Marriage: Unity with Imperfections

In this week’s episode, Dr. Sri is joined by his wife, Beth Sri, as they talk about the Holy Trinity and its relationship with marriage and family life. They talk about things like how love plays its part in the Trinity, fighting perfectionism in marriage, and practical ways to build unity in your marriage and family. 

Text ALLTHINGSCATHOLIC to 33-777 for weekly shownotes sent to your inbox. 

Snippet from the Show

The light of Christ shines in the darkest places.


Shownotes

“The real goal in marriage is embracing the truth of our imperfections.”


Shownotes



How does the Holy Trinity relate to marriage?



The Holy Trinity

“He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.”

1 John 4:8

In order for there to be love, there must be a lover and a beloved. In other words, someone must be loving, and someone else must be loved. Through this union, there is a shared love that is expressed through both receiving and giving. When we relate this to the Trinity, God the Father is the lover, Jesus the Son is the beloved, and the Holy Spirit is the love that is shared between the Father and the Son. 



How does this relationship connect to marriage?

“God in his deepest mystery is not a solitude, but a  family, since he has in himself fatherhood, sonship, and the essence of the family which is love.” 

Pope St. John Paul II

The Holy Trinity isn’t like a family, it is family. Our human families are meant to reflect and participate in the reality of the Trinity. God made us in his image and likeness, but even as we see in Genesis 1, he says “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. This is the first glimpse we have into the mystery of the Trinity. And since we were made in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity, we are meant to reflect this image in our own families, and especially our marriages. 



Now let’s get practical…

“Unity with imperfection”

Sometimes as Catholics we can get caught up in the desire to become perfect disciples of Christ, saints, leaders, etc. However, it’s important to remember that we are still human, and perfection is something that can only be achieved when fully united to the Lord in Heaven. This goes for our marriages as well. When Dr. Sri and Beth were going through Marriage Prep, their spiritual director encouraged them to focus on “unity with imperfection.” Of course, we all want to have holy marriages and wonderful family relationships, and that’s a beautiful desire the Lord has given us. However, it’s important to not get caught up in perfectionism when we fall short of perfection. 



Ways to build unity in your marriage and family

Here are some practical ways to build unity in your marriage and family, without focusing too much on perfection:

  1. Pray a daily decade of the rosary together
  2. Make sure you take time for each other (date nights, couple activities, etc.)
  3. Take time for your own self-care


A Poem on Love

Love that is their very essence, love that is their unity.
The more love tends to oneness, the more love is and more will be. 

St. John of the Cross, on the Holy Trinity


Resources:

Visit Dr. Sri’s website at https://edwardsri.com/ 
Subscribe to our show by texting “allthingscatholic” to 33-777
Find more of Dr. Sri’s episodes at ascensionpress.com/allthingscatholic 
Email Dr. Sri at info.edwardsri@gmail.com The Catholic Marriage Summit


Dr. Edward Sri is a theologian, well-known Catholic speaker, and author of several best-selling books. His work with Ascension includes study programs such as A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, No Greater Love: A Biblical Walk Through Christ’s Passion and Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother. Several of Dr. Sri’s programs were filmed on-site in the Holy Land, and feature immersive video explorations of the sacred sites where Jesus, Mary, and the Apostles lived and died.

Dr. Sri is the host of the acclaimed Ascension podcast All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri.  Together with Curtis Martin, Dr. Sri is a founding leader of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), of which he serves as senior vice president of Apostolic Outreach.

Dr. Sri lives with his wife Beth and their children in Colorado.



Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Never Miss an Episode!

Get show notes, exclusive bonus content, and more sent straight to your inbox.