Talk from Ruth Institute: “Tips for Happy Marriage and Effective Parenting.”

I have gotten to know Ruth Institute and its chief Jennifer Roback Morse over the years at Acton University. I direct the married and the engaged, and those who sense that their vocation is to the married life, to this fine talk by Betsy Kerekes – threaded with good humor – on how to deal with daily tensions between spouses and kids.

“Tips for Happy Marriage and Effective Parenting.”  HERE

Check it out.

I was also very much in favor of their graphic:

Ruth Institute Aquinas

Go to Confession

So who is the bald guy at the top of this newsletter?

That is St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274. He is widely considered the smartest man in the Western world since St. Augustine, who died in 430.  

What is he talking about, “sin makes you stupid?”
He’s making an astute observation about the human condition. When we do things that we know to be wrong, we go into self-protection mode: we kid ourselves, rationalize, refuse to see things that contradict our predilections, and generally act like idiots.

Did he literally say that?
No. Actually, he said “sin darkens the intellect” and a whole lot of other intelligent stuff too. Check out his Summa Theologica. (Don’t worry: only the title is in Latin. You can get it in English.)

I don’t even believe in sin. I don’t have to believe this Catholic stuff.
That’s true. You don’t have to believe it. Check it out for yourself. Watch and see: when people do something against their own value system, they quite often lose their minds. Unless and until they make amends.

[…]

So… listen and check them out.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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2 Comments

  1. Another well-respected theologian wrote, simply: “Sin separates”. In the light of the statement of St. Thomas, as well as this one, it is not hard to grasp the critical importance of–daily–striving for sanctity, and helping your spouse in whatever way that you can. My wife and I have been through hell on earth numerous time due to my health problems. Thankfully, those times have been ones where we lean on God in prayer the most, because the call to receptivity becomes MOST real as we struggle to “put one foot in front of the other”, to use a common phrase. For us, it is during those time when medication gives me a bit of a break when we need to focus on the reality that sin separates us: Regular confession, daily mental prayer, and small thoughtful gestures keep us sane and close as we strive to cooperate with God’s grace.

  2. Blaine says:

    ~13:00 she says KYMS: Keep Your Mouth Shut. I think of something I believe to be witty, it comes out rather snarky [to paraphrase her words].

    Yup! I’m seriously working on snarkiness this Lent (I noticed my snarkiness bad as I headed out the door for Ash Wednesday Mass). Good to hear I’m not alone here. K-Y-M-S is going to be in my head now.

    Great talk, thanks Fr. Z for sharing.

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