Category: Family

“A Single Word Shall Fell Him”

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 15 Leave a Comment on %s
I recall the line from Luther’s great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress.” When speaking of our adversary, whom I need not name, it boldly proclaims, “A single word shall fell him.” It goes on to say, “That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth…” etc. A single word is indeed powerful, particularly if that Word, is Jesus. It also true, however, that as James says: “But the tongue can no…

How Vulnerable is Your Life?

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 5 Leave a Comment on %s
Young parents quickly discover a level of vulnerability they had not known before a child came into their world. With the birth of a child, under most normal circumstances, your heart becomes extremely vulnerable. You discover that you’ve never loved anything so much and the fragility of their lives becomes, sometimes, all too obvious. I’m not certain that this sense of fragility stops even after their grown and no longer fit the…

Prayer to My Guardian Angel – A Post Revisited

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 24 Leave a Comment on %s
WordPress provides a fair amount of information to its bloggers – it gives you a chance to see some of what works and occasionally why. Then there are mysteries. One of my mysteries is the popularity of this particular post which first went up last January. Since then it has generated over 2800 views – probably more than 5 times the number of any other single post. Interestingly, it is daily listed among my…

Communion with Christ and the Union of Marriage

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 9 Leave a Comment on %s
One of the clearest images of the relationship we have with Christ is that of marriage between a man and a woman. St. Paul makes reference to this in Ephesians 5: So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are…

Somethings Have to be Shared

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 7 Leave a Comment on %s
Having posted several times about my son’s wedding last weekend (how could I not?), it seemed only right to post a photo of the young couple (James and Anna). I asked one of my extremely talented, artistic children who had all of the photos in digital form to send me a few wedding pictures this week so that I could share them – but strangely – none of the pictures were of…

Before the Feast

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 16 Leave a Comment on %s
I will not likely get a chance to post until after the weekend – the wedding is coming soon upon us and it’s not local. Bags are being packed – last minute details that seem to be endless are all coming to an end that lack of time alone can bring. When it’s all said and done a wedding takes place. As I have written before, our family gathers from the four…

The Wonder of Communion

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 17 Leave a Comment on %s
Despite the title, this post is not directly, or at least not yet about the Mystery of Holy Communion. Instead it begins first with the mystery of communion that can only take place when other persons are about. For yet the third time in my family’s life, a child is soon to marry, though this time it is a manchild (to use the Biblical expression). On Sunday week my son will marry…

On a Birthday – Many Years!

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 14 Leave a Comment on %s
Please indulge me in a personal post – I will be in Murfreesboro, TN, visiting with my youngest daughter who is in Governor’s School this summer on Saturday of this week, and on Sunday, my family and I will observe the birthday of my wife. My wish for “Many Years!” is for my wife for whom I give thanks to God constantly. I will be back to blogging regularly come Monday morning.…

Moses and the Unknowable God

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 8 Leave a Comment on %s
Last week, while conducting a retreat for youth at Sts. Mary and Martha monastery, we concentrated on the topic of “Who Am I?” It seemed to me an appropriate topic for an age where youth are frequently struggling with issues of identity. They live in a socially dangerous world – the cruelty of young teenagers towards one another can be brutal – thus it is not an age of risk-taking. Young people…

From a Monastery in the Deep South

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 2 Leave a Comment on %s
I am leading a retreat with young teens this week. All prayers are welcome. This is my evening break time to read comments and relax a moment. My thanks to my wife for checking on comments during the day and clearing the spam. The joy is to be with youth and to here their voices lifted to God. This has been an almost annual event for me since 1999. I have much…