with Dr. Greg Popcak
HUGE NEWS! Here's reporter, John Thavis, on the announcement. Pope Francis has decided to devote the next Synod of Bishops to family pastoral issues, setting the stage for a far-ranging discussion that is likely to touch on questions concerning divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitation and annulments. The synod will take place in October of 2014, and by then we may see other changes in the synod’s format that give its deliberations more weight. Here is the report from the … [Read more...]
There was a terrific article in The Atlantic last week on the growing awareness and promotion of Natural Family Planning by secular medical professionals (who prefer to refer to it as Fertility Awareness Based Methods--FABM). Really good piece. ...surveys conducted by physicians at the University of Utah show that when natural fertility-awareness methods are described to women, 25 percent say they would strongly consider using one as their means of birth control. But thanks to its … [Read more...]
![jeez[1]](http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/faithonthecouch/files/2013/10/jeez1-150x150.jpg "jeez[1]")
Really good piece over at Real Catholic Love and Sex on the struggle of ultra-traditionalists to accept Natural Family Planning. Here's a taste. Ultra-traditionalist Catholics don’t get a pass on this any more than “Catholics for Choice”. “More Catholic than the Pope” is simply another form of protest and yet another way of being “Protestant”. Taking a closer look at the critiques, those who think promotion of NFP is a deviation from “traditional” Catholic teaching … [Read more...]
I was interviewed, earlier today, by Michelle Boorstein, a religion writer for the Washington Post. We chatted about the challenge many people were having with Pope Francis style and my own journey from confusion and mild frustration to greater understanding and appreciation for what he is trying to do and say. I appreciated her thoughtful and considerate approach and I hope we have other chances to speak in the future. My comments centered on two themes (and since I'm not sure how much … [Read more...]
It has been a truism in both secular and Christian culture that "women want romance and men want sex" or "women give sex to get love and men give love to get sex." I have always HATED these sentiments because, although I know they ring true for many they have NEVER rung true for me. I am, personally, a big fan of love, romance, sex and everything that has to do with marriage and, frankly, I am more the man for it. Beyond my personal experience, however, this message has always seemed … [Read more...]
Patheos Book Club is featuring Lisa's and my new book, Just Married: The Catholic Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the First Five Years of Marriage. They asked us to write a piece that could help couples at every stage of the marital journey make it through the holidays in one piece. Check it out! Staying Married through the Holidays: Mission...Possible? Before you put your attorneys on retainer, here is a list of things you and your soul mate can do to survive, and maybe even … [Read more...]
Deborah Arca of the Patheos Book Club interviewed Lisa and I yesterday on our new book, Just Married: The Catholic Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the First 5 Years of Marriage (Ave Maria Press). … [Read more...]
On this feast of St. Jerome, who is almost as well-known for his temper as for his work translating the bible, we thought we'd share some tips for negotiating marital arguments. This video reveals a surprisingly simple, empirically-validated technique that anyone can use to improve their marriage and, surprisingly, general life satisfaction in 3 easy steps. I'll describe those steps below, but it's worth watching the video to understand the background of the study and to get a sense of how … [Read more...]
There have been a number of stories in the news lately about how the "latest research" shows that only stupid women want children (or something to that effect). In the Culture Wars, this gets translated into the idea that the Church wants women to have as many babies as possible to keep them humble and subservient. The assertion is as nonsensical as the "research" it is supposedly based on. Studies in "evolutionary psychology" have about the same intellectual rigor as "womyn's … [Read more...]
My epiphany of this past weekend did not blind me to the challenges Pope Francis' papacy presents. Specifically, because his style is profoundly welcoming and he is so committed to bringing home the prodigal, his more pastoral style can be easily twisted by people who's agenda runs contrary to the Church. Instead of complaining about this, we need to rise to the challenge. To help us all do that, I'll be regularly posting quotes from Pope Francis on the very topics he's allegedly "soft" … [Read more...]
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