I assumed that Friday, April 8, 2016, would start out like every other day that week. It was Spring Break and I had spent the week sharing some major quality time with my 6-year-old son while my wife was in Florida relaxing with some of our other kids. I was wrong. The pope had published his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, “On Love in the Family,” in Rome while I slept. This document contained his recommendations on how to address the needs of divorced Catholics, and was based on the feedback from the previous two synods held in 2014 and 2015.

I awoke to a barrage of requests from the media to give my thoughts and impressions on what the pope had written. Well, first I had to read it. That was no small feat as it over 230 pages. Knowing that they were asking for my views regarding anything the pope had written regarding divorced Catholics, I quickly scanned the document to find where this topic is addressed. I found it in Chapter 8. What I read I found very encouraging.

In this chapter, our pope goes into detail on how divorced Catholics have long been underserved by the Church, and he offers specific recommendations on how to help as many as possible. If you are a divorced Catholic, you have every reason to be very hopeful. Your pope is issuing a rallying cry to every parish, priest, and lay minister to work hard to help divorced Catholics feel welcomed, wanted, and included.

I shared these sentiments with several news outlets on Friday. Here is an article that CNN wrote after interviewing me. All-in-all, I think they did a really good job of accurately reflecting my views. Let me know what you think.

Read the CNN article.

Originally posted 2016-04-12 09:38:43.

“I am terrified I won’t get my annulment,” Cindy blurted out with tears literally streaming down her face. This surprised me because, all during the three-hour workshop, Cindy was the epitome of composure. She seemed to have it all together. Yet, the fear that she was keeping down could no longer be contained.

What Cindy was so terrified of was not her annulment, but a life potentially doomed to never being able to be married again in the Catholic Church should it be denied. She was getting ahead of herself. She was presuming something that had not even happened yet, and may never happen, and was wracked with fear.

Fear is the opposite of trust. When we allow it to control us, we derail the plan God has for our lives. Cindy was clinging to her own life’s script and how she wanted it to play out. In her mind, not getting an annulment was clearly going off script. Sadly, this blinded her to the abundant life, excitement, purpose, and joy that is guaranteed to her when she follows God’s script — even if it means not being able to be married again.

Clearly, life is full of the unexpected and quite often does not play out like we planned (your divorce is a supreme example). When we trust God, we are open to following His plan for our lives, a plan based on tremendous love, a unique purpose, and a desire of only what is best for us. When we don’t trust, we yank the script right out of God’s hands and tear it up. What a shame; all of that incredible potential, of what could have been, lost because of fear. Cling to Christ, even when you are terrified, and trust that His plan for you is better, more exciting, and more fulfilling than you can ever imagine.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
on your own intelligence do not rely;
In all your ways be mindful of him,
and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Originally posted 2017-10-09 14:34:43.