5 Spiritual Disciplines You Should Be Doing as a Couple

The bible describes God’s relationship with is people as a marriage. And heaven as the marriage feast. Clearly, marriage is important to God and His church. It was elevated to a sacrament.

The most important job a man and woman have in marriage is getting each other to heaven. To be sanctified through their marital sacrament. So how do we stay holy as a couple? Here are FIVE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES you can do as a couple RIGHT NOW:

“Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Mt 19:4-6)

Number 5: Pray The Rosary

Of all the great gifts Our Lord has given us through his Holy Mother, the rosary is my favorite! Taking the time as a couple to reflect on the life of Jesus through the mysteries of the rosary and leaning into their teachings can be a source of comfort and strength. Are you experiencing infertility? Financial woes? The sorrowful mysteries prayed as a couple can remind us that Mary and Joseph also suffered as a couple, and persevered as a couple. They can show you the way through this moment and help strengthen your marriage.

Number 4: Attend Adoration Together

My husband and I have a Holy Hour together. During this time we pray as individual children of God, interceding for one another, for any personal/private intentions and to just talk to the Lord. Turning my head to watch this strong, logical man kneeling before the Lord, humble and supplicant... never fails to make me fall in love with him all over again! After our Holy Hour, we sometimes share some special insight we gleaned during our prayers, sometimes we just smile at one another and quietly hold hands we as we walk toward our car.

“The sorrowful mysteries prayed as a couple can remind us that Mary and Joseph also suffered as a couple, and persevered as a couple.”

Number 3: Attend Daily Mass Together

Oh, to be united in the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith! Listening to a good (or not-so-inspired) homily, attending at least one extra Mass together is a wonderful way to carve out more time as a couple. If it is possible to incorporate it into your date night, so much the better! The daily readings are a wonderful way to talk about faith and to discuss how it applies to your particular situation. And let's face it: homilies, no matter the kind, are a great source of conversation!

Number 2: Fast For One Another

Love is sacrificial. A sacramental love puts the good of the other above the self. Nothing brings this home more than to fast for your spouse. Try it. I'll wait. It's hard. I mean it is really hard. Fasting from food is definitely one way to go about it, but how about fasting from something you enjoy doing? Or fasting from criticism? Or fasting from judgement? When you offer it up for your spouse you give your sacrifice a beautiful purpose. "Lord, I offer this fast for the sake of my spouse. That it may bring him/her closer to you." The purpose of marriage is the sanctification of the spouses. Your job is to bring your spouse to heaven. What a beautiful sacrifice to do something for them they may never even know about.

Number 1: Keep Christ at the Center

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, " A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." When Jesus is at the center of our marriage He strengthens the ties that bind us as spouses. Two are stronger than one, yes, but two broken and wounded people cannot withstand the vagaries of life without Jesus. Two well-intentioned and loving people can only do as much as is humanly possible. Jesus, interwoven into our lives, is a cord which ties us to the sacramental, the supernatural. It is through His strength alone that we can truly elevate our marriages and persevere even in the most trying of times.