3-4. Separated Faithful Retreat

Separated Faithful joined for a retreat on June 4 &5 in which pre-recorded talks were given. All talks are in playlist on Mary’s Advocates YouTube channel.

3. Fr. Elias Mary, Franciscans of the Immaculate

“The Franciscans of the Immaculate were founded by the two Franciscan friars …  after the example of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, giving the fullest expression to the Marian dimension of St. Francis’ ideal and Rules.”

Highlights noted by retreat attendees:

• It is good to continue wearing one’s wedding ring because marraige is a covenant that God holds together.
• Vows are received by God.
• The marital act is so sacred that you don’t do it until both promise to be faithful to the other until death.
• Even if one party does not want marriage, the covenant is still valid.
• Annulment says sacrament never existed from the beginning.
• A faithful spouse gives children a leg to stand on.
• Children are still suffering from their parents’ divorce which happened twenty to thirty years ago.
• Holding one’s commitment is better than being fractured.
• Family is an earthly trinity.
• Society falls apart when marriage is attacked.
• Being a separated faithful spouse is to live in a state of injustice that does not end, like being slapped over and over.
• Forgiving does not forfeit the other party’s obligation to repent and make restitution.
• For the other spouse to received forgiveness, he/she has to reconcile with God and with you.
• St. Elizabeth of Portugal is a great model of being faithful spouse; her husband had a mistress and their children ate at the table with Elizabeth.
• Priests are caught up in the culture and want the easy way out, Fr. easy-does-it just wants to make everyone happy.
• Wayward priests are caught up in the culture.
• The Church should be helping people work things out.
• The Church and the anti-church are occupying the same space.
• Marriages break up because one, or both spouses, refuse to work on their vices.
• Use the Sacraments to help oneself be holy
• You being faithful and praying my result in the other’s conversion, even after you are dead.
• You have to have a supernatural outlook even if the family critiques you
• A prophet gives witness; the same word was the mouthpiece calling to battle and calling to prayer.
• Prophet is the same word for martyr.
• Love the other spouse, but not the sin.
• You don’t want to be bitter.
• The greatest tragedy in life is to fail to become a saint.

4. Dr. Donald Asci, Moral Theology Professor

Fr. Asci has been teaching moral theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville since 1998. He earned his doctorate Summa Cum Laude at Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Rome, Italy).

Highlights noted by retreat attendees:

• Indissolubility of marriage is a sign and a fruit of divine love
• As a sign, marriage is a real symbol of being sharers in the love of Christ
• Divine love triumphs over infidelity, human problem, or crisis, in the face of human infidelity.
• There is something greater than human fidelity
• Martyrdom means bearing witness to the truth of the faith in the face of great difficulties.
• A woman validated that she should remain faithful even w/ marital breakdown.
• There is truth of indissolubility of marriage, a sign of unfailing fidelity for sacrifice and to remain faithful to God and marriage
• St. Saint Alphonsus Liguori – martyrs are victorious; in teh eyes of the world, it is a tragedy, but in the eyes of faith its a victory.
• Martyrs are under pressure to just deny the faith; everything the world holds dear is being taken from them.
• God’s love is empowering (supernatural strength); proclaims God’s work among us.
• What is impossible to man is possible by God’s grace