Category

Meaning of Marriage

Aug 27
1

The Marriage Matrix

By | Communication, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation, Meaning of Marriage, Romance, Spirituality | No Comments

By John Bosio With the release of the film trilogy The Matrix, a new word entered our popular vocabulary. The word “matrix” is actually an old word, according to the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. It dates back to the sixteenth century and has its roots in Latin. Matrix means “something from which something else originates”  and “form or mold, and pattern.” Matrix is a word that describes well God’s relationship with humanity and our relationship with God. He is our matrix; the source of our being and of our life. God is the pattern in the likeness of whom we were made. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” (Is 64:8) Marriage is not an institution invented by humans: God created it. When God made the first man and the first…

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Jan 16
2

The Meaning of Love

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Family Life, Marriage Enrichment, Meaning of Marriage, Romance, Uncategorized | One Comment

By John Bosio A few months ago I received an unsolicited email message entitled “The Meaning of Love.” The author had collected many definitions of love given by young children, ages four to eight years old. Here are three that caught my attention: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” “Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken.” These are truly examples of love that is self-giving through which couples imitate Christ in their everyday life, and when they do they are an example to others, especially to their children, of God’s love. Love…

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Jun 18
1

What Makes You Stay By John Bosio

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Meaning of Marriage, Uncategorized | No Comments

“What makes you stay when your world falls apart  . . . when you can’t find any hope . . . Tell me what makes you stay,” sings country music artist Deana Carter. What makes you stay in your marriage?  Whenever I pose this question to couples I receive a variety of answers.  They say they stay because: they love each other they have a comfortable life together; they’ve made a lifetime commitment; they enjoy being together. What all of these responses have in common is a fundamental truth about the marital relationship: Marriage is something good that we desire.  What brings man and woman together and keeps them together is the goodness each spouse finds in the other and in their life in common. As Christians we believe that God intends for spouses to be a gift to each other, just as Adam and Eve were at creation. A…

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Apr 17
1

Married Couples Called to be Part of God’s Mosaic by John Bosio

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Marriage Enrichment, Meaning of Marriage, Spirituality | No Comments

In the spring of 2004, as Bishop Edward Kmiec of Nashville celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation with the candidates at St. Stephen Catholic Community in Old Hickory, Tennessee, he compared God to an artist creating a beautiful mosaic. Kmiec explained that a mosaic is a work of art, a picture made with thousands of tiny colored stones and gems placed next to one another to form a splendid design. Each one of us, he said, is like a colored pebble, a precious stone in the hands of the Artist. God sees the good and the beauty in each one of us, and places us in his mosaic as he calls us to play a unique role in his work of art. Our Christian vocation is not a call to become rich and famous, but to become people who shine with the goodness and the beauty of God wherever we are…

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Oct 24
3
What makes Catholic marriage unique?

What Makes Catholic Marriage Unique?

By | Meaning of Marriage | No Comments

With the launch of their new book, Just Married: The Catholic Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the First Five Years of Marriage, Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak presented a webinar titled, “‘Marketing’ Catholic Marriage in a Post-marriage World.” In the webinar, the presenters share the unique characteristics of Catholic marriage particularly related to the vows couples make during their Catholic weddings. What makes Catholic marriage unique? Find out in this webinar! “Marketing” Catholic Marriage in a Post-marriage World You can watch a recording of the webinar here: Everyone uses the word “marriage” but it seems to mean a million different things to a million different people. Today it seems that many couples don’t believe marriage means anything anymore. In this marriage-hostile environment, how can the Church effectively promote what makes Catholic marriage both different and more desirable than any other kind of relationship out there? In this provocative and…

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Jul 26
32
Catholic Annulment

Catholic Annulment: Frequently Asked Questions

By | Catholic Weddings, Meaning of Marriage | One Comment

Fully grasping the Church’s teaching about marriage is complicated business. Understanding Catholic annulments can be even more so. Add to this rich, but complex teaching, the pain of divorce and often continuing timidity about entering a second marriage and many Catholics simply opt out of Church weddings the second time around. Here we offer sixteen frequently asked questions about Catholic annulments and brief responses by pastor and canon law expert Fr. Kevin E. McKenna  to help take away some of the mystery. 1. What is an annulment? An annulment, formally called “a declaration of nullity,” is an official declaration by the Roman Catholic Church that a marriage did not meet the requirements for validity. Validity means that the desired outcome (in this case, marriage) has actually taken place as recognized by the Church. Although to all outward appearances, a wedding was properly celebrated (the vows were recited before the priest…

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May 01
4
Total Gift of Self

Sexual Intimacy: Becoming A Total Gift of Self

By | Meaning of Marriage, Sexual Intimacy and NFP | No Comments

Engaged couples give themselves to one another in countless ways. Sharing a schedule, prioritizing meals and other leisure time together, merging finances and developing a budget, planning the wedding, and preparing a new home are all ways in which an engaged couples give themselves to one another. When they could each be spending time with friends, they instead commit their time to their shared future. This is becoming a total gift of self is a great practice for the married life. Self-giving Love: A Total Gift of Self Sex is another one of those actions by which a husband and wife give themselves to one another completely. Sex differs from all other acts of love because God has created it to be a sharing of one’s entire self—body, mind, and spirit. As such, intercourse expresses not simply the love spouses have for one another, but also the sacramental union into which…

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Sep 17
0
Webinar: Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality

Free Webinar: Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality and Gay Marriage

By | Meaning of Marriage | No Comments

On Tuesday September 25, 2012, Ave Maria Press is hosting a webinar titled, “Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality: New Paths to Understanding,” presented by Rev. Louis J. Cameli. Fr. Cameli is the author of the new book also titled Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality: New Paths to Understanding, which explores many topics related to the sexuality of homosexually-inclined persons, including issues of gay marriage, sexual morality, gay and Catholic identity, and vocations to the priesthood. In this webinar, intended for parish leaders and ministers, Fr. Cameli will give an overview and history of the Catholic Church’s teaching about homosexuality, including teachings about gay marriage. To sign up for this free webinar, you may register online with Go To Webinar. Here is the full description: Rev. Louis J. Cameli, nationally renowned pastoral leader and priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, will explore the cultural, ecclesial, and pastoral context within which he wrote his…

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Jul 24
44
Getting Married in the Catholic Church

Getting Married in the Catholic Church: FAQs

By | Catholic Weddings, Marriage Preparation, Meaning of Marriage | 29 Comments
So you’ve decided to get married in a Catholic church. Congratulations on the sacramental journey you are about to begin. Indeed, the ceremony you will be planning is more than just an event, it is a sacrament, a sign of your union together founded upon the love of Christ. It is not a sign like a stop sign that says one thing plainly and simply. Rather it is a sign to the world of the covenantal (sacred and permanent) relationship into which God has called the two of you. Because your marriage is that kind of sign, it will have an effect on everything about you. Likewise, it will have varying effects on everyone you know. In short, you do not marry in private. Sometimes, when a couple contacts a Catholic church about setting up a wedding ceremony, they get questions about their backgrounds and things like parish membership from the parish...
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Mar 08
0

“Matrimony” by Paula Huston

By | Marriage Enrichment, Meaning of Marriage | No Comments

We are happy to welcome Paula Huston as a guest writer for Together for Life Online. Paula is the author of the popular Simplifying the Soul: Lenten Practices to Renew Your Spirit (2011) as well as The Holy Way (2003) and many other books. In 2000 she co-edited Signatures of Grace: Catholic Writers on the Sacraments, to which she also contributed a deeply personal reflection on marriage, divorce, annulment, and grace. We are happy to share “Matrimony” as well as Paula’s brief note below, which can serve as both a foreword and afterword to her original essay.   Click to download: “Matrimony” by Paula Huston   “Matrimony” was written in 1998, during a time when I was pretty sure I’d be spending the rest of my life as a solo Catholic. Though I ended the piece on a hopeful note—Julian of Norwich’s “Every kind of thing will be well”—still, I…

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