Newsflash: Pope says sex is ‘a gift from God’

In Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), Pope Francis writes extensively about many aspects of marriage and family life. In it is a section that is dedicated to affirming the sexual relationship of the married couple as good and holy. Saint John Paul II wrote extensively about the sacredness of marital love making. In this…

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Is the Catholic Church Obsessed with Sex?

By Bernard Toutounji (Foolish Wisdom) Without a doubt, the articles I write which attract the most feedback (positive or negative) are always those that discuss sexual morality and the Catholic Church. Nothing seems to raise the emotions of people more than knowing that the Catholic Church has an opinion on sex. And while it may…

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Marriage or Matrimony?

People call a lot of relationships ‘marriage’. Everything from cohabitation (common law marriage) to civil contracts (secular marriage) to the Judeo-Christian concept of covenant. In a Christian marriage there is a desire for the marriage to be open to the Lord and a willingness to look to scripture and the Church community for direction. If…

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St Valentine for the Modern Church

For a number of years we have been involved in the St Valentine’s Day initiative of the Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council. It’s a simple project: provide an easily reproducible print kit to Catholic parishes, schools and family movements with content relevant to married and engaged couples. When talking about this resource we get…

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Two of Us: Negativity

An exercise to help us grow in the area of ‘affirmation’ rather than ‘criticism’ to enrich our relationships rather than grid-lock them. Reflect Separately, say the prayer and spend some time reflecting on the questions. Write some notes and then share your answers more fully with your spouse.   Prayer Father,  You have chosen me to…

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A How To Guide for Your Catholic Wedding

Your Catholic Wedding Ceremony will be a rich and wonderful celebration, based on universal traditions, and flavoured with your own unique personality. At least one fiancé must be a baptised Catholic in order to marry in the Catholic church. A Catholic wedding can take place within holy Mass (called a Nuptial Mass) or with the…

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Stop the Train…I Want to Get Off!

Stop the Train I want to get off

How the divorce superhighway fails couples. Speaking recently with one of America’s foremost family therapists, Dr Bill Doherty, we had a lively discussion on the divorce process. He noted that there are a significant proportion of couples who are ambivalent about their divorce, but once they file, it’s like they are on a superhighway with no…

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