Life is beyond blessed when your heart is directed towards God, however that does not mean life is easy. Just the opposite to be frank. The temptations of the world and the lies of the evil one who was cast into hell along with his evil dominions try their best to make a believers lives as hard as possible. Yet, Jesus is there every step of the way providing us with the Grace needed to conquer sin and death. All we have to do is participate with that Grace, which is easier said than done.

I bring this up because Valeria + Brad shared with us that they had been dealing with spiritual attacks. Which is not surprising with their wedding only being 28 days away. Brandon and I too dealt with so much spiritual attack during our engagement and with lots of experience with other couples we know first hand they deal with it too, no one is alone in this. We have all been there.

The wonderful thing we were so blessed to witness and document during their beautiful engagement session was the melting away of that attack, a freedom from worldly temptations and the entrance into the present moment. It is in the present moment we find Actual Grace which is a supernatural push or encouragement. It’s transient. It doesn’t live in the soul, but acts on the soul from the outside, so to speak. It’s a supernatural kick in the pants. It gets the will and intellect moving so we can seek out and keep sanctifying grace.

Mother Angelica said “We have to learn to live in the Present Moment. We have to ask God: What are You calling me to do now, in this Present Moment? Not yesterday or tomorrow; but right now. God’s will is manifested to us in the duties and experiences of the Present Moment. We have only to accept them and try to be like Jesus in them.“

The smiles and laughter these two amazing souls share shows what a strong love is made of. What it looks like to truly love and what it looks like to cooperate with Actual Grace.

Praise God that there are several way to defend against spiritual attack for example praying together, not comparing your relationship to others and seek the sacraments together. The joy and peace this brings to ones relationship is immeasurable.

St. Paul teaches, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Marriage is a call to self-giving love, modeled after Christ’s sacrifice for the Church.

Dear Valeria + Brad,
We are so looking forward to your beautiful wedding at St. Monicas in less then a month! We have no doubt that God has amazing plans in store for your futures. May your wedding planning be full of blessings and your hearts filled with grace . Praying for you both.

Blessings,
The Horns