In an effort to appease my not-so-religious spouse, I had to temper my enthusiasm for my Catholic Faith. One compromise I made was to delegate Mary to the back yard during the years of my marriage. She had been placed in a beautiful garden, but I always felt sorry that I had felt compelled to keep her hidden from the public eye. After my divorce, moving Our Lady to the front yard symbolized a promise that I made myself about my treasured Catholic Faith. I will never again compromise my faith.
So many of us have had to compromise in so many ways regarding the practice of our Catholic Faith. Perhaps our husband or wife was not Catholic and did not understand or appreciate the beautiful traditions and commitments that we adhere to. Perhaps our husband or wife was Catholic, but insisted on picking and choosing the areas of our faith that they desired to comply with, forcing us to try to keep the peace rather than insist on the truth. Well, if you can relate to this, now’s your chance to join me in my resolution to never compromise your faith again!
There is a certain sense of relief and joy when we are able to bring Christ and His Mother to the front door of our hearts. There is freedom and joy when we can feel unencumbered by negativity when we teach our children the beautiful traditions of our faith. It is exciting to be able to reclaim what was always rightfully yours – the GIFT of your Catholic Faith. It is a very comforting truth that we belong to something bigger – even bigger than all of the problems that we are facing in our day-to-day lives. We, and our children, belong to the Universal Catholic Church that does not compromise and will never waver in its love for you and your children. So be proud to be Catholic and dust off your statues, rosaries, and treasured traditions. Bring it on!
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 10: 32-33
Originally posted 2014-07-08 06:00:59.
This is a great and true post… something I needed to hear. Thank you for sharing.
This is a great and true post… something I needed to hear. Thank you for sharing.
Amen Vince! I felt the same way as I went through my divorce. My ex said she wanted our kids to experience new faiths. I told her we promised to raise our kids Catholic through our marriage and their baptisms. My daughter was going through her first communion at this time. During her first communion homily, the priest told the kids to thank their parents because the parents promised to raise their kids Catholic and they were attending their first communion. I felt reassured when I heard this. Also, my daughter and I painted a beautiful statue of Mama Mary and she stands proud in front of our house. God bless!