Marriage Discernment, Virtuous Friendships, and Tithing

Fr. Josh answers questions about discerning marriage, cultivating friendships that help us grow in virtue, and the Church's teaching on tithing and being generous with our money.

"Vocations are born from a relationship with Christ, and a relationship with Jesus is born from prayer."

Questions

Discerning Marriage

Hi Fr. Josh!

I had the blessing of meeting you and your parish right before quarantine! Since then, I began dating a strong Christian man who helps me grow in my faith. We've know each other a long time, and we are at the stage of discerning marriage.

Do you have any resources or tools to help us discern? We are both serious about our faith and love the Church's teachings on marriage.

Hopefully, one day soon, I'll be able to introduce you to Tony at Mass :)

Blessings,

Jenn and Tony

Virtuous Friendships

Hi Fr. Josh
I am a college student who was raised in the faith but definitely fell away from it for a time. During my first couple of years at school, I found myself in the depths of the "typical college lifestyle" (drinking, partying, drugs, etc) until God made it clear that only He can satisfy us!! So by the grace of God, I quit those bad habits and started living out the faith. My problem is this - all my college friendships started when I was in that lifestyle. So even though I have changed, all my best friends are still doing the same things. I have no problem being around them without falling into it myself, but I feel like it can't be good for me to be surrounded by sin all the time. At the same time, I want to stay close to them - first, to be a witness to them to Jesus, and second, since they are my closest friends. Is it wrong to want to hold onto these friendships? How can I bring Jesus to these friends? How can I pursue virtuous friendships? And how do I find a balance between them being near-occasions of sin vs. me wanting to evangelize??

-Anonymous

Tithing

Fr. Josh,

I really like financial planning and God willing, I should hopefully have more money than I really need when I retire. Do you have any advice on deciding how much money I give to the Church or charity vs giving to my children or grandchildren? Thanks and please keep the podcasts coming.

-Zach

Resources

• Submit your questions and feedback to Fr. Josh by filling out a form at www.ascensionpress.com/askfatherjosh
• Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday by Danielle Bean
• Broken and Blessed by Fr. Josh Johnson
• Pocket Guide to Adoration by Fr. Josh Johnson
• Pocket Guide to Reconciliation by Fr. Josh Johnson & Fr. Mike Schmitz
• Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings.

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