Husband and Wife: The Joys Sorrows and Glories of Married Life

The Bible says, "male and female he created them." (Gen. 1;28). Expounding on the theme that marriage is an institution and a Sacrament created by God, Fr. Wickens outlines the principles of Catholic marriage in a succinct yet dignified and insightful manner that will both tickle the reader's funny bone and soberly enlighten and inspire him with the reasonableness, practicality and holy purpose of the institution of marriage as it was created by God. Written completely from the traditional Catholic perspective - that recognizes the primary purpose of marriage as the procreating and raising of children - Husband and Wife never drags, never gets preachy, and always stays interesting. Covered here are the psychological differences in men and women, how they approach problems in a different manner, the importance of the physical and psychological and spiritual union of the two partners, the problems facing married people today, separate interests, sympathy and understanding, weakening of home life, prevalence of adultery, how to offset materialism, how marriage belongs to God, that God has made the rules, that marriage is a vocation and a Sacrament, mutual love and help, educating the children, common complaints, lack of confidence, communication, economic worries, in-laws, birth control, the morality of spacing children, etc., etc. Here is a book that every Catholic should read and definitely one that every engaged or married Catholic should read . . . or anyone considering marriage - not that Fr. Wickens has said everything about marriage that can be said, but he has surely established the ground rules for this God-given institution in a no-nonsense manner that will stick with the reader always.