Christian Courtship in an Oversexed World

I recently bought a copy of a book that I am finding tremendously interesting! It is called Christian Courtship in an Oversexed World. It is written by a Catholic Priest, Father Thomas Morrow, and it really is revolutionary.



In this book he sets up guidelines and advises single Catholics on how to find an appropriate spouse and how to proceed with a chaste Courtship to produce an excellent, happy marriage. As he puts it, by following his guidelines, he feels that people will be happy in both this life AND the next.

I'm really enjoying the book. Courtship is something I've been interested in a long time as a mother, it is something I have always planned to use with my children as they reach young adulthood. And I have always felt looking back that my husband and I [who were both practicing no religion at all when we met] basically cursed our marriage through living the "norm" for dating couples - premarital sex, living together before marriage, and just basically being little heathens in every sense. It was a terrible start to Holy Matrimony, and though we both came back to the Church [I had a "reconversion" and he had a "conversion"], I feel that we opened doors to demonic oppression and to real unhappiness through our unchaste behavior. And this divorce is part and parcel of the fruit of that Sin.

I do not want that for my children.

And, of course, now I am in the surprising situation of considering remarriage myself. Should I choose to remarry at some point, I *definitely* want to follow the Courtship model outlined in this book. I have decided I will not spend any time with any man who is not interested in pursuing a chaste courtship. Period. [That should weed out a ton of bad choices right there LOL!]

I am also realizing that my children will be watching me *very closely* in the coming years. Most of my children are too young to remember my marriage with my [soon to be] former husband. I think only my oldest child [9yo] will have any real recollection of our relationship. While that makes me sad, it also gives me an opportunity to model much healthier ways of living out my vocation.

I do not want any of my children to suffer the kind of difficulty in marriage that I have suffered, and I certainly don't want any of them to suffer through a divorce and having fatherless/motherless children.

I now have the opportunity to model a healthy Courtship for them - to seek a partner only through following the Laws and Will of God. To seek prayerfully and patiently. To use my brain to screen out inappropriate possibilities, and to use my intellect to seek out the character traits that are important. To use prayer and Adoration as my guide.

I am older and wiser and my faith is much more well formed at this point. If the day comes that I do remarry, I truly believe that with the help of God, it will be a much holier and happier union; a union that will help us both [and our children] get to Heaven.

I am also still open to the idea that God may call me to religious life when my children are older as well. I am closing no doors and I am trying to listen intently to what God is telling me.

I need to find a way to spend more time in Adoration though - THAT is where I hear His voice most clearly, but only when I'm there without 5 children in tow. [They drown out anything - even the voice of God! LOL!]

Anyway, I strongly encourage all of you who have children who may be approaching puberty soon [and really all of them are! It happens sooner than we ever imagine!] to pick up a copy of this book and read it. And especially if you have children that my children may have a romantic interest in at some point LOL! ;)

Buy it for your God Children and the priests you know who do Spiritual Direction or who work a lot with young adults too!