Some say love...

Some say love...

Bette Midler's famous song 'The Rose' compares love to a flower, a river, a razor and a hunger.  Love is the topic of many songs, in an attempt to illustrate the emotions and feelings that are evoked when someone is in 'love'.  Oftentimes, stories of heartache and/or unrequited love are lamented... other times the joys of passion and unconditional love are celebrated... seeking one's soulmate is the ideal in some songs, while others encourage finding a fun 'for-now' partner.   
In the Christian world, the ideal love of Agape describes a selfless love that is concerned entirely with the well-being of the other.  This counters our American cultural philosophy of 'me-first', and requires a level of vulnerability and trust that many people fear.  And yet, in its ideal manifestation, agapic love can be fulfilling, exhilarating and sustainable in a loving relationship.  Many sappy love songs describe finding your soul mate, the 'one' who is perfect for you, but many wonder if a person really has a 'soul mate' that is the only one they can be happily in relationship with for the rest of their life.  Please read this article on finding one's 'soul mate' and the weakness that may lie in that search and the assumptions/expectations that go along with it. 
As you reflect on some of your favorite songs, consider the messages about love and relationship that are explicitly or implicitly described in the lyrics.  In your blog post, you should include reference to at least 5 songs (the reference can be in the form of direct quote or general summary of the song's message).  Respond to the following prompts in a cohesive reflection-- not in the format of question1:... question 2...
Prompts:
What are the qualities and characteristics of love that you seek to experience in dating/committed relationships?  Where do you see these illustrated in music?  Do you believe in the quest for soul mates as described in the article?  Why/why not?

The changing face of marriage

Family life is full of major and minor crises — the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce — and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It’s difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul. — Thomas Moore 

 

As the composition of marriage and families continue to change in the twenty-first century, we are reminded of the call from the second Vatican Council:

"The Council further recognized the dignity of marriage by declaring that families were genuinely “Church.” The Council restored the ancient concept of “domestic church” as it declared: “In what might be regarded as the domestic church, the parents are to be the first preachers of the faith for their children by word and example” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, #11).

The early Church began in house churches, where families were the heart of the communities and from which ministers were first called to use their personal gifts to serve the needs of the larger community. The family is the most intimate experience of Church, the place where love, forgiveness and trust should first be encountered. This is the family Church, whose members are called to embody Christ in everyday life. (http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/VAT/aq1004.asp)"

What has been your experience of the 'domestic church'?  Based on what you've experienced in your own life or seen on television/films, what are some pros/cons of the changing structure and composition of marriage and family?  Finally, some good news- a study of marriage and college degree done by the Pew Trust in 2010 suggested that those with a college degree are less likely to experience divorce and multiple marriages than those without a college degree.  Read more here .

What does that mean for you?  Do you feel compelled to someday establish the domestic church in your home?   

Marriage and Vatican II

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, I'd like you to reflect on the teachings about marriage that were formulated at the council.  These teachings have been influential in formulating Church teaching on marriage and sexuality in the decades since the council.  Please read this reflection from 'For Your Marriage', a website sponsored by the US Catholic Bishops.  In your post, compare and contrast the Church's teachings from Vatican Two on marriage with current trends/perceptions of marriage in society (the media, politics, etc).  Please cite at least 4 points from the article in your response.