On Getting Old

Getting old is like youth in reverse.
  When you are born you are virtually helpless--totally dependent on others for your survival. As you grow you take on more and more responsibility for yourself until you reach adulthood and emancipation. Then you are able to support yourself and take care of your needs. You then work at a job or care for others--children, elderly parents, etc.
  After you retire from either work outside the home or raising children, things start to reverse--albeit slowly. Little by little your body begins wearing out. Then you find there are some things you can no longer do but need help with.
  If you live long enough or are in poor health you eventually need the help of others in more and more areas--just like a child. Often very old people who are near death and bedridden can be seen to go into the fetal position, just as they were inside their mothers uterus so long ago.
  If you are fortunate you will not get to that point. We can do our best to stave off the negative aspects of aging, but we will all eventually loose some of our ability to care for ourselves.
  It is sad, and often depressing, but the happiest people learn to accept and make the best of the inevitable. Life is still worth living. Live it to the fullest. Take joy in the beauty and good things around you--the beauty of nature, the birth of a child, a wedding, the joy a toddler brings, music, a good movie, the love of family and friends. These things never grow old.

Getting to Know Jesus

Sometimes people looking to evangelize will say, "Do you know Jesus?" If you don't "know" Jesus you might be puzzled as to what they mean. Or you might respond, "Yes, I know who Jesus is. He was a great prophet" or "He is the Savior of the world" or "He suffered and died so we could go to Heaven." But all these statements of belief are not "knowing" Jesus; they are knowing about Jesus.

  First you meet Jesus through others. They teach you about Jesus, who He is, why He came to live on earth, why He suffered and died in such a cruel way. They teach you the Bible and perhaps the catechism, if the denomination has one. You grow in faith in Him.

  Then you are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 28:19). It's when you are baptized that you receive the Holy Spirit. And it's the Holy Spirit that enables you to "know" Jesus; to experience His Presence within you; to "hear" Him speaking to you and guiding you.

  Although baptism and receiving the power of the Holy Spirit is a one-time event, the power of the Holy Spirit increases in you over time as you grow in faith and surrender to God. The more you grow in the power of the Holy Spirit, the more clearly you experience Jesus. It's a little like light bulbs. When you are baptized you may receive 25 watts. At the Sacrament of Confirmation it may go up to 50 watts. If Christians pray over you for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, maybe it will go up to 200 watts. There is no limit to the power of the Holy Spirit. We are the ones who limit Him due to lack of faith, unwillingness to surrender to God or many other reasons.

  So to get back to my original statement, "Do you know Jesus?" If not, then find a church or group of Christians who are living in the power of the Holy Spirit and let them show you how to find Him. First you meet Him through others; then you meet Him for yourself.

On Marriage--Why Make A Vow

(Before I delve into this I would like to say that when I refer to "marriage" or "couple", I am referring only to normal marriage between one man and one woman. Any other "marriage" may be sanctioned by the state, but is not a real marriage in the eyes of God or rational people.)

Very often couples live together but do not want to commit themselves to each other for life. They say things like "we don't need a piece of paper to prove our love for each other." But a valid marriage is much more than just a piece of paper.

  We make vows when we marry because a stable marriage is better for men, for women, for children and for society. I won't go into the reasons why here since there is a vast amount of information available online or in books to show this is true. So what exactly is a "vow"?

  The dictionary defines "vow" as: "a solemn promise; one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition; to bind or consecrate." A couple makes a solemn promise before God and all those witnessing to join their lives together for life. They freely give themselves to each other. They promise to love and cherish each other. They promise to stand with each other in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health; whether wealthy or poor, until the death of either one of them.

  This is a scary thing. To place your life in the hands of another. But it is necessary and the only way to have a good relationship, a good family and stable children.

  When vows are broken, it's not because of the failure of the vows themselves, but because  the weakness and sinfulness of the individuals causes them to break those vows. Not making the vows in the first place only makes it more likely that the relationship will fail, the family will be broken and the children damaged mentally and emotionally.