Restoring sex to a marriage

  • Thread starter Thread starter lswote
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Disclaimer: I have never had sex or been in a long-term relationship.

Now I may have missed this, but did you ever talk to your wife about why she isn’t interested in sex? That might be a question more suited for counseling, but trying to get to the root of the problem isn’t a bad idea.
 
I would suggest keeping religion out of it. You seem to be assuming all of this has revolved around your illness, but there may be some complete different reason your wife has shut you out. Find a good secular therapist, and try to encourage your wife to go with you for counseling. The first step is getting down to the reason as to why she is rejecting you.
 
Many Christian counsellor recommend viewing a movie called “Fireproof” starring Kurt Cameron in regards to re-igniting love and affection. Women in our God given way are incredibly responsive to being loved without condition for the woman we are.
This is not a Catholic view of marriage (it presents the idea it is okay to “date” when “separated”, presents the wife as a shrill, no, not at all Catholic).
 
An atheist pointing out a Catholic’s grave sin seems a bit ironic.

“Hey, honey, I talked to some Catholic men on the Internet and they said you are committing a grave sin by not having sex with me” seems unpersuasive.

But that’s just me.
“They also said you should get me a beer and order me a pizza. Oh, and they agree your sister is hotter than you are. Honey? Are you listening? Sweetheart?”

(Tires squealing)
 
op is athiest. Chances are good he does not believe in church teachings when it comes to sexuality in marriage.
 
Last edited:
There could be a competent therapist of another religion but alot of times people of different religions bring their own religious practices that are contrary to our Catholic faith. Many therapists promote contraception and other intrinsically evil acts. Every time I hear a priest counsel someone on the radio, TV, or online, or in person, they always recommend a Catholic counselor.
 
The wife must follow Catholic teaching on sexuality, she could get led astray by non Catholic counselor, and could make more trouble for marriage. Actually the Catholic sexual moral law(and all moral law) is binding on all people, so it would help the husband too.
 
Last edited:
I’m astounded that this thread has run as many posts as it has. There is exactly one answer to the situation that anyone should be giving here.

OP, please seek help in the form of counseling, perhaps one-on-one to begin with, and then maybe marriage counseling. No one here can help you with this kind of issue. It is not a theological issue so much as it is one of your relationship with your wife.

To everyone who’s still replying to this: matters of conscience, especially between a man and his wife, are best handled in the appropriate fora, and the Catholic Answers Forum is not one of them. Matters of conscience are best not broadcast on the internet, still less dealt with by random strangers. Commend our friend to prayer and leave it at that.

-Fr ACEGC
 
Well the wife may need to go to the secular therapist and figure out how to deal with the husband with regards to whst he is or isn’t doing that is bothering her. Most atheists would laugh in the face of a Catholic counselor because of all of the restrictions Catholics have on sex. Chances are would not be very productive.

They may choose to go to both. And pull from each one whatever be helpful for their relationship.
 
I don’t know if my reply posted or not. I think I was walking out the door and didn’t send it, so excuse me for the repeat, but I think you should back off on asking for sex or what is physically wrong, and try to connect with your wife emotionally. It takes a toll being the caregiver or even becoming a parent in the relationship to your spouse. as people have said before, women are different, they need to feel emotionally intimate to get physically intimate.

The problem is not that your wife won’t have sex, that’s a symptom of the problem. because if she was merely having difficulties with her reproductive organs, she would have gone to the doctor in her desire to be intimate with you, or she would have been comfortable with other touches.

There is another issue, and the drum is bang more loudly sometimes at evangelical churches churches, but the concept of being equally yoked - not marrying someone who doesn’t share your faith or allowing the spouse to fall away if that’s what they want with less consequence because they’re not evenly yoked.

There are a lot of people who go through crisis and turn to prayer, or hit rock bottom and turn to Christ when they are out of options. Could this be a situation, the potential loss of your marriage, since it is lost in some way now be the thing that gets you to Rock bottom to maybe open your mind a little bit. you are not completely opposed to the concept of God, if you married a Catholic instead of an atheist or agnostic, for someone who just didn’t give the matter much thought.
 
Last edited:
It takes a toll being the caregiver
Truer words were never spoken. It takes time from nurse duties emptying urinals at a hospital bedside to feeling like a wife again (spoken as someone who has been emptying urinals at a hospital bedside for my spouse for the past 5 weeks).

A good book for re-connecting is Matthew Kelly’s “The 7 Levels of Intimacy”
 
She said we were old enough that marriage really wasn’t about sex anymore.
There is no such thing as ‘old enough that marriage isn’t about sex any more’. Sex is part of marriage as long as both partners are physically capable of the marital act.

It’s possible she means it’s not about having more children, but there are two purposes for sex, the reproductive and the unitary. Your wife is wrong.

Now it’s also possible that she just doesn’t want sex and age is a good excuse in her eyes. Obviously I can’t know whether this is true.

My advice: talk to her priest. If that doesn’t work talk to a counselour.
 
40.png
Emeraldlady:
Many Christian counsellor recommend viewing a movie called “Fireproof” starring Kurt Cameron in regards to re-igniting love and affection. Women in our God given way are incredibly responsive to being loved without condition for the woman we are.
This is not a Catholic view of marriage (it presents the idea it is okay to “date” when “separated”, presents the wife as a shrill, no, not at all Catholic).
Do you mean the Fireproof movie?
 
. I don’t believe the Catholic church supports the idea of sexless marriages but not being Catholic myself, I am not certain what steps I can take to find help and support within the Catholic church to resolve this problem.
The Catholic Church does not support adultery either.
That has left me troubled because frankly if I don’t have relations soon I will go elsewhere to find them.
In my experience, treatise like these always end badly.

You are discussing
disconnect between her and I regarding marital sex will ultimately destroy our family if she continues with her position.
Adultery or statements of intent will most assuredly destroy the family, and not because of the position of the innocent party, we cannot blame others for the actions we choose to take , knowing full well the repercussions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top