Pastoral Counseling, Volume 2
A Guide to Marriage Preparation

The marital pedagogy and the essential vision of marriage is applied to immediate preparation as well as some pre-marital inventory instruments. The book covers educating children through principal learning stages of development as well as utilizing truth and the meaning of human sexuality.

This volume begins with an overview of marriage preparation including:

• Disposition of couples
• Cultural influences, including co-habitation
• The use of demographics
• Most common problem dynamics
• Major objectives & fundamental tasks in a marriage

The essential sacramental content is identified within vocation, vow, and covenant, seeing marriage as a sacrament and a sign of Christ's love. This leads to an excellent orientation on the good of marriage. The book offers a unique and valuable view of Christian sexuality and how its symbolism, honesty, and justice relate to the procreative and unitive elements of marriage.

This volume also discusses the practical orientation on Natural Family Planning (NFP) versus Contraception, the meaning of the Child, and the justifiable reasons for using it and how it works.

In totality, this book offers insights on how to care for couples in their personal encounters, thus meeting them where they are. This will bring up the issue of intimacy, which is a critical dynamic for any seminarian or priest to appreciate. The priest will not only see what the couples see but also help them see what the Church sees while they journey and encounter Christ in their marriage.

$55.00