And also, don’t buy into the “there’s one special person for me” bit. You find a special person and pursue them. You can know you will marry them on your second “date” but there’s always someone else if that doesn’t work out.
What about Christian women? I guess if the catholic church is the one and only church, then your Christian wife would not be with you in heaven, so stick with catholic?
Non-Catholic Christians can still go to heaven. Catholic women ARE Christian women. The issue here is choosing a spouse who shares our Catholic faith. Sadly, our separated non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters do not share our complete faith. But we look forward to the day when they are united with the Catholic Church.
Oh yes, but still remember to be yourself. It’s fine to learn how to establish contact, how to be interesting and all, but it makes absolutely no point convincing girls that you’re something different from what you are. They will find out, it will just take longer before you get dumped. This is why I say manners fine, great even. Gym fine, sure. Nice clothes, great. Learning languages, finding hobbies, great. Overdoing on the confidence/mystery/humour thing women seem to love - not fine. If a relationship is based on something like that, it will last only so long as the base does. So… learn things but don’t pretend anything, I say. They only thing you can pretend is that you aren’t cold when you’ve given her your jacket.
Sorry to chime into your exchange, but I’ve got to say I agree completely. And I’ve had some first hand experience with that (not marriage yet, but sort of planning the future).
Pretty much exactly…And also, don’t buy into the “there’s one special person for me” bit. You find a special person and pursue them. You can know you will marry them on your second “date” but there’s always someone else if that doesn’t work out.
At least, until you get married. Then there’s nobody else, at that point, they ARE the special someone
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Wise words, Rob. Very wise words.And also, don’t buy into the “there’s one special person for me” bit. You find a special person and pursue them. You can know you will marry them on your second “date” but there’s always someone else if that doesn’t work out.
At least, until you get married. Then there’s nobody else, at that point, they ARE the special someone
). We dated several years before marrying.Don’t you sort of wish you had been Catholic all along through out your marriage?Unlike the majority of the responses in this thread, I thank God he brought me a Catholic woman who, although very concerned with my lack of religious conviction at the time, decided to marry me nonetheless. One of the really strange things many years ago, I knew without a shadow of a doubt from the very first time I met her, that she would be my wife. (She didn’t realize this
Her faith, and my lack of, never presented any major issues for 19 years of marriage. We had agreed beforehand to raise our children Catholic with traditional Catholic values. I occasionally attended Mass with my family not for a personal need or want, but only to support my wife in her Christian ideology, and my children’s development, growth, and formation.
Funny thing happened little over a year ago. For reasons that really did not involve my wife or family, I joined RCIA and converted. As a trusted and admired Deacon told me before I enrolled in RCIA, “the Holy Spirit works within each of us in different ways and at different times. She is calling you now”.
How true.
My conversion has only strengthened our bonds and has brought new platitudes in our marriage and family I never could have previously imagined.
So personally, I’ve been blessed that my Catholic wife didn’t have a ‘Catholic husband’ high on her list of qualifying traits in a husband.
Each one of us has his/her own faith journey. Only when the time is right. Give the Holy Spirit time to work within us.
I’m a convert too. I just wish I knew all that I know now as a Catholic when I was considering marriage…and knowing what I know now, both as a Catholic and as someone who has been through a divorce, I think the best advice for someone who is Catholic and looking for a marriage partner is to keep your faith your priority.
Good & fair question, but isn’t that like asking a blind man, blind from birth, what he misses about not being able to see?
I’m definitely one who is doing that myself.
That reminds me of an awesome story about how a guy proposed to his girlfriend.One of the really strange things many years ago, I knew without a shadow of a doubt from the very first time I met her, that she would be my wife. (She didn’t realize this
Heck, there was this Catholic girl in our church, met a Presbyterian, got married in HIS church, and are living happily ever after…she hasn’t been back to Mass since.From the experiences of people I’ve known, marriages usually work or fall apart because of the CHARACTER of the husband or wife. While the Catholic faith can play an important part in forming an individual’s character, marrying a Catholic does not guarantee a marriage free from abuse or divorce just as marrying a non-Catholic does not doom you to a failed marriage. I’ve seen mixed marriages where the Catholic spouse cheated. And I’ve seen a lot of marriages where the non-Catholic spouse converted. I think IDEALLY you should marry someone of the same faith, but I would not say to rule out someone solely because they were not Catholic.
Now that being said, I always felt more comfortable dating Catholics because there was more of myself that I could share and they could understand. But I never really resolved to never date non-Catholics…I just tried to meet more Catholics.
I beg to differ…as long as they are Christian, that’s all that matters. I’d marry a Catholic as much as I would marry a Methodist.
You realise that some Christians have radically different views of marriage? Few believe in indissolubility, for instance.
I would even marry a German! As long as she were Catholic
I should explain that commentI would even marry a German! As long as she were Catholic