This is my spiritual gift. Would you believe this priest, Fr. Jerome Secillano led a seminar on Saving Marriage and Family?
After, he opened it up to questions and answers. He gave thoughtful answers, and did not dodge the probing questions.
We all showed a deep and profound respect for our viewpoints, conducted our civil discourse without debating, just a wonderful, respectful exchange around our Catholic beliefs.
I learned from his seminar that God’s love matters, our love for one another, and that our marriages and family must be renewed with great mutuality, of our mutual sacrifices for one another, exercising our freedoms rooted in conscience, law, based in objective facts. The ends of marriage are about the procreation and well-being of children and the well-being of the spouses.
One elderly woman exclaimed she will marry again, we laughed.
I of course raised questions, so did others and in the end, it was the respect shown to one another that allowed us to understand more, about the others’ perspectives! More will be written in my column.
Thank you Ester Tagud for provoking my curiosity and including me.
The net result for me, a spirited exchange and a new understanding without condemning others with diverse perspectives, when our hearts are inflamed by the power of the Holy Spirit!
