Other Than the Ideal: Obstacles to Marital Intimacy
While this online forum is not intended to meet every need for everybody, it is intended to be a safe space that provides some resources for those who need it.
Stress and Intimacy: A Christmas Cocktail
Christmas is one of the most joyful times of the year. It is one of the most important liturgical seasons, being that in which we celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord. It can also be one of the most stressful times of the year. Now stress on a marriage can be in two forms: internal and external. Internal stresses are those between the couple themselves, while external are all those arising from children, family, friends, work, etc. These stresses are innumerable and come in varying degrees.
Awaiting the Immaculate Conception: Tears before the Feast
Pius tradition tells us that Mary’s parents, Saints Joachim and Anna, were elderly and had been struck with infertility. I say struck because infertility was seen in the Old Covenant as a mark of God’s displeasure. As is always the case, the Cross must be carried before the glory of the Resurrection. The greater the cross, the greater the glory. As with Sarah, Hannah, the parents of Saint John the Baptist and others, this was not a punishment. Rather, God was asking them to carry a great cross for a long time, holding on to hope.
Marital Lubricants: Morality and Efficacy
Please forgive the click bait title. It has come to my attention that some people think that artificial marital lubrication (sex lube) is somehow or other intrinsically evil or is only meant for immoral practices. Hopefully this article will set the record straight and set pious minds at ease.
Back Story
As is now public knowledge, we struggle with infertility. That has led to lots of time talking with Megan’s OB/GYN. One of the things that we quickly learned was that for couples like us, lubes may be medically recommended, but that not all lubes are created equal. A lube that seems safe (non-spermicidal) might be so thick that sperm can hardly swim in it. That has led to lots of research on this topic and was one of the reasons that we were inspired to launch Catholic Intimacy. We would rather spare other young Catholic couples the frustration of trying to be open to life and yet inadvertently self-sabotaging.
Intimacy Amidst Infertility
Of course he wanted to jump in and rescue me from myself, and assure me I shouldn’t feel that way, but I needed to give it to God. James’s reassurance was a band-aid to a much deeper issue that I felt like I should be in charge of my own timeline and I didn’t trust that the Lord would fulfill his promises to me.