Marriage: Unity with Imperfections
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In this week’s episode, Dr. Sri is joined by his wife, Beth Sri, as they talk about the Holy Trinity and its relationship with marriage and family life. They talk about things like how love plays its part in the Trinity, fighting perfectionism in marriage, and practical ways to build unity in your marriage and family.
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“The real goal in marriage is embracing the truth of our imperfections.”
How does the Holy Trinity relate to marriage?
The Holy Trinity
“He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.”
1 John 4:8
In order for there to be love, there must be a lover and a beloved. In other words, someone must be loving, and someone else must be loved. Through this union, there is a shared love that is expressed through both receiving and giving. When we relate this to the Trinity, God the Father is the lover, Jesus the Son is the beloved, and the Holy Spirit is the love that is shared between the Father and the Son.
How does this relationship connect to marriage?
“God in his deepest mystery is not a solitude, but a family, since he has in himself fatherhood, sonship, and the essence of the family which is love.”
Pope St. John Paul II
The Holy Trinity isn’t like a family, it is family. Our human families are meant to reflect and participate in the reality of the Trinity. God made us in his image and likeness, but even as we see in Genesis 1, he says “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. This is the first glimpse we have into the mystery of the Trinity. And since we were made in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity, we are meant to reflect this image in our own families, and especially our marriages.
Now let’s get practical…
“Unity with imperfection”
Sometimes as Catholics we can get caught up in the desire to become perfect disciples of Christ, saints, leaders, etc. However, it’s important to remember that we are still human, and perfection is something that can only be achieved when fully united to the Lord in Heaven. This goes for our marriages as well. When Dr. Sri and Beth were going through Marriage Prep, their spiritual director encouraged them to focus on “unity with imperfection.” Of course, we all want to have holy marriages and wonderful family relationships, and that’s a beautiful desire the Lord has given us. However, it’s important to not get caught up in perfectionism when we fall short of perfection.
Ways to build unity in your marriage and family
Here are some practical ways to build unity in your marriage and family, without focusing too much on perfection:
- Pray a daily decade of the rosary together
- Make sure you take time for each other (date nights, couple activities, etc.)
- Take time for your own self-care
A Poem on Love
Love that is their very essence, love that is their unity.
St. John of the Cross, on the Holy Trinity
The more love tends to oneness, the more love is and more will be.
Resources:
Visit Dr. Sri’s website at https://edwardsri.com/
Subscribe to our show by texting “allthingscatholic” to 33-777
Find more of Dr. Sri’s episodes at ascensionpress.com/allthingscatholic
Email Dr. Sri at info.edwardsri@gmail.com The Catholic Marriage Summit