101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Married Life (Responses to 101 Questions)

At once an eye-opening yet highly reassuring book for those who are about to start their life together, 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Married Life explores what happens when the vows are taken and real life begins. Basing their book on the concept that marriage is a domestic church and that the church itself is the body of Christ where all the parts of the body should work for the good of the whole, the authors combine solid theology of marriage and marital issues with real situations―challenges and joys―that are part of married life. The questions and answers are arranged according to the following topics: 1. Qualities of a Good Catholic Marriage 2. Living Out the Marriage Vows 3. The Blessings and Challenges Children Bring to Catholic Marriage 4. The Maturing Catholic Marriage And they include such issues as finance, sexuality, children, in-laws, and communication. While the book is informational, it functions as well as a tool to facilitate communication between a married couple. It offers real-life experience from couples who have been married a long time as well as the theological basis and history of Catholic marriage. Highly practical and filled with real-life examples, as well as an easy read, this book is ideal for college theology courses on marriage, classes on Christian sexuality and marriage, as well as parish marriage preparation programs. And it pairs wonderfully with Kendall and Nappi's previous 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Marriage Preparation. †

Catherine Johnston is director of mission leadership and manager for spiritual care at Providence Centralia Hospital. She resides in Olympia, WA.