Lately, I have struggled with society’s misunderstanding of a sexual union. My husband and I give the sex talk in pre-Cana. We explain the Church’s teaching on the unitive and procreative nature of the sexual union and why it is a holy, blessed union between a husband and wife. I struggle with the misuse of this union that I witness daily.
One example, is the couple that has replaced food for intimacy. They rarely experience true sexual intimacy and have gotten into the habit of replacing it with activities that revolve around eating.
No less confused, is the physically fit couple who treat the gloriously beautiful sexual relationship as another activity to be checked off their list and plugged into their calorie counters.
Then, there are the couples who exude sexuality and do not understand that marriage is not an excuse for lust. They want everyone to know just how much they desire each other rather than protecting the privacy of their union.
Lastly, there are those couples who have given up on the intimate part of their marriage altogether. Perhaps they fell out of the habit, or didn’t make the time to nurture that part of their relationship.
When we lose sight of the importance of our married, sexual intimacy, we diminish the sacrament of marriage itself. God gave us the gift of our sexuality so that we can feel united to our spouse, heal hurts between the husband and wife, and so that the two can become one. He also provide us with the sexual union as a means to bring forth life and cooperate with the grace of God’s creation! What an extraordinary gift!!
When we understand the beauty of what has been entrusted to us, we will see our marriages in a new and luminous light. The intimate parts of our marriage need to be protected, nurtured, and appreciated as the precious gifts they are.
