“I’m not that interested in ‘mass’ communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground.” – Fred Rogers The traditional family unit has been negatively hit from so many directions in our world [...]
I don’t really like abstinence. Wait. What? I certainly think restraint is valuable–I resist the kind of trips where you go to Target for two things and come out with ten. I try not to eat meat on Fridays. I teach Natural Family Planning (NFP). In some cases, however, particularly the case of sexuality, abstinence [...]
Did any of you catch the recent “Princeton mom” flap? Princeton alumna Susan Patton, in an open letter to women attending Princeton, advised that they should find a husband in college–otherwise they’d wind up divorced from a not-very-smart man they’d meet later in life. (Ouch!) Then Kathleen Gerson fired back, countering that it’s objectively better for young women to marry later in life. And then Ross Douthat turned [...]
Dustin, before we get started talking about the conjugal act of marital intercourse, why don’t you introduce yourself for a moment. Are you married? How many kids do you have? How do you bring home the bacon? What is Engaged Marriage? DR: Thanks for having me! I’m 33-year-old Midwestern who’s been married to my high [...]
Do you ever feel competitive with your spouse? If you enjoy a friendly challenge involving word games, board games, or sports games, why not try a spiritual challenge based on advice from St. Paul? Although St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians contains his most well-known wisdom on love, his Letter to the Romans also teaches [...]
To: Marybeth From: Dad is Desperate for a Date My husband says we should have “date nights” without our three kids, but free evenings are almost impossible to find. Our children’s schedules are full of school, sports and social activities that keep us coming and going, and when we finally choose date night, I’m either [...]
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“It depends upon what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is,” said the smooth-talking, skirt-chasing, totally busted philanderer. “Well, no, Bill,” replied Congress. “Actually, things just ‘is’ what they is.” Here’s what marriage is: The God-ordained, lifelong, covenantal union between man and wife, designed to provide men, women and children optimal stability and overall well-being. [...]
Many people carry the painful wound of a divorced heart. The pain can be hard to understand for those of us who have never been through a divorce. It is a wonder to me that you can pray for your future spouse, sacrifice for them and get counsel to help you discover if this person [...]
A reflection on the deepening darkness that celebrates homosexual unions and activity. There is, among faithful Catholics, a dismay, and even an understandable anger at the events unfolding at the Supreme Court these past days related to gay unions. And even if the court were to uphold traditional marriage (which does not seem likely), or [...]
The legislative impact of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) came under heavy fire during oral arguments before the Supreme Court yesterday, with enough justices questioning its effect to signal it may be struck down on states’ rights grounds. Meanwhile, the court’s conservative wing wondered if the “new regime” had instituted a “new world” [...]
Last month, my knight and I were blessed to celebrate 20 years of marriage. Call me crazy, call me just a hopeless romantic, but I LOVE my husband! Yes, I refer to him as my knight because he is just that amazing in the way he treats me: holding doors for me, getting the car [...]
Mary and Joseph’s marriage didn’t exactly get off to an easy start. They were engaged and Joseph had promised not to “defile” Mary, because she was a consecrated virgin. He was really only marrying her because, in that day and age, there was no security in being a single woman. And then she turned up [...]
While getting my hair done recently, I flipped through one of those magazines I’d never buy but enjoy as a guilty pleasure every now and then. One page in particular caught my attention—a list of what’s currently “in” and “out.” I was pleasantly surprised to see that indoor dates are “out” while dates in the [...]
ANALYSIS/OPINION: From this week’s e-mail, a message from a dad whose ex-wife doesn’t share his concerns about the influence of the culture on their high schooler and preteens: To: Marybeth From: A concerned dad How do you suggest defending against the culture’s assault on childhood when it starts coming via an “inside job”? My soon-to-be ex [...]
On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case, which will determine if Proposition 8 – the 2008 ballot initiative protecting traditional marriage in California – is constitutional or not. Their decision will have grave implications for the entire nation. A decision against Prop 8 would set a precedent for [...]
Carlos Beltramo also contributed to this article. Some thought that Benedict XVI, already old when elected, would be merely a transitional figure, a caretaker who would serve for a few years and then hand over the Church that he inherited from the Blessed John Paul II to a younger man. But neither the Church nor [...]
“And so I take (my wife) not for any lustful motive, but I do it in singleness of heart. Be kind enough to…bring us to old age together.” Tobit 8:7 “..Now, gird up your loins and arise…” Jer: 1:17 Which scripture verse more accurately describes how a couple should prepare for the conjugal embrace? Praying [...]
In his inaugural address on Monday, January 21, Barack Obama called for Americans to embrace same-sex marriage, saying: Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law–for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal [...]
I’ve written about Catholic dating for about five years now and also coach women one-on-one to get to ‘I Do.’ From day one, my approach was a little different because I’m a no-bones-about-it realist. We Catholics love to cling to our ideals! We aren’t always interested in how things are, and prefer to focus on [...]
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about redefining marriage and love. I believe this talk is necessary, but not in the way the culture proposes. If there is one truth we need to learn today to sustain marriages and love it would be this teaching of the Catholic Church: accept no limitations on [...]
I live in Christchurch, New Zealand. A city that, over the past few years, has been struck by several large earthquakes. As a result our city doesn’t have that many buildings left standing. Most of our churches are gone. Masses are celebrated in halls or parish centers. Whole parishes themselves don’t exist and our city is [...]
God’s rules protect humanity from such the situation of a man who birthed three children, now seeking divorce will soon be a single mother…or is that father? Many are confused because once you mess with Divine order, insanity rules. From two women, to transgender union, to marriage, to parenthood, and now headed for divorce court, [...]
All methods of modern Natural Family Planning (NFP) rely on observation of changes in a woman’s body as it makes its way through the monthly menstrual cycle. These observations determine when sexual intercourse can/should take place – depending on whether one is trying to achieve or postpone pregnancy. Two of the primary signs are cervical [...]
