Spirituality
Communion of Persons
“…man, as male-female is a person, created in the ‘image and likeness of God,’…this image is realised in the communion of persons.” TOB, n 69:4. pg 399. We are called to be ‘gift’, to make a gift of ourselves to another. The nature of this gift is more than just a bodily, physical sharing; the…
Read MorePurity of Heart
Theology of the Body Insight “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 To be pure of heart means to be able to love another without self-interest; to set aside our own self-centred desires in order to love as a pure and unselfish gift of self. This purity of heart…
Read MoreLove as Gift
In our culture, ‘love’ is generally seen to be an ‘emotion’. We fall into love and we fall out of it. Love is something that just happens to us; we can’t help falling in and out of love. In fact, ‘love’ is a choice. True love is a conscious, deliberate choice to make a gift…
Read MoreThe One Flesh Union
It can be hard to get our heads around the amazing gift that Jesus made of himself by dying on the cross for our salvation. We are told that it was a personal sacrifice, that if we were the only one in need, he would have still gone through with it – his love for…
Read MoreA Marriage-Based Lenten Plan
3 Ways to do Lent for your marriage Transcript 3 WAYS TO DO LENT A MARRIAGE-BASED LENTEN PLAN Lent has begun and it’s the perfect time to establish healthy new habits that will support our marriage and deepen our spiritual life. Here are three quick ways to live lent well with a marriage focus.…
Read MoreGrowing in Love
The popularity of St Valentine’s Day grew out of the joy of celebrating romantic married love. The celebration also encourages us to renew and develop that love. God is love and this year we focus on one particular aspect of deepening the love of a couple, whether they are engaged or married – that is,…
Read MoreFaithful
“I (name) take you, (name), to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.” We hear these vows in movies and at weddings so often, that many of us…
Read MoreThe Grace-Filled Couple
Religious practice is often a point of difference for couples, especially if they each come from a different religious tradition. Regrettably, couples frequently respond by making spirituality a taboo topic. Even for couples of the same faith, sharing their spiritual life is a challenge. In our marriage, one of us expresses their spirituality in a…
Read MoreMarriage: to be happy or to be holy?
”… And they lived happily ever after”… it’s the ending of the fairy tale love story and has become the expected story line of most modern day couples. Swept away by passion and the overwhelming experience of ‘falling in love’, couples expect the wedding to seal their happiness in permanent (and effortless) marital bliss. Of…
Read MoreSpiritual Intimacy
It is often difficult for a couple to share their personal faith experiences with each other. This is so for couples of different faith traditions, but is also true even if they are of the same religion. We are trained to avoid talking about religion and politics in polite company because these topics are laden…
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