Required Marital Sex

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WHY is she uninterested in the marital embrace with her husband? There is ALWAYS an underlying reason for the lack of desire, it never is just “I don’t want to”.

I have a facebook NFP group, and you would be surprised at the number of new wives expressing disinterest in the martial embrace.
Number 1 reason? It’s painful. And I think a lot of women don’t realize that there are ways to make the marital embrace pleasurable, and that’s WITHOUT seeking out sex toys, sex therapists, and other marital “aids”.

What the OP needs to do is help her friend find out WHY the marital embrace is undesirable. There is always a reason- psychological, emotional, physical…
 
WHY is she uninterested in the marital embrace with her husband? There is ALWAYS an underlying reason for the lack of desire, it never is just “I don’t want to”.

I have a facebook NFP group, and you would be surprised at the number of new wives expressing disinterest in the martial embrace.
Number 1 reason? It’s painful. And I think a lot of women don’t realize that there are ways to make the marital embrace pleasurable, and that’s WITHOUT seeking out sex toys, sex therapists, and other marital “aids”.

What the OP needs to do is help her friend find out WHY the marital embrace is undesirable. There is always a reason- psychological, emotional, physical…
While it’s true that there is generally a reason, which could range from “my husband feels that a bath once a week is sufficient and a toothbrush is an unreasonable expense” to “I’m exhausted at the end of the day and the last thing I want to think about is sex”, we also have to accept that women, like men, are all different with various levels of interest in sex, all perfectly normal. We can’t say that normal is X number of times per week. For some, normal is once a day, for others it’s once a week or once a month. The difficulty arises when what it normal for one partner is either excessive or too rare for the other. Then compromises must be made.

Unfortunately, it’s easier for the woman to compromise because no matter how little she’s interested, generally she’s able to act. It’s not so obvious that the male who’s not interested in sex can compromise. Even Viagra won’t work if he’s not interested in having sex.
 
Flee fro all sexual Immorality;

Ref:Proverbs 6:24, Matthew 5:27, Romans 1:24, Ephesians 5:5, 2 Timothy 2:22, Jeremiah 5:7, I Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Corinthians 5:9, Hebrews13:4, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 1 John 2:16, Jude 1:7, Jeremiah 3:1, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Romans 1:27, 1 Timothy 6:9
 
My how times have changed! Back during the Crusades, and regular pilgrimages, a husband had to first receive permission from his wife in order to be free to join up. The reason? He’d be denying her marital rights to sexual relations. It was expected that women had the strong sexual appetite, and men must be mindful and respectful of that. :eek:

I’m not saying this to make light of the situation, but merely to point out that oftentimes what we view as “double standards” are actually a matter of societal expectations shifting. I would hope that she would try to find a way to remedy her difficulties, assuming that he’s not simply being unreasonable.

Peace and God bless!
 
While it’s true that there is generally a reason, which could range from “my husband feels that a bath once a week is sufficient and a toothbrush is an unreasonable expense”.
I agree with the poster who says that there must be an underlying reason for not wanting to be with her husband in that intimate way.
If her husband is not clean, or is 500 lbs, it wouldn’t be very loving to push the sex part. I believe that sex is supposed to be a gift from one spouse to another. It is supposed to be making love. How is husband loving her the rest of the time?

God created us for the Sacrament of Marriage when He made us male and female. It is pleasurable. It is meant to be a foretaste of heaven. Why would someone NOT want to experience that? I think it’s unnatural. There has to be a reason.
 
In a Catholic marraige, does a woman have to conduct lovemaking with her husband although she does not find any enjoyment in it and only does it because she feels obligated as his wife and because of her Catholic faith?

This does not seem right. I don’t believe that God wants a woman to subject herself to intimacy with her spouse because she is forced by her religion to do so.
In a word, yes. She does have that obligation, it’s a very important part of marriage and it would be wrong to deny a spouse who wants sex.

As others have suggested, I think the wife really has to ask herself* why *she isn’t finding any enjoyment in marital relations. There must be a reason. Does she love her husband?
 
Yes it is required of both spouses, it was part of what was agreed to at marriage, you see the secondary purpose of marriage is a cure for concupiscence, if one of the spouses refuses the marital act they commit a sin against justice as they are in breach of the marriage contract and are denying their spouse what is theirs by right and also they prevent the marriage from fulfilling its purpose.

To deny the marital act to your spouse without grave reason, such reasons been only really health related issues then you commit a mortal sin.

They are one flesh now, each belongs to the other.
 
I disagree that people lose interest in sex as they get older.

That hasn’t happened with me and my husband. Quite the opposite. Now that the kids are grown up and out of the house, it’s like a honeymoon again. Even though we’re both a hundred pounds heavier than when were newlyweds, and I have a really bad knee, and his beard is striped with gray.

I think that the woman needs to understand that for a man, sexuality is one of the most important parts of his life. That’s just fact. And if she loves him (love is choice, remember?), she should seek to discover the reason for her lack of interest in sex, and work to alleviate it.

And tell your friend not to kid herself. Her husband will see that she isn’t enjoying it, unless she is a pretty darn good actress. It’s not just sex and the orgasm for a man. His biggest turn-on and thrill comes from knowing that he is pleasing his wife during sex.

Her problems with sex could very likely be something medical, and therefore treatable.

Other people in this thread have listed other reasons for a women’s lack of interest. Children/teenagers/college kids are major reasons! Also too much responsibility, too little time. Money worries bother a woman much more than a man. Weight and health issues–I am constantly in need of assurance from my husband that my bad knee doesn’t turn him off. Distractions, especially household and car repairs that are necessary but unaffordable. COLD–women do not generally like to be intimate if the room is cold. And pain, of course. Even smells–women are more sensitive to smells than a man, and if he or the house smells like garlic or onions, or cigarette smoke, or even certain colognes and soaps, his wife can be turned off completely.

Here’s another possibility. Sometimes, women get into the habit of saying “no,” and then the habit becomes ingrained and it is more and more difficult for them to get out of that habit because it’s now part of their personality and who they are. This is a very dangerous situation for a marriage. When my daughter got married last summer, the advice that I gave her was, “Say yes as often as possible even if you don’t feel in the mood.”

I said “dangerous” and I meant it. As I mentioned earlier, sex is extremely important to a man. If he is not getting fulfilled in his marriage, he will be a sitting duck for temptation, and it WILL occur. There are so many women who are seeking the company, love, and security of a relationship with a man and they will move in on him and try to win his affection. Again, even if the wife yields unwillingly and “allows” him to have his way with her, he will realize that she isn’t enjoying it, and this is almost as bad as if she refuses sex entirely. This will also become an occasion of sin for him.

(Please don’t get the wrong idea from my post. Yes, the man is STILL accountable for staying chaste, even if his wife refuses to have sex, or hates sex. That doesn’t give him the right to seek another source of sex outside of his marriage.)
 
I think it"s normal for people to lose interest in sex as they get older. Anyway, It is not Catholic teaching that a wife has to have marital relations, especially if they already have children.
Ahem…please speak for yourself on this note. I am a 57 year old grandmother and my interest has not been lost at all nor has my DH’s interest abated. But his health has caused difficulty. So our marriage has gotten more platonic, shall we say.
But no, the Church doesn’t force marital relations. Loving spouses would not demand that their husband/wife perform conjugal acts if it is hurtful to them. But loving spouses who want to show their love and are not injured by marital relations would do well to find out why they are not interested in this selfless act of love.
 
Ahem…please speak for yourself on this note. I am a 57 year old grandmother and my interest has not been lost at all nor has my DH’s interest abated. But his health has caused difficulty. So our marriage has gotten more platonic, shall we say.
But no, the Church doesn’t force marital relations. * Loving spouses would not demand that their husband/wife perform conjugal acts if it is hurtful to them. But loving spouses who want to show their love* and are not injured by marital relations would do well to find out why they are not interested in this selfless act of love.
Exactly. I think some of the posts are coming across as the OP should force herself into the marital embrace.
Force isn’t good. Finding the underlying reason and working past it is.
 
Exactly. I think some of the posts are coming across as the OP should force herself into the marital embrace.
Force isn’t good. Finding the underlying reason and working past it is.
I was mistaken and the OP was speaking of a friend of hers. You’re right, force isn’t good and there must be some deeper reason for this.
 
…“Let the husband render the debt…”

The debt? What debt? A person should not be indebted simply because they are married. Should they?
Since we’re talking about a Catholic marriage, both the husband & the wife should WANT to come together for sex, not only for the pyhsical pleasure it brings, but for unity within the marriage & for the children that might be conceived.

Whether or not one of the partners “doesnt’ FEEL like it”, doesn’t really matter. If they have a Catholic love for their partner they will want to bring pleasure to the other & the other will respect their need for “a break” if necessary. Both must realize that sex is much more than the physical expression of that love, it’s emotional, it’s geared toward procreation & it unites the partners…thus causing the “two become one” scenario.

The fact that this woman seems to be getting no physical joy from sex concerns me…but she is handling it the right way by giving herself to her husband to love anyway, until she can get past this stage. He, on the other hand, in a Catholic marriage…will be understanding & loving. He will not demand sex but gently pursue a solution to this problem because he loves her as a person.

I’d certainly like more info about this. Is she running after 3 pre-school children all day? Does she have a job outside the home, that simply drains her? Does she have a psychological problem, perhaps from her childhood, that may be causing this? If none of the above are true, she’s doing what she can…the old “fake it till you make it”, isn’t all bad you know.
 
I agree. I believe there are other factors involved as to why she does not want to have intimate relations with him. I am certain that the reason is not medical or because she has no libido. She is just doing what is expected of her by her Catholic faith until she can resolve the problem. I think this is sad. Her husband is taking advantage of her. I believe he may know that a problem exists, but he is in denial. She will not discusss the problem with him. Until she opens up to him, she is paying the price.
 
Could it be possible that he is asking her to do some things that she feels very uncomfortable doing or that might actually be against chastisy within the marriage thus forcing her to commit sin?
 
Could it be possible that he is asking her to do some things that she feels very uncomfortable doing or that might actually be against chastisy within the marriage thus forcing her to commit sin?
No, She simply doesn’t feel the passion. Love has many different levels. You can love your parents, love your work, love your dog, love Jesus etc. Her love for him has changed over many years and she simply is not attracted to him intimately anymore.
 
No, She simply doesn’t feel the passion. Love has many different levels. You can love your parents, love your work, love your dog, love Jesus etc. Her love for him has changed over many years and she simply is not attracted to him intimately anymore.
Well then, sounds like some work is in order for their marriage to be all that it can be. Love is a choice. Love is an act of our will, not just our emotions. It is totally possible for someone to fall “out of attraction” and back into it again…with the same person. God gave us the will to do that. We have to choose it.

I’ve heard wonderful things from this organization.

www.retrouvaille.org
The word Retrouvaille™ (pronounced re-tro-vi with a long i.) is a French word meaning rediscovery. The program offers tools needed to rediscover a loving marriage relationship. Thousands of couples headed for cold, unloving relationships or divorce have successfully overcome their marriage problems by attending the program.
 
In a Catholic marraige, does a woman have to conduct lovemaking with her husband although she does not find any enjoyment in it and only does it because she feels obligated as his wife and because of her Catholic faith?

This does not seem right. I don’t believe that God wants a woman to subject herself to intimacy with her spouse because she is forced by her religion to do so.
How do you define enjoyment? Do not answer that.
The point here is perhaps an evalution of what your expectations are.
Lovemaking is to be always both unative and procreative.
Unless he or she has an actual physical detrement incurred after marriage
I couldn’t imagine not wanting to be joined physically to their love.
 
I think it"s normal for people to lose interest in sex as they get older. Anyway, It is not Catholic teaching that a wife has to have marital relations, especially if they already have children.
Catholic couples MUST be procreative and unative after marriage. There is a legal expectation of the couple to do so. There is a consecration for perpetual virginity. The acquiring of old age and lack of interest would not break the marriage covenant, as that is a natural consequence.

The rule basically goes… if a man is impotent he cannot marry. if a man becomes impotent after marriage it does not violate marriage vows unless there are no children and the wife desires children. he also can’t take viagra. if a woman refuses to attempt to have children the covenant is nulled. if she is found to be barren the covenant can be opted out of. marriage exists primarily for the sake of children.
 
Ahem…please speak for yourself on this note. I am a 57 year old grandmother and my interest has not been lost at all nor has my DH’s interest abated. But his health has caused difficulty. So our marriage has gotten more platonic, shall we say.
But no, the Church doesn’t force marital relations. Loving spouses would not demand that their husband/wife perform conjugal acts if it is hurtful to them. But loving spouses who want to show their love and are not injured by marital relations would do well to find out why they are not interested in this selfless act of love.
If you haven’t already. A reading of the CS Lewis"Four Loves" is remarkable in describing your life’s journey. Couple it up with “God is Love” by the pope. These two works go very well hand in hand.
 
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