The Bethlehem Prayer

Night sky over sand dunes

Through an imaginative encounter with the Holy Family at Bethlehem, God offers consolation and healing for our Family of Origin wounds. It’s very normal when exploring our Family of Origin to surface some pain or hurt.  This might express itself in a sense of loss at what could have been, or a sense of not…

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Ain’t Marriage Grand!

What makes for an epic marriage? A marriage that faces and transcends challenges and obstacles, that has an interior resilience and grace that comes from the God who is always ready to encourage us. We recently attended two weddings of close family friends. This time, a different part of the ceremony really stood out for…

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#1 Marriage as a Mission

What does it mean to make ‘marriage our mission’? With our guest, Philipa Caulfield, we break it down and explore how we’ve done it and why we need it. Guest: Philipa Caulfield, with her husband Luke, are SmartLoving super-sponsors. They’ve been accompanying engaged couples for over ten years and have featured in some of the…

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Prayer for Catholic Engaged Couples

Celebrating St Valentine|St Valentine's Prayer Card - Front|St Valentine's Payer card - back|St Valentine's Day Powerpoint|Powerpoint image St Valentine

Congratulations on your engagement! This is an important formation period and we encourage you to pray regularly, preferably daily, for your upcoming wedding and the commitment you will make. Here are two prayers you could use, or you can write your own!

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The wrong kind of penance

It’s Lent again and time to think about reform in our spiritual lives by taking on some Lenten penance. But is all penance equal? The traditional Lenten traditions of prayer, fasting and almsgiving have been somewhat diluted by we moderns to very lame versions of what our forebears in faith used to do. Here’s what…

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Prayer for Couples in Times of Trouble

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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…

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The Grace-Filled Couple

The 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…

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Two of Us: Our Commitment

A couple exercise to explore your level of commitment Reflect Separately, say the prayer and spend some time reflecting on the questions. Write some notes so that you can share more fully with your spouse. Answer the following questions in terms of your spouse. Prayer What a wonderful Father You are.  It is so good to…

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Power of Prayer

Power of Prayer to transform

Prayer does not change God, it does not always change the situation, but it does change the heart of the person praying. Many people do not trust prayer, or doubt it’s power to have an impact. After all, we’ve all had experiences of praying earnestly for something, only to be disappointed when what we sought…

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