Joy Filled Marriage.pdf

G God’s Plan For a Joy-Filled Marriage is a marriage preparation supplement

Based on Pope John Paul II’s theology of the Body, this supplement need

not replace current diocesan or parish programs. rather, it is intended

to enhance a key component of marriage preparation: catechesis in the

theology of marriage and the gift of human sexuality.

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage can be implemented as a one-day

seminar or over multiple evenings.

“the program was wonderful. I plan to return

—stephanie s.

A C o m P e l l I n g V I s I o n

thAt sPeAks to the

heArts of todAy's CouPles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When people think of the Catholic Church’s teaching on sex and

marriage, they often think of a list of “prohibitions.” others who

live the Church’s teachings often do so with an “I’m-coping-with-it,

but-I’m-not-happy” attitude. God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage offers

a refreshing, liberating vision of marriage and sexuality—one that

helps couples fully embrace, and even celebrate, god’s glorious plan

for their lives.

God's Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage provides couples with a rich

understanding of the teachings of the Church and offers them the

tools to live married life as god intended. the creators of the program

believe that when engaged couples understand god’s plan for marriage,

including a clear and pastoral explanation of the “difficult teachings,”

they come away from the program with a sense of liberation and

gratitude rather than resentment toward the Church.

that offers engaged couples a more compelling presentation of god's

glorious plan for marital love than perhaps any program available in the

Church today.

to the Church because of it and I’m so excited.

thank you so much, this program has truly

touched my life.”

“my fiancée and

I have grown and

deepened our love

and commitment to

Christ more from this

program than in our

whole relationship.”

P r o g r A m o u t l I n e

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage is divided into two main parts, each with

three engaging presentations and two reflection exercises for couples.

Part 1 – Catholic Faith & Your Marriage

—steve s.

It is the common experience of those who work with engaged couples that the faith

of these couples is most often in need of rediscovery, nourishment, and maturation.

Following the basic Christian schema of “Creation, Fall, and Redemption,” Part I

provides a reflection on the Word of God as understood by the Church in regard to

God’s plan for marriage and our need for Christ. It also helps couples understand

the nature and meaning of the commitments they make in their exchange of vows.

Part 1 includes three presentations:

“this was the best

presentation of

Catholic teaching I

have ever heard.”

—melanie f.

• God’sPlanforMarriage“IntheBeginning”

• ChristRestoresGod’sPlanforMarriage

• WhatAreYouSaying“IDo”To?

Part 2 – Sacramental Sexuality

While many factors have contributed to the breakdown of marriage and family

life, special attention must be given to the widespread acceptance of new sexual

attitudes and “lifestyles.” There is no sidestepping this often difficult aspect of

marriage preparation. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body provides the positive

approach we need. Building on the foundation laid in Part 1, Part 2 of God’s Plan

for a Joy-filled Marriage presents the joys of “sexual honesty” before and within

marriage. Part 2 includes three presentations:

“If my fiancée and

I had learned these

teachings of the Church

on sexuality sooner,

we would never have

become sexually active.”

—mark m

• TheJoyofSexualHonestyBeforeMarriage

• TheJoyofSexualHonestyWithinMarriage

• SomePracticalBenefitsofNaturalFamilyPlanning

ProgrAm mAterIAls

“this class has

renewed my faith in

the Catholic Church.”

—Jennifer W.

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage comes with resources for both the couples and

instructors/facilitators. For couples, we offer a workbook and a text book:

Workbook:

Each person will receive a God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage workbook

for use throughout the class. The workbook is laid out in an easy-to-use

format. *

Textbook:

Each couple will receive a copy of the highly-acclaimed book GoodNews

AboutSex&Marriage:AnswerstoYourHonestQuestionsaboutCatholic

Teaching . The workbook cross references more than 115 topics covered in

more detail in this text. It is an invaluable resource that couples will turn to

as they discern the issues they face in marriage.

“As an evangelical

Christian, I was blown

away...I am now

considering taking

rCI A.”

* An instructor's edition of this workbook is also available.

—lisa r.

“This program has been exceptionally beneficial and has brought us closer together in love of each other, and in deeper union with the Catholic Church.”—Rebecca W.

Faith Should Be Proposed , Not Imposed

trAInIng ProgrAm

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The creators of God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage

believe that the key to a successful program is not

only its content, but also the people who facilitate

or teach the program. We have created turn-key

training programs to help you bring one of the

most effective marriage preparation programs

available in the Catholic Church today to your

parish and diocese. For more information about our

training program, visit www.JoyFilledMarriage.com

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage works from the premise

that Catholic teaching can never be imposed , only proposed ,

especially in our modern culture where messages that

are contrary to the Catholic vision of marital love are

commonplace. We realize that we are presenting the

Church’s vision to a skeptical audience that will ask many

valid and understandable questions. We also know that

pastoral sensitivity is vital to transmitting the message

successfully.

We believe that when Catholic teaching is upheld in its full

splendor, it does not need to be foisted on anyone. men

and women are naturally attracted to the beauty of god’s

plan for marital love; most couples simply have never heard

it presented in a sensible, appealing way.

God’s Plan for a Joy-filled Marriage seeks

to do just that—present the fullness of

Catholic teaching on marital love in all its

beauty. the rest is in god’s hands.

T “this program is the first that I have heard that offered candid and logically sound

—tom s.

Life-Changing Results

91% were sexually active coming into

the program.

48% (of the above 91%) said they will save

sex until marriage because of this program. An

additional 20% said they were now considering

saving sex for marriage.

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage is based on the

highly successful program first developed in the late

1990s by the marriage and family life office in the

Archdiocese of denver. one of the first steps the

Archdiocsese took was to implement a survey that

addressed “lifestyle” questions—both before and after

couples went through the program. the results were

extraordinary.

31% stated they will “definitely use” natural family

planning in their marriages because of this seminar.

45% “may use NFP” in their marriage.

78% came away with a better understanding of the

Catholic vision of marriage.

50% came away with a more positive impression of

the Catholic Church.

48% planned to be more active in their faith as a

result of the program.

having surveyed more than two thousand couples over

a five-year period, the creators of God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled

Marriage found that:

61% made a deeper commitment to

Christ as a result of this program.

“This program has been exceptionally beneficial and has brought us closer together in love of each other, and in deeper union with the Catholic Church.”—Rebecca W.

discussions about Catholic teaching on sex and marriage. I am truly appreciative.”

Strengthen Your Marriage Preparation

Program with a New Supplement

Based on the Theology of the Body

God's Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage is a

supplemental marriage preparation workshop

designed to help today's couples understand

and embrace an authentic Catholic vision of

married love. It's the first program of its kind

to integrate thoroughly the "new language" of

Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in its

presentation of Church teaching.

God's Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage

demonstrates the "whys" behind the "whats"

of Catholic teaching in a non-threatening

and convincing manner. It helps couples

understand the beauty of God's plan for

marriage and the joy of living it. Originally

created for the Archdiocese of Denver, God's

Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage , recently revised

and updated, is now available for use in

parishes and dioceses throughout the country.

A Supplement, Not a Replacement

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage is a supplement

to existing marriage preparation programs. It is

designed to enhance two key components: the

theology of marriage and the gift of human sexuality.

place a strong emphasis on marriage

as a Christian vocation to which

couples are called and to give them

the means to live it fully through

marriage-preparation programs

which are ‘serious in purpose,

excellent in content, sufficient in

length, and obligatory in nature.’”

—John Paul II

Most marriage preparation programs provide

couples with only an hour or two of instruction on

the theology of marriage and sexuality, God's Plan

for a Joy-Filled Marriage provides couples with a

more thorough presentation and explanation of

the teachings of the Church. Its “pedagogy,” or

approach to teaching, is both rich in content and

pastorally sensitive.

The program is divided into two main parts, each

with three engaging presentations and two reflection

exercises for couples. The program can be taught

by an instructor or by using our videos/DVDs. The

course can be offered in a single day (with morning

and afternoon sessions) or over a series of evenings

(from two to six sessions).

God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage

is available in Spanish.

I “I encourage you to continue to

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