Tag Archives: marriage

LifeTeen.com Blog

Oh, Happy Fault

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For a while, though, I lost hope in a happy ending to my story. I thought I was “tainted” or “damaged goods.” I didn’t know Jackie was coming (if I had, I would never have left my room!). She’s been saving herself for marriage, and I had to confess to her that I didn’t. I messed up. But the way that Jackie loves me — in such a pure, disinterested, and benevolent way — has brought so much healing. She told me one night that she doesn’t want the “Bobby of 2007” or the “Bobby of 2010;” she wants the “Bobby of now.”

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LifeTeen.com Blog

All of Me: 3 Reasons Why I’m Waiting for Marriage

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I’m 29 and a virgin.

No, I don’t have some incurable alien disease that causes people to shutter at the sight of me. No, I don’t have the sex drive of a grandma (unless it’s my grandma who had 11 kids). And, no, I’m not Tim Tebow’s girlfriend.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Lifelong Love

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This is Don and Norma Jean. They’ve been married for 60 years. I only talked with them for a few minutes but that was all it took for me to see how much they were in still in love. Couples like Don and Norma Jean prove to us that we aren’t all doomed to broken hearts and broken marriages. True love exists; marriage is possible. Every magazine will tell you about “10 Tips to Find a Hot Date,” “How to Make Your Crush Love You,” “7 Ways to Keep Him Interested,” and “The Failed Marriages Read more [...]

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Why I Am Getting Married

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I’ve experienced life without my fiancée Jackie and I want no more of it. After years of discernment and three years in seminary formation, I’ve been graced with clarity and peace over this decision. I want to soak up as much Jackie Francois as I can in the time I have been given in this life. Her love has already broken me free of so many stubborn memories and unnecessary fear, giving me courage to become the man God needs me to be, a man that will do his best to lead her to Heaven.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Chicks Are So Cool

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Women, you deserve so much better. You deserve to be honored and treasured as living, breathing miracles that reveal God to the world in a way that men never could. Scripture says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and your bodies reflect God’s glory and his life-giving power in such an amazing way (1 Corinthians 6:19).

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Where’s My Prince Charming?

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Eventually the topic of guys comes up, and, on occasion, girls begin to complain about how there aren’t any good guys left or that guys today aren’t respectful or they don’t open doors. Somehow as women we’ve created an expectation that guys, to be worthy of us, must look, act, and sing, like Prince Charming . . .

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Real Sex & Respect

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But we live in a world that doesn’t really get that.

A world where people sing songs about how they’re perfectly good at being “bad” and radio edits of songs switch “love” in for the “f” word like there’s no difference. Society has taken something sacred, designed by God to unite couples in the Sacrament of Marriage and cooperate in bringing new life into the world — and categorized it as just another extracurricular activity.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

After the Vows: Sex Within Marriage

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I’ll never forget what happened at about 2:05pm on April 14. In front of my family, friends, and God, I swore in church. And then the girl standing next to me swore. It wasn’t inappropriate. It wasn’t bad; it was actually a good thing.

We swore that we would love each other faithfully for the rest of our lives and we begged God to seal and strengthen our commitment. We were so excited to get married, but we knew that the sacrament wasn’t just about us.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

God Made Sex (and He Made it Sacred)

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God is one creative Creator. He gave us the cosmos, the sun, the moon, and the stars. He gave us the mountains and the seas, volcanoes and icebergs, tropical rainforests and sand-covered beaches. He gave us the humpback whale, the platypus, the giraffe and the dragonfly. God also gave us humanity. God created us male and female – beautifully distinct and wonderfully made in His divine image. God created marriage and God created sex.

Did you catch that last line?

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Marriage Impossible?

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Oh, Tom and Katie, what went wrong? What happened that made a love so exciting, so public, so strange and sort of off-putting, end? It made me wonder about the general state of marriage; about half end in divorce. It seems more and more that marriage is a mission impossible. (See what I did there?)

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Relationship: The Answer to Jesus vs. Religion

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I have to admit I’m a bit late on this one. I realize that the whole “Jesus vs. Religion” showdown is sooooo last month, but I think it’s worth taking another look at.

Who hasn’t thought at one point or another about how great it would be to just have Jesus without all the rules and lists of things we’re supposed to do? Why do we need all the rules? Why can’t we just have Jesus without all the obligations? Sure, Jesus spoke often about the importance of following His commands (Luke 8:21) but why do we even need religion then? Why do we need labels and definitions? Why can’t we just be close to Him and not worry about all the details?

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LifeTeen.com Blog

'Til Death Do Us Part?: Kim & Kris vs. Danny & Annie

If you’ve been “Keeping up with the Kardashians” you know that Kim is getting divorced. She and Kris Humphries have been married 72 days. I’ve done the math for you and it’s not even three months! It leaves the question in my mind, “Is true love possible? Is it real? Can two people stay together ‘til death do us part’?” See for yourself. Take a look at this real couple, Danny and Annie, and their 27 year love story; and believe God has something amazing planned for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11)

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Love and Lust. Soul and Body.

Crash diets don’t work. If a woman loves donuts or a man loves buffalo wings, they have the choice: control their flesh or schedule the angioplasty. Simply eliminating the temptation isn’t enough; the body must be retrained and self-control must come into play. The same is true in the battle for purity.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Plastic Roses: 'The Bachelor' and True Love

The way the world looks at dating and the way God wants to write your love story are completely different ideas. When I saw the Bachelorette last season, I realized the show was a perfect example of the way the world orchestrates dating as opposed to God. I’m thinking twice before sitting though this season of The Bachelor, and here’s why.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

What's It Like? Comparing the Married life, the Single Life, Priesthood & Religious Life

So let’s get real about your future. God has a plan for you and your future. But what does that future look like? As Catholics, we believe there are 3 types of vocations: married life, single life, and the priesthood & religious life. Let’s take a detailed look at 4 components of each vocation: commitment, sex, joys, and hardship.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Free Resources for Vocations and Discernment

Below you will find free downloads of planning guides to help Priests and Youth Ministers host Life Nights or Bible Studies about Vocations for teenagers. Teens, if your church doesn’t ever talk about teens trying to figure out what they’re going to be when they grow up, download these resources and email them to your parish priest. You can usually find his email address on your church’s website. Skip to: True Life | Holy Orders: The Vocation of Holy Orders A Marriage Made in Heaven For Better Read more [...]

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LifeTeen.com Podcast

Love Life Podcast - 1.06 – Dating and Marriage

LoveLife Podcast by LifeTeen.com

Does it all have to be about marriage? I’m 16, can’t I just date?

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Ask Fr. J – Why can't Catholics marry outdoors?

And now for the real answer.

That is that you can be married outside as long as the priest who is doing the ceremony gets permission from his Bishop.

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LifeTeen.com Podcast

Love Life Podcast - 1.01 – Welcome to our new podcast

LoveLife Podcast by LifeTeen.com

Matt Smith fills you in on what our new show is all about.

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