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Commitment, chastity, mercy are the building blocks for a happy marriage
Mary Rice Hasson
Catholic Review
“What’s the most important factor in a successful marriage?”
Over the years, I’ve posed that question to hundreds of couples attending marriage preparation classes. These couples were there, after all (aside from the need to meet diocesan requirements), for that reason: to learn how to build successful marriages and to be sure their own relationships were on track.
Of course, engaged couples always envision happy marriages for themselves. Nobody ever sets out to fail. But inside, they worry. Is it really possible?
All too often, couples would tell me, their own parents were perfect models … of marriages they didn’t want. Others saw how quickly the marriages of a favorite uncle, older sister or college buddy spiraled into failure, marred by cheating, abuse or bitterness.
Because marriage looks so risky to young couples, finding the “success factor” matters a lot.
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