of God, who walked with Adam in Paradise, came to meet us to save us.
He was the light that shone from the star, He was the Shepherd watching over us, He was the Wisdom for whom the Magi crossed the desert. He is the peace that the world needs; the Savior so that we could live. He is our gift.
May Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph bless and accompany you and all the members of TIA, and be for us a perennial source of peace.
Merry Christmas!
Fr. P.A.N., Paraguay
[1] Genesis III, VIII-X;
[2] The incarnation, birth, and infancy of Jesus Christ. Discourse II: The eternal word being great becomes little.
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My Take on the Age for Marriage
Ave Maria Purissima !
Your reader asks a very interesting question about the optimum age for marriage. My own view is for a girl, 17 to 22 years and I think the young man should be at least 5 to 10 years older. In Ireland it is still legal to marry at 16 with parental permission.
In the 1800s a boy could marry at 14 and a girl at 12 years. In the case of a girl, it depends on how well trained she is in housekeeping skills and how prepared she is to obey and submit to her husband. It seems better to be for the young man to be older by several years as that makes it easier for him to exercise authority over his wife and for her, it may be easier to honour and obey someone quite a bit older.
How beautiful the tradition of the father walking down the aisle to hand his daughter over to the authority of her husband to be. She leaves the authority of her father for a new authority. This of course may be difficult for the girl, so it is important she is trained for this and also important the young man gives her decisive and clear leadership.
The closer to 17 she is the more years she has for bearing children and obeying God's law on marriage. Girls should be taught about marriage in a very practical way. Marriage is not about romance and wine and roses, it is all about procreation and the rearing of as many children as God grants the couple. It is about two people, each with distinct roles, living together in submission to God's law and rearing their children, in the fear of God.
A wise husband will delegate some authority to his wife. For example, she should have authority to discipline and punish the children for certain offences. A wise husband will however reserve the right to punish for the most serious offences. The husband must demonstrate his authority to the children and the wife in turn should demonstrate her submission to the will of her husband. It is nice to see wives veiled in Church, as a sign that under God, they are subject to their husband. A wife should wear a black veil as she is no longer a virgin, so the white veil is not permissible.
The present state of marriage is causing a blurring of the roles of man and woman. I see so many men now pushing buggies and strollers with their wife walking unencumbered by their side. I have even seen men with a child strapped to their chest. We are witnessing a feminizing of men and women becoming more assertive. This will almost reach a role reversal if not checked. This situation can be traced to the increased economic independence of the woman through her having a full-time day job.
The woman in the home was, of course, dependent on her husband and this aided obedience and submission. The work of the housewife and mother is a vocation and a glorious vocation, second only to the religious life. In Ireland up to the late 1960s, many chilren left school at age 13 and girls generally then stayed at home and learnt their female skills from their mother. This was as it should be still and left the girl ready for marriage at an early age.
A girl does not need algebra or geometry or geography. History should be taught to her as Church history. She does not need a foreign language as she will not travel. She needs to be able to write well, to speak with good grammar and a nice accent, to be able to write a letter or email and to be able to accomplish simple arithmetic. As the primary educator of her children, in particul in the True Faith, she needs to be taught religion well and have a very sound moral training.
Good manners, especially table manners, are very important and she needs to be taught how to dress modestly and elegantly. When married she should always take advice from her husband on how to dress and dress in the manner he wishes, provided that is conforming to Mary-like modesty.
I believe a return to traditional marriage is essential to increasing the fertility rate and reversing the current role reversal for men and women. It is essential that girls are oriented to vocation and not career from an early age. How ordinary is the job of a bus driver or an accountant comparted to the job of wife and mother. The feminists were very successful in denigrating the work of the woman in the home. We must now elevate that role and ensure our young Catholic girls understand how vital it is for the future of our society.
God bless you.
Yours sincerely
C.P., Ireland
Posted December 26, 2024
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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Re: ‘The Lord Possessed Me in the Beginning of His Ways’
Today I read from my 1872 leather bound with much patina copy of The City of God abridged while sitting on bench in the winter sun on the Santa Cruz wharf. I could see across the bay to La Conquistadora in her N.O. prison as I read. I waved for all of us. On chapter XXV or so: truly amazing in the integrity of revealing Sacred Scripture with wonderful insights. None of the scary, spiritually rubbery creations of Maria Valtorta.
How smoothly the text and the chapters flow. As if I had read it before. Have renewed and will read again. It is such a beautiful fully bound book and so warm with patina, damaged leather bindings, yellowed paper, the smell of 'old books', and charming little graphics at end of each chapter, it will be difficult to return it.
Thank you,
E.K.