Spirituality
Faithful
“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 MorePrayer for Couples in Times of Trouble
We had a request recently from someone looking for a prayer for a couple going through tough times in their marriage. While we were very happy to oblige, it struck us that for many couples in this situation, prayer is often far from their thoughts, and yet, it is one of the most effective interventions…
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 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…
Read MoreThe Language of Love
Natural fertility methods promote an attitude of shared responsibility for your fertility management and family planning decisions. The process of learning about your fertility and how to apply your knowledge will provide an opportunity for you as a couple to grow in your mutual appreciation of each other and your sexuality. Sexual intercourse is not…
Read MoreSacred Sexuality: Energising the Prophetic Role of Matrimony
Sacred Sexuality: Energising the Prophetic Role of Matrimony – Dr Byron & Francine Pirola How does one present the wisdom of the Church to mainstream Catholics and families in today’s culture? Since the Second Vatican council, the social landscape has changed dramatically making the transmission of Catholic values more difficult. Open hostility from the secular…
Read MoreThe Language of Love
A sacrament makes visible in a human way something that is invisible or spiritual. In other words, a sacrament images and reveals the mystery of God. Every sacrament has two key aspects which make the sacrament visible: words and gesture. In marriage, the sacramental words are the wedding vows, in effect “I freely give myself…
Read MoreGender Bias in Intimacy
While almost everyone acknowledges that men and women are different, managing these differences is not so easy, especially in the area of intimacy. A woman’s preferred way of achieving intimacy is deep personal conversation, talking and sharing feelings, that is, verbal language. A man’s preferred way of achieving intimacy is physical bonding, touch and love…
Read MoreCouple Prayer
Based in the Sacrament of Matrimony, couple prayer is different to community prayer; it recognises that our intimacy and trust as a couple is directly related to our marital holiness. So the purpose of couple prayer is to not only bring you closer to God, but to also bring you closer to each other. Couple…
Read MoreTrinity Prayer
For a deeper experience of couple prayer and you may like to try the Trinity Prayer. This simple format: incorporates worship of God the Father with affirmation of your spouse, promotes reconciliation and unity through the confession to Jesus of your limitations and failure to love, empowers you with graces from the Holy Spirit to…
Read More