The Civilization of Love in Sts. Louis and Zelié Martin

Posted on 07/11/2019 20:00 PM (Word On Fire Blog Feed) God gave me parents more suited for heaven than this earth. —St. Thérèse of Lisieux I have been ministering to youth and young adults for more than a decade, and there seems to be overwhelming hopelessness. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most poignant comes shortly after asking them, “When is the first time you witnessed authentic love?” For many of them, it takes some time to respond to this, especially young adults. I’ve met people in their twenties who can very much attest to only recently seeing love lived well, embodied even. It’s one of the greatest compliments when some have said the first time they witnessed it was in my home, with my husband or with our children. It’s humiliating (in a good way) but also saddening to know that sources of authentic love—primarily…