Faith, Family, Fitness

I recently finished Matthew Kelly’s book Building Better Families. Matthew is not yet married (though engaged last I read in a newletter; sorry ladies) so his view of family function or dysfunction in today’s world is different than the view that a seasoned parent’s view might be.

The message in Building Better Families really is no different from any other Matthew Kelly book. If you’ve not read Matthew Kelly, then I encourage you to pick up The Rhythm of Life. His main message is that we need to become the best-version-of-ourself. In Building Better Families, Kelly applies this principle to our children. Do we as parents try and better ourselves? If not, our children will see that and do the same. Do we want the best for our children? Sure, what parent does not? Yet time and time again, as Kelly points out, that is not how we raise our children.

Raising children is hard enough. Doing it in this culture of consumerism and immorality is even harder. Kelly challenged me by bringing up the issues we face in this culture. More specifically the barage of filth that is flung at our children. I  hope to be a better dad because of what has been shown to me. I recommend you read Building Better Families and become a better parent.

From FatherZ

When the Pope Benedict admitted Pres. Obama into his presence today, he gave him gifts of a medal, a mosaic of St. Peter’s Square and, according to Catholic News Service Twitter feed, a copy of CDF’s instruction on bio-ethical questions Dignitatis personae.

This was not in the regular story CNS filed, however.

It might be a good thing, as a follow up to this “historic meeting”, to ask the WH Press Secretary, or the President himself, if the President read what the Pope gave him.

Dignitatis personae is only a little under 10K words, after all.  Surely someone as brilliant at this President would be able to absorb Dignitatis personae in the limo between the Cortile San Damaso and the Via della Conciliazione.

According to the Catholic Herald, the best UK weekly, the Holy Father also gave the President a copy of Caritas in veritate.

Well… Caritas in veritate is nearly 28K words.  The President might need a little longer in the limo to read that.  Perhaps as far as the Campidoglio.

UPDATE:

One Italian news broadcast says that Pres. Obama said that he would read the encyclical on the airplane.  Reuters put it this way, “Obama, who was going to the airport from the Vatican,joked to the pope when he gave him the two documents: ‘I’ll have something to read on the plane.’”

Also, according to SKY TG24 Fr. Lombardi said that Pres. Obama told the Pope that he would try to reduce the number of abortions in the USA.

In the past is was not usual for the conversation of the Pope with a head of state to be reported.

If the Vatican is saying this… well… I suppose it could be a way of vindicating the meeting and trying to holding them to.

“One need not say much to pray well” – the Curé explained to them – “We know that Jesus is there in the tabernacle: let us open our hearts to him, let us rejoice in his sacred presence. That is the best prayer”.

…And he taught them to pray: “My God, grant me the grace to love you as much as I possibly can”

…He considered this the golden rule for a life of obedience: “Do only what can be offered to the good Lord”

-From the LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI PROCLAIMING A YEAR FOR PRIESTS