What Makes A Perfect Catholic Marriage?
More Resources On Catholic Marriage
It’s Time For Catholics To Get Real About Sex
Catholic Sexual Teaching – An Invitation to Reality Lust and Counterfeit Sexuality We live in a throw-away society. Fast food and plastic plates — our culture is full of the cheap and easy. Unfortunately, this mentality bleeds into our sexuality. America is obsessed with sexual counterfeits. From the college hook-up culture to pornography to strip […]
How Is A Catholic Marriage With God At The Center Different?
Marriage is truly an adventure that requires careful packing. After saying “yes,” you leave your childhood home, bid your farewells, say your see-you-laters (definitely not goodbyes), pack your entire life into a handful of suitcases, and embark on a new journey with your beloved. And guess what? Everything changes. It’s definitely one of life’s most […]
The Spiritual Power Of Marriage Can Bring Hope To The World
I have the great blessing of having three adopted siblings. After having six biological children, my parents decided to adopt three more. They are incredibly generous people, and I think are perhaps strongly against the idea of spending any time at all in purgatory, choosing instead to get all that penance out now. I know […]
Help! Is A Healthy Dating Relationship Even Possible Anymore?!
Dating is easy today, right? Hardly. It’s never been easy; but especially in a social media world—and after the pandemic, nothing can be taken for granted. This is literally uncharted territory. And yet, human nature remains fundamentally the same in so many ways. So, can Christian principles of virtuous living still speak to our current […]
4 Lessons I Learned In Seminary That Help Me In Marriage
Four years ago, my future seemed clear to me. I thought I’d spend my days living in small-town Minnesota and ministering to country parishes as their priest. I love my home state, and I love the people there very much, but God had other plans. After leaving seminary, I struggled to know what God wanted […]
It’s Time For Catholics To Stop Believing These 5 Myths About Online Dating
Online dating has never been more popular. In fact, the trend suggests that online dating may become the norm rather than a supplemental tactic. A recent study showed 19% of internet users in the US said they were currently using an online dating app or platform. A further 27% of participants said they had used […]
What Your Kids Learn When You Prioritize Your Marriage
“Well, the children have always come first” is a remark that echoes in the offices of too many marriage therapists. Imagine if their wedding vows had been, “I, John, take you, Jane, to be my beloved wife. I promise to stand by idly, but with deep emotional pain while you shower all of your attention […]
Infertility And NFP: Still Called To The Joy Of Love
As you may know, many couples use fertility-awareness methods like Natural Family Planning (NFP) to try to become pregnant, but NFP can also help couples carrying the cross of infertility. Learning about the body’s signs and signals of fertility can often reveal problems and give couples and their doctors direction for treatment. Whatever a couple’s […]
The NFP Advice You’ve Never Heard Before That’s Inspired By St. Teresa of Avila
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a beautiful and effective way for married couples to remain open to life while also following Church teaching against contraception. For many couples, NFP can be a way for them to grow closer to each other and as a couple grow closer to God. The sanctification and willingness to work […]
A Guide To Virtual Natural Family Planning Instructors
Need some help learning or relearning Natural Family Planning (NFP), Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), the Marquette Method, Boston Cross Check™, or the Billings Ovulation Method®? Here is a list of providers that offer virtual courses so that you can learn these methods (and more!) from the comfort of your own home. Virtual Natural Family Planning […]
4 Ideas For Lent Date Nights
Truly, Lent is a time to be solemn and focused on our Lord in his journey to the Cross. But as a couple, it still remains important to be united with our beloved through time together and conversation. A Lent themed date night could be a perfect combination of these two truths! 4 Ideas for […]
What Does It Mean To Have A Crucifixion Type Of Love For Your Wife?
This beautiful spoken-word piece titled “A Crucifixion Type Love” was written and performed by Brent Rice and, although (disclaimer) we don’t know much about Mr. Rice and his personal religious beliefs, there is no doubt that his poetry is stunning, passionate, and a piece of art that all can benefit from listening to. In this […]
NFP And The Deconstruction Of Love
One of the best things about the Catholic Church (which of course, there are many, many things) is the communion of saints. The wisdom and holiness of the men and women who have gone before us can guide us toward the light that is Christ. There are few areas of our faith life that we […]
3 Reasons We All Need Our Own NFP Tribe & How To Find Yours
Living the natural family planning lifestyle can sometimes feel like a solo hike up a steep mountain. We start off excited, convicted (by the science and Church teaching), and as prepared as we can be for this beautiful endeavor. A few miles in, we are facing an unexpected obstacle, nursing an old bum knee, and […]
3 Pitfalls To Avoid While Practicing Natural Family Planning
Related content: The Sweet And Sour Of NFP (Natural Family Planning) What Does Being Open To Life Really Mean? 4 Reasons Not To Give Up On NFP When It Gets Hard 6 Points To Help You Understand How To Live A Chaste Marriage What It’s Really Like To Use NFP (From A Man’s Perspective) 5 […]
5 Ways To Nurture Your Marriage In A Season Of Infertility
Related content: What Does Being Open To Life Really Mean? 3 Ways To Grow In Chastity Before Marriage 5 Ways To Strengthen Your Marriage During Quarantine 6 Points To Help You Understand How To Live A Chaste Marriage The Best Marriage Advice From Couples Who’ve Been Married 50+ Years! 5 Truths About Marriage That Are […]
Five Things Children Of Divorce Want The Church To Know
Every year over a million children experience the divorce of their parents, and at least one-quarter of all young adults are children of divorce. And those numbers grow when you include people whose parents never married but later split up, or those whose parents divorce later in life (“gray divorce,” which is on the rise). […]
If This Is What Marriage Implies, Is It Really Worth It? The Strange Things That All Couples Fight Over
oday’s video could be useful for illustrating the daily quarrels that we can all relate to. Although I myself am not married and am on my way towards the priesthood, more than once I have witnessed –with a bit of awe to be honest–the surprising capacity of loving couples to argue over the most ridiculous […]
The Sweet And Sour Of NFP (Natural Family Planning)
It doesn’t take long when first discovering the world of natural family planning to realize that most couples have a love/hate relationship with NFP. The reasons to love it are obvious and the reasons to hate it are obvious. It is a strange mix of sweet and sour that many couples struggle to find the […]
What Does Being Open To Life Really Mean?
Open to life. We’ve all heard it, and for the most part, think we know what it means. For those who are outside the Church, or perhaps those Catholics who have done little more than get their feet wet in this beautiful thing we call Catholicism, the idea of being “open to life” sounds suffocating – […]
4 Reasons Not To Give Up On NFP When It Gets Hard
Let’s face it. As wonderful as the idea of Natural Family Planning (NFP) can sound, the reality for many couples can be far from that beautiful ideal. A common thread amongst frustrated couples trudging their way through the trenches of NFP is that the reality of following the Church teaching against contraception can be far […]
3 Ways To Grow In Chastity Before Marriage
Chaste dating is no walk in the park, but it is possible. We’ve been in relationships in the past that were unchaste and ended very badly. When we started courting, we didn’t want to repeat the same habits from our past relationships, so we had to do things differently. But even so, this was not […]
Three Key Tips For Praying As A Couple
Have you ever thought, “Wow, I want to have a great marriage…how does that happen?” The answer is simple – prayer. Here are three simple ways to implement prayer in your relationship and form a strong, intimate relationship with your spouse. Schedule It This may seem simple, but if you are intentional about what time […]
Why You Should Listen Closely To This Part Of The Wedding Ceremony
If someone asked you what was said in the Nuptial Blessing at a wedding, would you know? Probably not. This rather lengthy prayer is tucked between the Exchange of Consent and the Our Father and if you aren’t paying attention, you may miss one of the most beautiful prayers of the entire liturgy. Why is […]
10 Ways To Honor Your Catholic Wife On Mother’s Day (Or Any Day)
What I Notice About My Wife I am by no means a perfect husband. I have many faults and do not always show my wife how much I love her. Even when I do not mention the things I see, I do notice quite a bit. Here is what I notice. I notice when my […]