Resolutions

New Year.

Starting, again.

The beginning of a new day, a new year, a new life.

It is good to make resolutions for the new start, the new life. In the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola, the resolution is the cutting edge. . . The decision. . . . Especially when it is a decision for action. . . . Especially when it is a decision to act in a way that you did not act, before.

The problem of the world is the family. . . . The Futuristic Society of Europe said: “The biggest problem facing the United States is the break-up of the family!. . . . The dissolution of morals among the young, and the break-up of the family!”

The family breaks up when the Daddy and Mommy split. . . How do you avoid that? How do you keep a marriage together, from this day forward; for richer, for poorer; for better, for worse; in sickness and in health; until death do us part?

I suggest six resolutions. . .I suggest these resolutions because they come from the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church, which is fiercely interested in the stability of the home, and which has 2000 years of experience, with all kinds of people, all over the face of the earth.

But the resolution do not come only from experience. They come from God. They come right out of the gospel.

1. Let not the sun go down on your anger.

• This is wise, with the wisdom of God. It is not easy to make up with words, especially when you are emotionally upset. I think that this means: the husband should make a great resolution that for the rest of his life, he will always kiss his wife good-night.

• And the resolution of the wife must be: she will never turn away.

2. When husband and wife quarrel, as soon as the man can talk, he should say: “I’m sorry!”

• The man sometimes protests: “But it is all her faults!”. . . When a man says “I’m sorry”, he is not withdrawing the truth of anything that he has said: “He only means: “I am sorry that I hurt you!. . .I am sorry that we are quarreling!. . I am sorry that you are crying!”. . . And this is true! .. . After he says: “I’m sorry”, the wife can say, if she believes this: “It was all my fault!” But the man should say: “I’m sorry!”

• If the man does not kiss his wife goodnight, or if he does not say: “I’m sorry!”, then the wife should kiss her husband, the wife should say: “I’m sorry”. But — if this happens—it means that the girl is the strong one, and the boy is a weakling. She is the man, and he is the woman.

3. Pray together.

• Father Patrick Peyton was saying, for the last 60 years: “The family that prays together, stays together”, and this is true!

4. Weekly Mass and Communion, together.

• The best prayer is the Mass.

• When you receive Communion it is the Body of God become part of you. It is the Blood of God running through your veins. By this you become one with God, and one with each other.

5. One bank account.

• Whatever unites husband and wife is good. . . Whatever divides them is bad. . . And the most divisive force in all this world is money.

• They need not have one physical bank account. They could have varied placements. But the husband should not have any money that the wife does not know about. And the wife should not have any funds that the husband does not know about. They should own everything together.

• If you can not trust the one you love with money, you should never have married. Marriage must be a total investment! All that you have, and all that you are!

6. Never alone, with any other partner.

• When the man marries, on his wedding day, he should make a great resolution that he will never go out alone with any woman, except his wife.

• When a woman marries, on her wedding day, she should make a great resolution that she will never go out alone with any man, except her husband.

Making these resolutions, and keeping them, involves sacrifice.

But it is worth it!

The most beautiful thing that we have is love. . . .We must make an effort to preserve it!