Celebrating 25 years of marriage amid our turbulent times

By Eric Girten

The Catholic Kitchen

As I begin this Catholic Kitchen article, I have to give a shout out to the one who has shared my Catholic Kitchen for 25 years as of July 1. As a Catholic convert, Kristen has been an inspiration to this Cradle Catholic many times. Given that she has been a Catholic school teacher and principal now for 24 years, I will say that she has inspired many others as well.

I can still close my eyes and recall that sunny Saturday morning (not too hot for July) when we started our Sacramental journey together … and what a journey it has been. With three children now getting ready to begin their own journeys, I look back with a wisp of nostalgia.

Contrast these personal joys with the news of today, and the vision of Rembrandt’s “Christ in the Storm on the Lake (of Galilee)” presents itself in my mind’s eye. These waves that incessantly crash over the bow may be new to us but not to history. Plague, division, persecution, and every form of ‘ism’ you can think of is not new to humanity; nor is the attack on basic Christian principles a novel idea.

As I write this, it is difficult to focus on just one issue. Whether the topic is the abortion of our children, racism, the redefining of marriage or even the redefining of something so naturally basic as gender, there is a common root to them all; and it is the antithesis of Natural Law (defined as unchanging natural principles that are the basis for human conduct and the foundation upon which human law is built).

To complicate matters, this opposition to the Natural Law is not static or unchanging, but it is continually morphing itself into the next issue. This makes it difficult to focus a defense on the previous issue and allows for a continual march forward in the erosion of these basic principles.

But why? Why is there such an active and orchestrated attempt to continually erode this natural law? I will leave that as the question of the day.

It can sometimes be difficult to reconcile the joys of life with what seem to be the burning walls around us, and yet we know that Christ will ultimately calm the turbulent waters of human error and shine light on the darkness of human ignorance; and so, my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we are called daily to strength in faith and to stand up for our Christian principles.

Cookin’ Tip of the month: Throw a nice steak on the grill … charcoal or a smoker will always beat a gas grill if possible … cracked pepper, a dash of salt and butter after the flip is all you need.