Another way for preparing for marriage is to sort out the mutual expectations between yourselves. For example you could sort out and discuss whether you are going to have children and if so, how many would you like. You could also discuss whether both partners intend to purse a career and other commitments like how much time will they spend together. Also there are other things that could be sorted out like how much freedom and space would they want and whether they both have the same hopes for the future like where they would like to live.
During the time of preparation, the couple could find opportunities to get to know each other in different situations and meet each other’s families. They could also begin to recognise and accept each other’s moods so they can adjust and get used to them. To help this even more, if you go to the Catholic Church, they usually require that a couple preparing for marriage should follow a pre-marriage course. This normally includes talks from doctors, solicitors, priests and some opinions on the ups and downs of married life from married couples. It also enables them to meet other engaged couples and to share and discuss their hopes and dreams for the future in a relaxed and realistic way. This will also encourage practical plans to be made like saving money, finding somewhere to live and preparing a house.
There are problems that may arise in society though because of the Roman Catholic teachings on marriage, but there are solutions to solve these problems. Firstly, a sacrament is supposed to be a legal bond between two people and because it is in society it is only a legal bond and not a sacrament. However, you should remember that you have been united by God and should share and show Christ’s love to everyone they meet through their marriage. This will help Catholics remember how important a sacrament is.
Another teaching, which causes problems in society, is love. Some people may get married just for money or so that they are entitled to visas but this is wrong as the only reason you should get married is because you love the person. Even so, people do think they love each other when they get married but then they can easily fall out of love for many reasons. To solve this, the married couple could try marriage guidance or speak to a priest as they may help you realise why you married the person in the first place. If they did not want to do that they could just try and talk to each other and work it out by themselves.
The teaching of a marriage being exclusive causes problems that arise society as well. Affairs and adultery are quite common thing that take place in our society today as some couples do not communicate with each other which is really bad. If there is no communication in a marriage, you do not know what you partner is feeling and if you do you can sort out problems before it gets to the point when someone has an affair. In the Catholic Church though, committing adultery is seen as just thinking about someone in an inapproiate way or having an affair, which sometimes can be hard. Another problem is that some couples share their husbands or wives with another couple, which is totally wrong. This is because a marriage is exclusive to only two people and not another couple. A solution to these problems is to admit that you have a problem and maybe receive counselling to resolve the situation.
These days, divorce is so easy to get in society and this is why some marriages don’t remain permanent. Some couples either fall out of love or change after they get married as they realise that they don’t really want to be married any more. If this happens, married couples can try and solve it by remembering that they are united by God. This then can lead to counselling to try and talk and work it out. Some marriages can be saved before hand though if couples communicate with each other so they know how each other are feeling.
Finally, the fruitful teaching about marriage causes many problems that can arise in society. Some couples just might not want children as it can sometimes drive a wedge between them. Married couples can not always have children though, as some might not be able to have them due to medical reasons or illnesses. To work around these problems, counselling could become an option as you may find that having children will have advantages and the couples that cannot have children should still try and pray as miracles like this did happen in the Old Testament.
Roman Catholics could put their beliefs about family into action by baptising their children and bringing them up in the Catholic faith. This includes taking them to mass, sending them to a Catholic school, receiving other sacraments and teaching them the values of the Christian teachings.
Finally, parents and children should learn to respect each other. They should treat each other fairly and listen to each to each, try not to shout or say horrible things to them and just communicate with each other. When parents grow old though, children should try and look after them out of mutual respect.
Overall, the main thing in a marriage is communication as everything in a marriage almost depends on it. If there is no communication though, the marriage is almost likely to be unsuccessful.
