Christ is present in a special way when a couple prays together.  They not only renew their yes to God, but also achieve a deeper union with each other, which springs solely from the union of hearts and couples in the sacrament of marriage. – Fr. Henri Caffarel

How can couples move their marriage from surviving to thriving, or from good to great? By making couple prayer a normal part of our marriage. Christian marriage is a supernatural endeavor, so that means that it is really not possible to have a successful marriage without Jesus!  Prayer between spouses isn’t just something you do, it is a gift from the two of you to Christ Himself.  It is acknowledging that Christ is the “glue” that keeps you together.   In this podcast we talk about how to incorporate prayer into your marriage, why it is so important, and how prayer can help you forge a deeper unity than you have ever had before.  Much of this conversation is discussing the writings of Fr. Henri Caffarel, founder of Teams of Our Lady.

Getaway: https://catholiccouplesgetaway.com/
Listener Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XW98NMH

Key Takeaways:

• Meditate on John 17:20-22
• This is how you will build real unity in your marriage
• Don’t let difficulties stop you – your marriage needs this!
• Find your own way of praying but be sure to include the key elements of Praise, Forgiveness, Intercession, and Thanksgiving

Couple Discussion:

• What is holding us back from prayer?
• What is a time and place that we can pray together at least once a week?
• Let’s make a plan. How do we feel comfortable bringing in the Key Elements of prayer?

Resources: 

• Teams booklet on Conjugal Prayer: https://www.teamsofourlady.org/www/default/ckfinder/userfiles/1080/files/Endeavors/Conjugal_prayer_contents.pdf
• Daily Grace Co Marriage Prayer Journal: https://thedailygraceco.com/products/together-marriage-journal-1?_pos=4&_sid=1b4f62838&_ss=r
• Praying Parents Journal
  https://catholicfamilycrate.com/products/praying-parents?_pos=2&_psq=journal&_ss=e&_v=1.0
• Praying as a Couple podcast
• Forgiveness podcast
• Praying as a Couple booklet (coming soon)

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The indissolubility of marriage…should not be viewed as a ‘yoke’ imposed on humanity, but as a ‘gift’ granted to those who are joined in marriage…  God’s indulgent love always accompanies our human journey; through grace, it heals and transforms hardened hearts, leading them back to the beginning through the way of the cross. – Pope Francis

The marriage sacrament is meant to heal and transform us into who God wants us to be!  But sometimes that journey is not what we would expect.  In this interview, David and Margaret Bereit share their story of marriage and David’s conversion – the two are completely intertwined!  Listen in as we talk about how they walked together in freedom though they were in different places, how they loved each other and their children in the midst of their different faiths, and how David came to join the Church and what that meant for them both.  There is some great advice in this interview for those in mixed marriages and for anyone who wants to know how to deeply love friends and family who are in a different place than yourself.  

https://messyfamilyproject.org/course/family-board-meeting-live/

www.catholiccouplesgetaway.com 

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Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. – Proverbs 31:30

Back by popular demand, this is another interview that we did with Michele Doman, Alicia’s mom and mother of 10 grown children, grandmother to over 55, and great grandmother to more than 7!  In the last interview, we talked about Michele’s life as a young wife and mother.  In this conversation, we talk more about being a parent of a large family and how she was able to do that successfully over the last 50+ years of marriage.  Listen in and get some wisdom on discipline, relationships with teens, and managing a large household.   You will hear that the struggles are real, but so are the joys and blessings of marriage and family life. 

https://messyfamilyproject.org/course/family-board-meeting-live/
www.catholiccouplesgetaway.com  

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Of course your children don’t get along. They don’t know how to get along! That’s kind of what you are doing as parents, teaching them what they don’t know – Mike and Alicia

All of us struggle to live in a community.  That is the human condition – we need other people but we also find it hard to live with them!  This is true for children, but also for adults. In this episode, we answer some questions that our listeners had about what to do when your kids fight with your friends’ kids, how to handle dividing up household responsibilities with your spouse, and what to do with adult children who are living at home.  It’s hard for kids to learn, but  it’s also hard for parents to know how to teach in a way that can be received. Listen into this conversation and take some time to discuss these important topics with your spouse.

https://messyfamilyproject.org/course/family-board-meeting-live/

www.catholiccouplesgetaway.com

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“Healing is an essential dimension of Christinaity.  It expresses the entire content of our redemption.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth

Some of us think of healing as being “for other people”, those with trauma, abuse, or mental illness.  But that is not the way that Dr. Bob Schuchts sees healing. As you will hear, he believes that healing is part of the story of every Christian because we all have been damaged by our own fallen nature and we all live in a broken world!   There is an anointing in our Church right now for healing ministries like this and we believe healing is essential for every parent so they can be who God is calling them to be in the lives of their children.  We have been personally blessed by Dr. Bob’s teaching and ministry through the John Paul II Healing Institute and we are very excited to share this interview with him. Listen in to this conversation about why we need healing, how to be healed, and the role that Christ wants to play in each of our journeys.

https://www.restoretheglorypodcast.com/

https://jpiihealingcenter.org/

Join us for a live Family Board Meeting in Steubenville October 20-22, 2023 – https://messyfamilyproject.org/course/family-board-meeting-live/

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“Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God did not create man in isolation, He created man to live in community with others.  This is the best path for the full development of the human person!  Men need other men to push them, support them, love them, and let them know they have what it takes.  In this touching interview, Mike talks to John Doman, Alicia’s dad, about his experience as a young Marine in Viet Nam and the events that set the course of his life.  They cover John’s marriage to Michele, his wife of 50 yrs, his struggle with PTSD after the war, and how the brothers God gave him throughout his life saved him again and again – physically and spiritually. Listen to this very important conversation about the importance of relationships and how God can use them to show us His love over and over again.  

Family Board Meeting – LIVE! : messyfamilyproject.org/course/family-board-meeting-live/

Watch here: https://youtu.be/FIT6s7szDlU

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