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Today, Sunday 13th July we have 988 people from all over the world and from many Christian and some non-Christian denominations joining together in prayer.

Our reflections are by Bob and Debbie Gass from The Word for Today. I'm too pooped to write anything myself as the brain's drained so here's a few questions and answers on marriage pulled in together for this week.

Again I'm going to keep the focus on marriage and the family and probably continue with the theme until the end of the month. I'm just back from that conference on Marriage and the Family and
it was soooper doooper! Actually, one of the best conferences I've ever been to and I've done some in me day between Internationals, Hospice, Management, Ethics, Health Care, and Safety etc.! The Holy Spirit was in evidence BIG TIME all weekend. The conference was run by the Master's students at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family and covered a variety of topics related to the family from Morals, the Sociological Response to Defamiliazation, Human Nature in the Light of Modern Philosophy, How Science Answers the Call - Improved Fertility by Natural Methods, and Evangelizing the Culture where our culture has become one of death instead of life.

The following comes from the US JPII Institute website:

"The aim of such study is to generate a "culture of life": a culture whose members "see life in its deeper meaning, its beauty and its invitation to freedom and responsibility"; "who do not presume to
take possession of reality, but instead accept it as a gift, discovering in all things the reflection of the Creator and seeing in every person his living image" (Evangelium vitae, 83). A culture of life is a culture wherein the Church's understanding of sexual and family ethics, the body and gender difference, fatherhood and motherhood, filiation and fraternity, birth and death, find a home. The culture of life resists the "consumerist, anti-birth mentality," or again the "contraceptive mentality",  characteristic of the "technocratic logic" lying at the heart of what John Paul II has termed a veritable "anti-civilization" (LF, 13; cf. FC, 6; Fides et ratio, 15).

The really sad thing about the Irish JPII Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family is that it has had to close its doors as it has received support as lip service only from the Irish Catholic Hierarchy.
Every Diocese in Ireland should be sponsoring a student to do this course and integrate the knowledge gained into parish communities throughout Ireland. That isn't happening as only 3 of the 26 irish Diocese did so and the course has had to be discontinued for lack of support. All the other JPII Institutes worldwide are thriving. Sad, sad, sad in an age where the family is constantly under attack.

My favourite speaker was Dr. Joseph Atkinson. He spoke on the family as the 'Domestic Church' and the picture he inspired of the father's role was just beautiful. As a father, he still blesses his adult sons with a hands on blessing. What really interested me was that he, like Scott Hahn, one of my favoutite writers, is also a convert to Catholicism! He was an Anglican Minister. The following is a quote from his ideas on the family home as the Domestic Church:

"As a matter of fact, it is marriage (and not celibacy!) that Scripture uses to describe Jesus' relationship with His people (see Ephesians 5:32). It is important to note that the New Testament,
after addressing the nature of salvation, deals with family relationships. Families are where we work out our salvation. It is precisely in the joy and sorrow, rough and tumbles of family life that we grow in holiness."

I quote (forgive my laziness again) from the bio about him and below that a quote from Pope John Paul II on a new evangelisation in this modern world:

"Professor Atkinson has done extensive work in researching and developing the theological ground for the domestic church, an ancient idea which has achieved new prominence in theological circles since Vatican II. Both his S.T.L. and S.T.D. dissertations concentrated on the Scriptural foundations for this concept and, in particular, its Old Testament roots. Dr. Atkinson has had extensive experience in pastoral ministry and has been involved with the L'Arche homes in France. In addition to numerous lecture in local church settings, he has also taught in the Washington Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program. Recent publications include essays on "The Roots of the Christian Family in the Old Testament: Corporate Personality" and "The Domestic Church: New Testament and Patristic Sources."... "

"The new evangelization will show its authenticity and unleash all it's missionary force when it is carried out through the gift not only of the word proclaimed, but also of the word lived. ... For this
reason, the Church, as a wise teacher of morality, has always invited believers to seek and to find in the saints, and above all in the Virgin Mother of God ... the model, the strength, and the joy, needed to live a life in accordance with God's commandments and the beatitudes of the Gospel." Pope John Paul II

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Now, on to those reflections from The Word for Today:

" SATAN WILL NOT OUTSMART US. FOR WE ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH HIS EVIL SCHEMES. "  2 CORINTHIANS 2 : 11 (NLT)

For the next few days, let's look at a few marriage-related questions, because the truth is that we spend more time at home with our partners, than we do in church. To live harmoniously with God and your mate, you must clearly understand two things:

First, marriage is God-ordained and sustained. In Genesis, God said, 'It isn't good for man to be alone; I will make a companion.suited to his needs' (Genesis 2:18 TLB). Somebody quipped, 'All marriages are happy - it's living together afterwards that causes all the trouble!' One woman told her counsellor, 'We're divorcing for religious reasons. My husband thinks he's God and I don't!' You may smile, but when you marry someone, you marry everything they've been through. Each of you brought your own 'baggage' into the relationship. Unless you sort out what to keep and what to discard, it can quickly erode.

Second, the devil has made marriage one of his prime targets. He loves to promote division and strife between couples. God's Word says, 'satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil
schemes' (2 Corinthians 2:11 NLT). God's plan for your relationship is strength and harmony, not strife and confusion. He wants to help you build a strong, loving union that glorifies Him. To do that
successfully, you must resolve to make Him Lord in every area of the relationship!

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" IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE TODAY, DON'T BE STUBBORN! " HEBREWS 4 : 7 (CEV)

Q: My partner keeps resurrecting my past; what can I do? 
A: The Bible says: 'Forgive.just as Christ has forgiven you' (Corinthians 3:13 CEV). When you've been hurt, it's easy to react in the flesh instead of responding in the Spirit.

Remember, forgiveness is a decision, but trust is a process; when it's been demolished it takes time to rebuild. If you sit on a chair and it collapses beneath you, you don't hold a grudge against the
chair, but when you want to sit down again you'll approach it with caution.

Men and women often perceive trust differently. When a woman's been hurt, her husband may think an apology should immediately enable her to trust him again and move on. Not so; two things
need to happen first:

(1) Sir, you need to acknowledge what you've done! Don't just tell your wife to 'get over it.' Validate her feelings, even though she may act as if she doesn't want you to. Acknowledge her pain. Why?
Because, when others trivialise what's hurting us, it makes us angrier. Only when we feel understood do our wounds begin to heal.

(2) Lady, you need to make sure that bitterness doesn't creep in! How can you do that? By refusing to stay 'broken' any longer than absolutely necessary, and by allowing God to heal your heart and
restore your love.

Remember, 'If you hear His voice today, don't be stubborn!' When God gives you the grace to release the hurt, you need to seize that grace!

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" IF TWO OF YOU.AGREE ABOUT SOMETHING AND PRAY FOR IT, IT WILL BE DONE FOR YOU "  MATTHEW 18 : 19 (NCV)

Q: Help! My partner's a terrible housekeeper. What can I do?
A: Although keeping house is historically seen as a woman's responsibility, roles have changed. Financial necessity may now dictate that both parties work outside the home. In many instances
the husband helps run the house. It's not a right or wrong issue; what's important is to make sure you're both singing from the same song sheet concerning your expectations. When you expect
one thing and your wife expects another, it means trouble ahead!

Here are a few suggestions to help:

(1) Never discuss issues when you're angry; wait till you both calm down. Listen: '.be willing to listen and slow to speak...anger will not help.' (James 1:19-20 NCV). When emotions run amok, instead of solving problems, you just end up making them worse!

(2) Look for middle ground. Recognise that what's important to you may not be as important to your mate. Maybe it wasn't that important to you either in the early days, so you let it slide.

(3) Learn to negotiate or you'll always be frustrated. Aim for 'win-win' solutions. This may mean washing the dishes or helping put the kids to bed, so that you can have more time together. It involves giving on both sides.

(4) Pray with and for one another. This is the most important thing you can do, because Jesus says, '.if two of you.agree. . .and pray for it, it will be done.' (Matthew 18:19 NCV).

Next week I'll have a few more. It's late and I haven't had the chance to set up the weekly intentions page tonight, I'll do that tomorrow for those who like to print it off for their prayer time. Don't forget the
prayer for the family and one for our grown-up children:

Family Prayer

"O Dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family this day. In Your Divine Mercy make our home a shrine of peace, love and faith. I beg You, Dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us and our families absent and present, living and dead. O Mary loving Mother of Jesus and our Mother, pray to Jesus the Divine Mercy for our family, and for all the families of the world. Ask Him to guard the tiny infant in the womb, the cradle of the newborn, the young in the schools and those about to start their vocations in life. Amen"

Prayer for Our Adult Children

"Heavenly Mother, keep us always in mind of Your Son's great mercy and understanding as we pray for our children. They are grown up now and have left us and are living their own lives according to their own ideals. We feel anxious and worried because they do not seem to feel the need for Christ. to understand the wisdom of His ways, or to be fully at ease with us or themselves. Intervene, dearest Mother, in their lives at the moment You know to be right and help them to understand the things that lead to their peace. Help them to see the need of Christ and to experiance the greatness
of His love, so that we may all proclaim as You did, that His mercy truly is from generation to generation. Amen"

All of the Reflections to date are available to read on the website for anyone who's interested and can be found from the Archives page.

The Weekly Intentions are available on a plain page to be able to print off and kept to hand for your own prayer time. The list has become too long now to include each week but please say the two wee prayers below. The Loving Father knows the heart of each person requesting prayer.

"Father, bless all those who have requested prayers in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! Father, we ask You to heal the broken bodies, broken minds, broken spirits, broken hearts and broken marriages and may all their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with You. Amen."

"Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers because we know You hear every prayer and never refuse to answer. You are providing answers and healings from the prayers of all these wonderful people. Praise God!"

"Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my work, too, may be holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend all that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy."

"O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen"

May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless and guide you and yours and may Mary keep you in Her heavenly mother's care.

Mary in Galway