Marriage, Natural Family Planning

Spring, summer, winter, fall. Marriages are perpetually in a state of transition, continually moving from one season to another--perhaps not annually, as in nature, but just as certainly and consistently. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times, we experience springtime with its openness, hope, and anticipation. On other occasions, we bask in the warmth of summer--comfortable, relaxed, enjoying life. And then comes fall with its uncertainty, negligence, and apprehension. The cycle repeats itself many times throughout the life of a marriage, just as the seasons repeat themselves in nature.

The seasons of marriage come and go. Each one holds the potential for emotional health and happiness, and each one has its challenges. The purpose of this book is to describe these recurring seasons of marriage, help you and your spouse identify which season your marriage is in, and show you how to enhance your marriage in all four seasons.

Here is the perfect resource for encouraging married couples to engage in the spiritual discipline of daily prayer as a means of affirming the blessings and intimacy of their relationship.

The seven sections of the wedding vows serve as the framework upon which hang the enduring values that need to be renewed through the decades with scripture, reflections, and questions.

This inspiring book provides an aid to couples for continuing to find praying together a natural act for a lifetime of love. It will make a thoughtful gift, whether for newlyweds, couples celebrating their anniversaries, or Marriage Encounter participants.

"The Catholic Church saved my marriage
and, quite possibly, my life."

So begins David Anders in this remarkably forthright book. In it, David reports that by the early 2000s, his marriage was so painful he actually longed for death. It wasn't simple incompatibility; he and his wife had just one thing in common: contempt for each other.

Today, David and his wife are happy together - not because of marriage therapy, but because they came to know and fully embraced the Catholic Church's teachings on marriage.

Many people who encounter such teachings are shocked by their rigor. Yet the Church offers much more than rules about sexual restraint; she offers a way to make marriage into something supernatural, even mystical.

Here Dr. Anders shares his personal discovery of the Church's teaching on marriage and offers a robust defense of the Church's most controversial teachings, including divorce,

With the luminous insight that we have come to expect from his writings, Robert Cardinal Sarah helps spouses rediscover the deep source of their love--God Himself--and the means for letting love between them grow.

This book presents the essentials of a retreat that the cardinal preached to married couples in Lourdes, France. It is meant for all couples, including those who are struggling. There is a path to renewal for everyone, and couples in every situation can find again the preciousness of the love that binds them, no matter how hidden it may be.

We are all, without exception, called to joy, and Christ alone can give it to us. He works through his Church, through the sacraments, and through his saints--especially Mary, the Mother of God, who heals couples.

Defending Marriage: Twelve Arguments for Sanity is a rousing, compelling defense of traditional, natural marriage. Here, Anthony Esolen-professor at Providence College and a prolific writer uses moral, theological, and cultural arguments to defend this holy and ancient institution, bedrock of society-and to illuminate the threats it faces from modern revolutions in law, public policy, and sexual morality. Inside, discover: - Traditional marriage's roots in age-old religious, cultural, and natural laws - Why gay marriage is a metaphysical impossibility - How acceptance and legal sanction of gay marriage threatens the family - How the state becomes a religion when it attempts to elevate gay marriage, and enshrine as a civil right all consensual sex - How divorce and sexual license have brought marriage to the brink - How today's culture has impoverished and emptied love of its true meaning In Defending Marriage, Esolen expertly and succinctly identifies the cultural dangers of gay marriage and the Sexual Revolution which paved its way. He offers a stirring defense of true marriage, the family, culture, and love-and provides the compelling arguments that will return us to sanity, and out of our current morass.

Over 20 million copies sold!

A perennial New York Times bestseller for over a decade!

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love--that's the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times international bestseller The 5 Love Languages(R), you'll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman's proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner--starting today.

The 5 Love Languages(R) is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Love Language assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.

The transition from "married" to "married with children" can be tough. Before they know it, a once youthful and energetic married couple finds themselves in a minivan loaded with noisy kids and littered with Cheerios, crusty Sippy cups, banana peels, and missing library books. As much as you love your children and work hard to nurture and train them for the future, the challenges that come with parenthood can make the "for better or for worse" promise a hard one to honor.

For Better or For Kids will enable couples to:

Build a God-centered marriage instead of a Child-centered or Me-centered marriage

Avoid the dangers of spouse-neglect and self-neglect

Effectively communicate in the chaos

Explore ways to parent together as one team

Find balance in the busyness

For Better or For Kids is about remembering that even when you feel worn out, over-extended, and neglected, you promised to be a team. Marriage with kids may not always be what we expected, but it is good. We need to make a vow to love our spouse with kids in the house.

This life is preparation for eternity, and from the beginning, God created marriage to help married couples become saints. Indeed, God has given to married couples the profound gift of being able to fulfill the purpose of their creation through, with, and in each other. Marriage is a foreshadowing of Heaven, and each married couple must work with God if their marriage is to be a foretaste of eternity.

In this thought-provoking and uplifting book, Fr. Robert Altier unpacks the theological significance of the Sacrament of Marriage and brilliantly explains how it has been a part of Godï1/2ï1/2ï1/2s plan from the beginning - and will eventually be fulfilled at the Marriage Banquet of the Lamb in Heaven. Teeming with practical wisdom and clear examples, these pages delve into the surpassing dignity of marriage as a covenant and a sacrament - and a call to holiness.

You will learn how the graces and virtues that are conferred in the Sacrament of Marriage transform the unity of th

God has put you and your spouse together for a reason -- and it's not to argue. You are bonded together to cultivate in each other those virtues that lead to sanctification. That's why this book isn't just about saving your marriage -- it's about transforming it into a joyful, loving relationship.

In these pages, acclaimed author and psychotherapist Gregory Popcak shows you how to heal the hurt in your marriage and develop the crucial habits necessary to resolve conflicts, renew the love you once had, and discover the passion you always wanted.

Dr. Popcak's clinical experience and recent research show that the difference between happy and unhappy marriages lays in the habits -- both good and bad -- that are practiced in the home. Here you'll discover the simple steps needed to root out behavior that leaves you resentful and demoralized, and to begin practicing positive habits that facilitate mutual respect and cultivate admiration.

Even if you f

Nationally syndicated radio hosts and international family life speakers Greg and Lisa Popcak combine decades of counseling, the latest findings in marriage research, twenty-three years of marriage, and the wisdom of Catholic teaching to offer newlyweds a master plan for creating a strong bond in the first five years of marriage.

Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humane Vitae (Of Human Life) continues to speak volumes in our continuously changing world. This book takes an in-depth look at Humanae Vitae and compares it to other Church documents that speak about God's plan for marital love, marriage, children, family, and the community at large.

Dan and Danielle Bean, married for 25 years and veteran parents of 8 children, offer a modern take on an ancient idea: in marriage, we are called to something greater than ourselves. What can that mean in a modern world that abhors sacrifice, rejects the concept of permanence, and devalues the sacrament of marriage?

Pulling from the wisdom of the Church and lessons learned from their own real-life experience, Dan and Danielle reflect on the ideas of:

Vocation,

Sacrament,

Sacrifice,

Mutual Love,

And Home and Family Life.

With personal stories, humor, touching insight, and practical suggestions, they offer complementary reflections, as husband and wife, on the value and meaning of marriage for Christians today.

This book also features a rich collection of Catholic marriage resources, including:

Prayers for Marriage,

Teachings of the Church,

Scripture for Marriage and Family,

Wisdom from the Saints,

And Hymns.

A thoughtful gift for engaged couples and newlyweds, this book is also a practical resource that can inspire and rejuvenate long-married and even struggling couples.

For Catholics, marriage isnt just an institution: Its a sacrament.

"Incredibly rich with wisdom and insight that will leave the reader, whether single or married, feeling uplifted." --The Washington Times

Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone--Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged--the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible.

Modern culture would have you believe that everyone has a soul mate; that romance is the most important part of a successful marriage; that your spouse is there to help you realize your potential; that marriage does not mean forever, but merely for now; and that starting over after a divorce is the best solution to seemingly intractable marriage issues. But these modern-day assumptions are wrong. Timothy Keller, with insights from Kathy, his wife of thirty-seven years, shows marriage to be a glorious relationship that is also misunderstood and mysterious. The Meaning of Marriage offers instruction on how to have a successful marriage, and is essential reading for anyone who wants to know God and love more deeply in this life.