Ständig Bön för Äktenskap och Familj

 Dear Friends,

 Each week this is one of the very special moments for me, when I think about each of you and pray for you. I pray for you every day but this time is more focused for me. I am conscious that the input I send you may be helpful for you in your love for one another and in your family life. It may also be helpful in strengthening your faith in Christ risen from the dead and living among us and with you. Nothing could be more special than that. Thank you.

 Attached is my input for next Sunday, 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and for the week following it. I hope it will be a source of joy and hope for you as you work on your love and your faith in Jesus Christ. I will be praying for you every day of the week. May God be with you, through the Holy Spirit, to bring you closer to one another and to Christ. Please continue to pray for me and for one another. May we all be blessed with peace.

 Johnny

Fr Johnnys veckobrev översatt till svenska finns här

Brevet på engelska finns nedan.

Hej allihopa,

Idag har jag ett tungt hjärta.  Vår älskade Kyrkoherde lämnar oss för en annan församling men vi ber att allt som han har gjort för oss fortsätter att bära frukt, frukt som  består.  Var med vår Kyrkoherde med Din kraft i allt han gör.  Jesus Heliga Hjärta, vi litar på Dig.

Nu är tiden inne för ett nytt brev från Fr. Johnny.  Han säger bland annat till oss idag. ”The core of our christian faith is that Jesus has risen from the dead and is living among us". Further "It is time to catch the spirit of Jesus and let our love shine out to the world we live in and to the faith community we are part of".  Kärnan av vår kristna tro är att Jesus är uppstånden från döden och bor bland oss". Vidare "det är tid att fånga Jesus Ande och tillåta vår kärlek att lysa ut till världen vi lever i och till troskommuniteten vi är en del av".

Under oktober månaden säger Påve Franciskus, Patch up family feuds.  Mercy and Forgiveness.  Lappa ihop familjefejder. Barmhärtighet och Förlåtelse.  Fyll varje familj med Din kärlek. Må vart och ett av våra hem bli en plats fylld av Din närvaro, en källa som förmedlar Din frid. Bönehäftet. Jesus Heliga Hjärta, vi litar på Dig.

Vi ber för frid i hjärtat, frid i familjen och frid på jorden. Vi ber att ryssarna börjar förstå sanningen av vad som händer i Ukraina och att det blir början till fred.   Var med dem som lider så förskräckligt. Det är svårt att ta in.  Hjälp världens ledare  att fortsätta vara generösa och ge dem visdom och bra omdöme.  Jesus Heliga Hjärta, vi litar på Dig.

Come Holy Spirit, Fill the Hearts of Your Faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created and You will renew the face of the earth. Kom Helige Ande, fyll dina trognas hjärtan och tänd i dem Din kärleks eld. Sänd ut Din Ande och vi skall bli väckta och Du skall förnya jordens ansikte.

Ha en fin höstvecka.

Varma hälsningar,

Colette

THE COUPLE THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER.

Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.September 25^th – October 1^st A witness for the truth

“If they will not listen to either Moses or the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.” These words of Jesus were spoken to the Pharisees who were very good living people but who were missing the point. They are also for us today as we also often miss the point of our faith. The core of our Christian faith is that Jesus has risen from the dead and is living among us. This knowledge should give us great energy for living, great reverence for every person, great joy and freedom in our love for one another. Instead we make the living out of our faith a duty, a task, a burden, a lot of the time. We do the same in our intimate relationships of marriage and family life. It is time to catch the spirit of Jesus and let our love shine out to the world we live in and to the faith community we are part of.

Morning Prayer, when together

Father, you show your almighty power

in your mercy and forgiveness.

Continue to fill us, as a married couple, with your gifts of love.

Help us to hurry towards the eternal life you promise

and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

During the day, when apart

God of mercy accept the gift of our married love.

Help us to grow in our love every day

and make it a source of blessing for us and all whom we meet.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Evening/Night Prayer together

Father, may our efforts at daily loving in our sacrament of marriage,

in which we proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ,

bring us salvation

and make us one with him in glory.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Questions for Action for the week

For your marriage: What are 3 of your wife/husband’s best qualities at present? How could you tell her/him this week?

For others: Choose one person who is close to you in your life. How will you, as a couple, affirm the goodness of that person this week? 

Dear Friends,

 Tuesday seems to be coming around much faster nowadays!! It’s hard to believe that it is a week since I wrote to you. I hope you have had a good week and that the week ahead will be even better for you.

 I am sending you my weekly input for the Couple Prayer and/or the Newsletter. This one is for next Sunday, 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and for the week following it. It is another challenge from the Word of God to look at our priorities and arrange them more and more in favour of what is most important while keeping everything that is important going. I hope you will find this helpful for yourselves in your marriage and family life

 I am also sending you a summary of a new Report from The Third Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsol) which I received today. I found this very interesting and affirming of all that we hold dear about marriage. You might find it interesting also!

 You are in my prayers every day. May God continue to bless you and all your loved ones with peace and joy in your love for one another.

 Johnny

Idag skriver Fr. Johnny bland annat till oss: "The challenge of the Gospel today is to be thankful for all we have and to learn to share it with those who are in need".  Further he says "When we become selfish with our money,  we also become selfish with our time  and this has a serious effect on our marriage and family relations, and the quality of our life together becomes less loving.  Utmaningen i evangeliet  idag är att vara tacksam för allt vi har och att lära oss att dela det med de som är i behov". Vidare säger han "när vi blir egoistiska med våra pengar, blir vi också egoistiska med vår tid och det har en allvarlig påverkan på vår äktenskap och familjerelationer och kvaliteten av vårt liv blir mindre kärleksfull" .  Resten finns i brevet.

Fr. Michael Coutts S.J hade en väldigt inspirerande predikan på dailytvmass.com i morse, lördag.  Om ni kan engelska är det väl värt att lyssna på.  Det handlade mycket om familjen angående frön som hamnar på fertil jord.  "A family who knows its faith, reads the Bible, knows its Bible stories. A family that prays together, not like the Pharisees, but says grace before meals, prays together at night. A family that celebrates parents anniversaries. A family that celebrates the Feasts of the Church, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost with joy and happiness.  A family that reaches out to those who are suffering in sickness or even in death, reaching out to those who are hurting most.

En familj som känner tron, läser Bibeln, känner Bibelns historier. En familj som ber tillsammans, inte som fariséer, men ber före måltiderna, ber tillsammans på kvällen.  En familj som firar föräldrarnas bröllopsdagar, födelsedagar. En familj som firar Kyrkans festdagar, Jul, Påsk, Pingst med glädje.  En familj som når ut till dem som lider i sjukdom och även i död, nående ut till dem som lider mest.

Det är glädjande att berätta att det går bättre och bättre för kvinnan som nyligen hade en knäoperation.  Jag pratade med maken till kvinnan som hade en allvarlig hjärtoperation i måndags. Hon mår ganska bra, tyckte han.  Tack Herre att du hör våra böner.  Vi ber nu att båda kvinnor får all hjälp de behöver för att kunna bli helt återställda. Ge läkaren och sjukhuspersonalen         visdomen de behöver för att ge dem den bästa hjälpen.  Jesus Heliga Hjärta, vi litar på Dig.

Bön behövs för en kvinna som har olika problem och för hennes Pappa som har fått  en hjärtinfarkt.  Herre du som vet allt.  Var med den här kvinnan och ge henne viljan och mod att kunna hitta rätt i livet med Din hjälp.  Lindra hennes oro för hennes Pappa.  Herre, ge Pappan snabb återhämtning och god hälsa. Jesus Heliga Hjärta, vi litar på Dig.

Vi ber för frid i hjärtat, frid i familjen och frid på jorden. Vi ber särskilt för Ukraina och för alla folk som lider på grund av kriget. Tack Herre för att det går bättre och bättre för Ukraina.  Var med dem som lider så förskräckligt. Det är svårt att ta in.  Hjälp världens ledare fortsätta vara generösa och ge dem visdom och bra omdöme.  Jesus Heliga Hjärta, vi litar på Dig.

Come Holy Spirit, Fill the Hearts of Your Faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created and You will renew the face of the earth. Kom Helige Ande, fyll dina trognas hjärtan och tänd i dem Din kärleks eld. Sänd ut Din Ande och vi skall bli väckta och Du skall förnya jordens ansikte.

Ha en fin höstvecka.

Varma hälsningar,

Colette

THE COUPLE THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER.

Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.September 18^th – 24^th Lord of the oppressed

Jesus said to his disciples: “You cannot be the slave both of God and of money”. Thank God all of us are much better off today than we were in past generations and even better off than we ever expected to be. This brings with it a sense of security and lessens people’s anxiety about the future. But it can also bring with it a sense of self-sufficiency in which we think that we are in need of no one, not even God. We become selfish, and the more we have the more we want. The challenge of the Gospel today is to be thankful for all we have and to learn to share it with those who are in need. When we become selfish with our money, we also become selfish with our time and this has a serious effect on our marriage and family relationships, and the quality of our lives together becomes less loving. We also refuse to give time to building up our parish community because we are too busy or too important.

Morning Prayer, when together

Father, guide us in our marriage as you guide creation

according to your law of love.

May we love one another and come to perfection

in the eternal life prepared for us.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

During the day, when apart

Lord, may the gift of our love for one another

which we offer to show our belief in you be pleasing to you.

May our marriage grow in gentleness and tenderness

and bring us to our eternal reward with you.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Evening/Night Prayer together

Lord, help us with your kindness. Make us strong in your love.

May we put into action all that we have promised

so that our sacrament of marriage may be filled with your peace.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Questions for Action for the week

For your marriage: What was one of the nicest things about your courtship days? How could you relive that together this week?

For others: What could you do this week to register protest against some injustice in the Church or in society?