The Cause of My Joy
Today I also wanted to share post from a blog I link to often, Neal Obstat. All of his articles are great, but this one is particularly wonderful. In it he shares a poem he wrote for his wife on their wedding anniversary. Here’s the first verse:
Deathless Love
My love for you, my Bride, is deathless
for death would mean that we must part,
but even waters our love cannot quench,
nor the grave cleave our God-knit heart.
…
Beautiful, right? If you’d like to read the rest of his poem (and why wouldn’t you?!), click on the image below:
Beautiful just beautiful! I hope that one day I will be able to say and hear and feel the same love and joy to and from the husband that God chooses for me, in the Blessed event, life and after of the Sacrament of Marriage! Here’s to dreaming! What a cause of happiness!
(Having never been married of course!)
“…and love, cross-shaped…” So succinct, but there’s so much depth (sacrifice, death to self) encapsulated in it. A beautiful poem, indeed.
The Neals were on a vocations discernment panel that spoke to the Catholic Student Union once back when I was in college at FSU, and their story is neat. They were friends for a while (I think they met at school), and then he felt called to discern the priesthood. She was completely in love with him, but didn’t tell him, because she didn’t want to confuse him. But they stayed in touch through all the years he was at seminary, writing letters (in ye olde pre-Internet days), with Patti praying for God’s will to be done and that she could be accepting of it. It wasn’t until his last year of seminary (obviously before his diaconate) that Tom realized ordained priesthood wasn’t his calling. At the point when they were on the panel, they had 2 little kids, but I think now they have four children.
I remember the story (and not what the priest, the nun or brother said of their call to vocation) so well because, at the time, I had a massive crush on a guy who’d just gone into seminary, and thought something along the lines of “if it happened for Patti Neal, it could happen for me,” which it, of course, didn’t, lol.
His mention of St. Bonaventure’s idea that the bond from the sacrament of marriage continues to endure beyond death isn’t one I’ve heard, although the idea is intriguing. Especially since, isn’t there a piece of scripture that talks about there being no marriage in heaven? Hmmm.
> The Neals were on a vocations discernment panel
Very cool. He’s easily one of my favourite bloggers.
> I had a massive crush on a guy who’d just gone into seminary
Sounds familiar… #CatholicProblems
> His mention of St. Bonaventure’s idea that the bond from the sacrament of marriage continues to endure beyond death isn’t one I’ve heard, although the idea is intriguing
Ooh, you’ll have to be a little careful here. The Sacrament does not continue. After all, what’s the point of having the sign when you’re at the destination?
What St. Bonaventure suggested is that the covenant bond has some kind nature which reveals itself, even after death in Heaven.
> Especially since, isn’t there a piece of scripture that talks about there being no marriage in heaven? Hmmm.
I think you’re referring to Mark 12:25 (it’s also in Matthew). Here the Lord says that nobody will be married or given in marriage.
However, Jesus doesn’t say that every trace of that marriage is wiped away. If you have spent your time on earth getting each other to Heaven, I’m pretty sure that’s going to leave some kind of mark! 😉
🙂 They’re very good people, the Neals. They were members of the parish at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, where the Catholic Student Union was based, just up the hill from campus. Patti was also the choir director there for a while, and they were both involved in parish life, and with the student group as much as they could (being busy working parents). I know they keep in touch with quite a few friends of mine, who were closer to them. In fact, I think they’re the godparents to one of my friend Amanda and Chris’ children. Anyway…
I meant I was more intrigued by the notion as one I hadn’t heard before, mostly, I suppose I just didn’t express myself clearly enough. But thank you for breaking it down a little more. And Mark 12:25 was the passage I was thinking of. 🙂
Lol, makes sense it would leave a mark. That’s a great quote from St. Augustine, too. I have City of God but haven’t attempted to read it yet.
I was posting on another friend’s wall congratulating him on his one year wedding anniversary and realized that my favourite preacher, St. John Chrysostom indicates something similar:
“An intelligent, discreet, and pious young woman is worth more than all the money in the world. Tell her that you love her more than your own life, because this present life is nothing, and that your only hope is that the two of you pass through this life in such a way that, in the world to come, you will be united in perfect love” – St. John Chrysostom