Love Changes Everything: An Invitation to Knowing the Healing Power of God

By Donna L. Marotto OFS LFMT

Donna L. Marotto is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Connecticut. She is also a Faith Formation Director and Youth Minister. She is a practicing Third (Lay) Order Franciscan and is part of the Korban Fraternity in Rockville. She lives in CT with her husband and two boys, Nathan and Luke, ages 16 and 12. If you want to contact her, please do so by visiting her website at Youarelovedministry.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664244740

Donna L. Marotto OFS LFMT

Donna L. Marotto is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Connecticut. She is also a Faith Formation Director and Youth Minister. She is a practicing Third (Lay) Order Franciscan and is part of the Korban Fraternity in Rockville. She lives in CT with her husband and two boys, Nathan and Luke, ages 16 and 12. If you want to contact her, please do so by visiting her website at Youarelovedministry.com

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Copyright © 2021 Donna L. Marotto, OFS, LMFT.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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[Scripture quotations are] from The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4475-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4474-0 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/08/2021

Contents

The Search

About the Cover

The Rose, by Bette Midler

Why We Need to be Attached

Attachments and Adult Relationships

Hungry for Love

Bringing It to the Surface

Perfect Love

Moving Forward

Healing is for Everyone

Love is Patient, Love is Kind

Knowing God’s Will

Life, Love and Relationships

God is in the Healing Business

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

The Tools that Help Us

It’s All About Love

The Presence of God – Canticle

Dedication

I would like to thank my husband, Paul for being supportive in writing this book; my work in ministry

And for having patience with me.

I dedicate this book to God the ultimate Father who is very kind and merciful. For His guidance in helping me along my spiritual journey. To Jesus for being my one true friend, and to the Holy Spirit for leading me in the right direction.

I also dedicate this book to my children, Nathan and Luke who are my treasure and love.

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The Search

H ave you ever thought that there could be something more to life? Are you searching for true fulfillment, happiness, or love? Well, you are not alone. The majority of people are in the same boat as you; searching for meaning and purpose. Searching throughout a lifetime because we (as a human race) are meant for love and happiness. We are made to experience true joy, true peace, and true happiness. We are made by the creator – God the Father who is love. We are made from Love (which is God) and for Love (being), and to love (action – loving one another). It says in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (27), that the desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God.

But things can get in the way of knowing this Love. When we engage in addictive behaviors, selfishness, depression, anxiety, worry, fear, greed, lust, video games, and so on, we become preoccupied. When we fill our time and energy of things that are not of God, we lose sight of this love and who He is. We live in a world today that is filled with immediate gratification. We are constantly on our phones, binge watching Netflix or playing the latest video game. We fill our time with activities, sporting events and busy schedules. There is nothing wrong with sports, activities or spending time with family and friends. It is when we consume the majority of our time with these things, and when God takes a back seat, that our lives become disordered. Our lives therefore are not in balance. When we put God first in our lives, our time multiplies and becomes more fulfilling. We try everything to fix these problems, but nothing seems to relieve the unhappiness or the emptiness. In my many years of working as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I have seen and heard a lot. Many of the people I used to counsel, were also looking for the "perfect love and happiness," but they couldn’t find it. In order to tap into God’s love, we need to peel away the wounds, the hurts, sin, and everything else that gets in the way of knowing Him. When we consume our lives with busy schedules, we fail to see what is right on front of us. Sometimes, the business is a distraction to looking into our own selves and seeing what is there.

We all are in the need of healing, whether we know it or not and the good news