MYSTERY READER: BISHOP EDWARD B. SCHARFENBERGER surprised second-graders at All Saints Catholic Academy in Albany by popping in to read a book to them as the week's "mystery reader." He chose "Letters to God" as his book to read. The Bishop also explained that the cross he wears is the one Pope Francis has, and gave the class a special blessing.
'I am taking my time to do what the Holy Father has asked us all to do and not rush my reading to find what I want to hear, but pray through it to hear what I need to hear. I want to grow and change, not just be told I am right and stay exactly where I am. Otherwise, I will never reach others who need me to move to meet them.' -- Bishop Scharfenberger
QUOTES FROM 'THE JOY OF LOVE'
'Young love needs to keep dancing toward the future with immense hope. Hope is the leaven that, in those first years of engagement and marriage, makes it possible to look beyond arguments, conflicts and problems and to see things in a broader perspective.'
'Lovers do not see their relationship as merely temporary. Those who marry do not expect their excitement to fade. Those who witness the celebration of a loving union, however fragile, trust that it will pass the test of time.'
'Although the body ages, it still expresses that personal identity that first won our heart. Even if others can no longer see the beauty of that identity, a spouse continues to see it with the eyes of love and so his or her affection does not diminish.'