Before I got married, I thought I was the perfect catch. I was confident in myself, loved adventure, was disciplined in my job, went to daily Mass, and frequented the adoration chapel. I was intelligent and happy and was surrounded by good friends.
Not the Destination...
Often today if a man and woman want to get married, they first live together to see if they would be a good fit. To a lot of people, it makes sense to see if you are “compatible” before marriage, but really the opposite is true.
When I stood at the altar 7 years ago, I could have never imagined what would happen in the next 7 years: mother to 4, several job changes, a growing business, a move, and some emotional issues that I’ve had to work through. All I knew is that I loved my husband and we would be starting an adventure together.
In speaking to a group of priests on February 25th, Pope Francis urged that during marriage prep, couples must be helped to understand “the profound meaning of the step that they are about to take. . . They say yes, but do they understand this? Do they have faith in this? A true catechumenate is needed for the sacrament of marriage.”
It’s trivia time! There seems to be a trend on TV these days – from Parks and Rec to The Office, Gilmore Girls to Grey’s Anatomy- that the romantic thing to do is to impulsively get married in private and then have a big ceremony with friends. And with many shows, and in the case of a recent episode of Last Man Standing, the venue was switched last minute from the Church to a retail store where the family worked, which apparently was more meaningful.