The couple that prays together stays happy together
Author Harold J. Sala said that a question was raised, “ Does prayer make a difference in a marriage?” Catholic priest and sociologist, Andrew M. Greeley answered, “It does. When people pray together, they have far greater chance of dealing with problems that cause the marriages of others to crash and burn. Prayer doesn’t eliminate all the problems but gives individuals a means of coping with them.”
Sala in his book, 365 Guidelines For Daily Living, writes that a survey revealed that 75 percent of couples who pray together say their marriage is “very happy” compared to 57 percent of those who never pray. Inversely, 58 percent of those “who are not very religious” have serious marital problems compared with 45 percent of those who describe themselves as religious.
One may ask, “What does prayer do for a couple?” Sala points out the following benefits:
Prayer reduces us to the same level. The issue of power – who is in charge – is one of the most frequent causes of marital battles. But when you pray, you are on equal footing. Prayer forces us to recognize that God is sovereign and we are His mere creatures.
Prayer brings an arbitrator or referee to the table. Prayer lowers the emotional temperature. Arguments are gradually diffused as you say, “Lord, we look at the issue differently. But we want your will. What do you want us to do?”
Prayer is the key to communication. It’s hard to be angry when you vent your emotions openly and honestly before God. Prayer drains the bitterness from your heart, which then enables you to communicate, to talk about what concerns you.
Prayer therapy changes your heart and mellows your spirit. The benefit here is not in saying words without meaning, but meaning what you say which then gradually helps you to change your life.
Prayer results in intimacy and sexual fulfillment which can happen no other way than through spiritual reunion. The greater the couple’s religious commitment, the more satisfying is their sexual relationship. In fact, praying the Rosary together offers some of the following promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary as cited by the Catholic.org website:
•You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
• I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
• Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
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