PRAY FOR MARRIED WOMEN
by Kristen West McGuire
Marriage is hard work!
Catholic marriage rates in the U.S. dropped by 77%, from 426,309 in 1970 to 98,354 in 2022. (See this extensive report in the New Oxford Review, citing data from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.)
And in our larger culture, the Catholic marriage vision is not reflected in popular music, major media outlets, nor in politics. It’s a mighty wonder when couples decide to get married in a civil union, let alone get married in a sacramental wedding at a Catholic Church. Lord, have mercy!
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage must be uncoerced (free), limited to only one spouse (faithful), open to procreation (fruitful), and a total gift of self (final). Ultimately, the role of a spouse in a marriage is to pray your beloved into heaven– together.
Are we too idealistic? Is it an impossible dream to create a domestic church? As the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “With God, all things are possible.” (cf. Lk. 1:37)
Zenit reports a small uptick in Catholic marriages in 2024, up to 107,051. The article also notes that smaller dioceses record more weddings than larger ones. The grace of the sacrament of marriage is worth receiving. How might we share that?
Given the harsh cultural climate, we salute and support all women who have undertaken the difficult but rewarding vocation of a sacramental Catholic marriage!
Resources:
For Your Marriage helps couples understand and live God’s plan for happy, holy marriages.
Restore Catholic Marriage provides resources, courses, coaching and counseling for Catholic couples in crisis. Their online courses are affordable, and they also provide parish workshops.
Retrouvailleis a ministry helping married couples to rediscover their connection as couples. For 48 years, they have been helping marriages thrive.
Lord, We Pray:
• that women would be renewed in hope throughout their married lives;
• for women struggling to hold firm to the Catholic vision of marriage with a spouse who is unsupportive;
• for women facing friends and family who are openly hostile to the Church and marital wisdom;
• for women exhausted by the demands of married life;
• for women struggling with sickness, poverty, addictions, or other challenges to their vows;
• for women who feel their hard work is taken for granted in the marriage;
and
• for women who persevere, seeking what is truly best for their husbands.
Amen
