Looking to my own experience and that of so many married friends and acquaintances, it is hard to escape the conclusion that marriage is the most difficult vocation in the world. This is not to say that it does not …
Category: Marriage
Surveying Sacraments: a Global Snapshot of Traditional Weddings
Catholic with a small c, my catechism taught me, means universal. Our Faith’s long history, unique claim to the Truth, and geographic spread make it an ideal and never-ending source of visual projects. Daniel M. Koenemann’s cheering article on the …
A Convert’s Perspective on “Easy” Annulments
By an Anonymous Protestant Convert Struggling to hang in there… At one point in my youth, I gave up on Christianity altogether. It happened after I walked away from a Protestant Church that had become cult-like in its adherence to …
How Amoris Laetitia’s Stalemate Debases Marriage
In modernity, monogamy is often defined to mean “one partner at a time” or, in other words, “anything short of a harem.” As the Sexual Revolution enters its third generation, the figures are becoming clear: a greater number of sexual …
When a Bishop Mandates ‘Social Distancing’ for Brides and Grooms
Leading up to the Pan-Amazonian Synod — I apologize for bringing that up again — it seemed as though the Church was entering the realm of not just the unreal, but the irreal — that is, the hierarchy in the …
How New Is the New Traditional Wedding Preface?
On March 25, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith issued Quo Magis, which, among other things, added an optional preface (de Nuptiis) to the traditional wedding Mass (Missa pro Sponso et Sponsa). The announcement read (emphasis added): Finally, special …
“May Your Kids Always Like You”: Subtle Changes in the Rite of Marriage
The Rite of Marriage was codified in the 1614–15 Rituale Romanum by the Council of Trent. The 1962 Rite of Marriage is identical to the one found in the 1615 Rituale and is spartan. It clocks in at about 400 …
Porneia and Communion in the Hand
There are many instances of Eucharistic typology in Scripture that can give us insight into the question of whether God favors receiving Communion in the hand or on the tongue. This question is profoundly connected with questions of modesty, chastity, …
How to Be a Hero in the Mold of St. Valentine
It’s Valentine’s Day, which means all the drugstores are festooned in red and pink; the secular advice columns are out in force; and the really, really bad movies jockey for position on screens around the world. Secular Valentine’s day is …
700 Years of Clerical Celibacy in History
With the pope’s long awaited post-synodal exhortation not far away, we can be sure that the modernists will be taking their axes to the roots of the discipline of clerical celibacy. We will hear claims that clerical celibacy was introduced …