January 23: Catholic feast day called “The Espousal of Mary and Joseph.”

Considering the passing of the recent [DIS]Respect for Marriage Act, I believe it is time that you and I bring this feast day back into a wide and devout practice.

Click here for story of a marriage saved and the prayer that saved it.

Did you know that in 1969, Governor Ronald Reagan of California made what he later admitted was one of the biggest mistakes of his political life? He signed the nation’s first no-fault divorce bill.

And the result? Today we see a steady crumbling of the foundation of all social structures—marriage and the family.

For many Fatima devotees this comes as no surprise; Our Lady warned of a “great chastisement in the second half of the twentieth century.”

As a confirmation of this prophecy, Sr. Lucia wrote the following in a letter to her dear friend, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra in 1983 or 1984: 

“Father, a time will come when the decisive battle between the kingdom of Christ and Satan will be over marriage and the family. And those who will work for the good of the family will experience persecution and tribulation. But do not be afraid, because Our Lady has already crushed his head.”

My friend, can there be any doubt that we are living in that time now, in 2023?

Click here for a prayer to SAVE even the most difficult marriage!

As Catholics, we have a sacred duty to restore the sacrality and indissolubility of marriage; but we are not without assistance in this monumental task.

We have the graces of this feast day and the spiritual guidance of Saint Joseph and Mary Most Holy to strengthen and guide us in our quest.

Remember the words of Sr. Lucia: as “disciples of Christ” we are engaged in a “decisive battle” – but, “Our Lady has already crushed his [Satan’s] head.”

For an example of this, I have a little story for you.

Click here for a prayer to SAVE even the most difficult marriage.

I came across this not too long ago as I was reading one of my favorite authors of the Catholic life, Fr. Francis Spirago.

Now, the story itself is a little too long to include in this email; so click here to read the story of a marriage saved.

But in reflecting on what I had read, it occurred to me that God, in His mercy and wisdom, would never ask us to do something without providing us the assistance we need to do it!

This applies to the complexities and challenges that exist in every marriage.

So, rather than slide down the slippery slope that began with Ronald Reagan’s grave “mistake” and has led to the recent [DIS]Respect for Marriage Act…

1. Follow the example set by Saint Joseph and Mary Most Holy, asking on this feast of their blessed espousal, that they give us the graces necessary to restore the dignity of marriage.
2. Give encouragement and assistance to those young couples that have gone against the tide and have committed themselves to each other in a sacramental marriage.
3. Click here to read the story of a marriage saved and the PRAYER that saved it!

There is no doubt that we need to turn to Saint Joseph and Our Lady as the perfect example to be followed in all marriages worthy of that sacramental title.

The struggle is real! But it will never be greater than the graces God gives to those who ask Him.

May Saint Joseph and his most Pure Spouse Mary bless you in a special way today!