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Marriage and Parenthood: The Catholic Ideal
This classic 1911 book on the Catholic ideal of the Sacrament of Matrimony, in the face of modern ideals to the contrary, still remains a spiritual and practical help to happiness of Catholic family life. As the author wrote, “Views subversive of the Catholic ideal are now very prevalent, and are becoming day by day more prevalent. In the matter of the sanctity of marriage, as in many other things, it is the Catholics who are the salt of the earth.”
In thirteen chapters, this guide covers the essentials of the marriage sacrament:
—What it is, who are its ministers, and the grace of the Sacrament
—How to best prepare for marriage
—What to seek in a spouse
—The three main conditions for a lawful Sacramental marriage
—The main impediments to Sacramental marriage
—The true roles of husband and wife
—The three main qualities of a good husband’s love for his wife (and visa versa)
—The false concept of wifely obedience versus the true one
—The conjugal rights of each spouse and legitimate times of abstinence
— The traditional Church guidance on mixed marriages
—The love and responsibility due from each spouse to the other and their children
—The spiritual and physical care taken for the sake of the unborn child and of those already born
—The three central blessings of many children (to both the parents and the siblings)
—Four practical suggestions to keep in mind when pressured to purposely limit the number of children
—The rights and obligations of parents to their children
—The reverence owed to parents (even difficult ones)
—The limits of parental authority, especially in choosing one’s state in life
—The four main signs of a true religious vocation in one’s young adult children
—Four practical suggestions to keep in mind when pressured to purposely limit the number of children
—Catholic education for the children and teens a necessity
—Parental guidance for teaching children (at the appropriate time) about the “facts of life”
—Main considerations when in a troubled marriage
—Why no power on earth, not even the Church, has power to grant a divorce
—The Holy Family as Our Model
Over 100 years since its publication, it might be surprising to read the priest-author state that “the Sacrament of Matrimony is threatened on all sides. We cannot shut our eyes to the many failures. In all cases, they are due either to ignorance of the ideal or to a refusal of its graces. They may be traced largely to the fact that false views of marriage and parenthood do make their way into Catholic homes. These views concern the most intimate, the most delicate, and the most sacred marriage relationships.”
The grace conferred on the wedding day remains with the married man and women when they leave the church, remains with them in their home life, fortifies them in their discouragements, and steels their wills to the emergencies of every difficult situation. “The Church then, having made this clear to them, sets aside all false modesty and tells them in grave and plain language what their duties are.”
In thirteen chapters, this guide covers the essentials of the marriage sacrament:
—What it is, who are its ministers, and the grace of the Sacrament
—How to best prepare for marriage
—What to seek in a spouse
—The three main conditions for a lawful Sacramental marriage
—The main impediments to Sacramental marriage
—The true roles of husband and wife
—The three main qualities of a good husband’s love for his wife (and visa versa)
—The false concept of wifely obedience versus the true one
—The conjugal rights of each spouse and legitimate times of abstinence
— The traditional Church guidance on mixed marriages
—The love and responsibility due from each spouse to the other and their children
—The spiritual and physical care taken for the sake of the unborn child and of those already born
—The three central blessings of many children (to both the parents and the siblings)
—Four practical suggestions to keep in mind when pressured to purposely limit the number of children
—The rights and obligations of parents to their children
—The reverence owed to parents (even difficult ones)
—The limits of parental authority, especially in choosing one’s state in life
—The four main signs of a true religious vocation in one’s young adult children
—Four practical suggestions to keep in mind when pressured to purposely limit the number of children
—Catholic education for the children and teens a necessity
—Parental guidance for teaching children (at the appropriate time) about the “facts of life”
—Main considerations when in a troubled marriage
—Why no power on earth, not even the Church, has power to grant a divorce
—The Holy Family as Our Model
Over 100 years since its publication, it might be surprising to read the priest-author state that “the Sacrament of Matrimony is threatened on all sides. We cannot shut our eyes to the many failures. In all cases, they are due either to ignorance of the ideal or to a refusal of its graces. They may be traced largely to the fact that false views of marriage and parenthood do make their way into Catholic homes. These views concern the most intimate, the most delicate, and the most sacred marriage relationships.”
The grace conferred on the wedding day remains with the married man and women when they leave the church, remains with them in their home life, fortifies them in their discouragements, and steels their wills to the emergencies of every difficult situation. “The Church then, having made this clear to them, sets aside all false modesty and tells them in grave and plain language what their duties are.”
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1911
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