Posts by Francine & Byron Pirola
Like Parent, Like Child
The most powerful influence on a couple is their family of origin. Good or bad, our experiences in our childhood prepared us for marriage. The young couple sitting opposite us had been married only a few years. They were experiencing some health challenges, but this is not what brought them to us; they were locked…
Read MoreNatural Fertility is Just an App Away
It’s now over 50 years since the publication of Humanae Vitae – one of the more controversial Vatican documents in recent history. This letter, addressed to all Catholics, reaffirmed the Church’s opposition to the use of contraception. The document was published at a time (1968) when hormonal contraceptives were newly available. Catholic couples mostly used…
Read MoreListening for true understanding
In our previous column, we made the point that marriage is like a contact sport, and that the ‘game’ is more fun, and certainly safer, when we both understand the rules of engagement. We outlined three rules for the Speaker and now we’d like to do the same for the Listener. In any intimate conversation,…
Read MoreThree Rules for Engagement
In our marriage seminars, we often say ‘Marriage is a contact sport’. But unlike other sports, in this game, the contestants are on the same team, or at least should be. Building a fulfilling marriage requires a strong sense of connection between us, a union that pervades all areas of our life: emotional, intellectual, spiritual,…
Read MoreFrom Bad Memories to Blessing
Some time back we were speaking with a divorced friend. As the conversation meandered along she recounted a memory from her marriage as it was going sour. It was a simple thing: a forgotten request for her birthday to pick up her favourite take away on the way home. As she recounted the story, there…
Read MoreWrangling the Memory Factor
Our memories are a powerful influence on our present wellbeing. Good or bad, old or recent, our past experiences form us into who we are today and our memories reinforce it in the present. Memories impact our self-esteem, our emotional disposition, and our relational resilience. And they do this without us even needing to be…
Read MoreFall in Love, stay in Love
It was our thirtieth wedding anniversary last month. On the weekend before we took some much-needed time alone with a 24-hour escape into the city. Included in our itinerary was Reconciliation and Mass at St Patricks, Church Hill. Established in 1844, this historic church in the heart of the city was one of the earliest…
Read MorePower and Passion
Christians have a rather unusual perspective on passion. ‘Passion’ Sunday marks the beginning of Holy week and the holiest day in the Church calendar celebrates the ‘passion’ of our Lord. To the secular culture, passion is more about energetic living than about suffering and death. The dictionary offers the definition of passion as ‘a powerful…
Read MoreA Field Hospital For The Soul
We’ve written a lot about forgiveness, about the need to forgive others not just because Jesus’ commands us to do so but because it liberates us to receive love. As we approach 30 years of marriage, like most long-married couples we understand the relevance of forgiving the other all too well. But what about receiving…
Read MoreForgiveness Is The Life Blood Of Marriage
“Forgive them, for they know not what they do“. (Lk 23:24) These words of Jesus as he was being crucified were meant not just for his executioners, but for all of us. His love transcends all our limitations and failures and calls us into life. We all have someone to forgive; someone who has disappointed,…
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