This year, the Office for Marriage and Family Life will honor over 370 couples from the Diocese who are celebrating 50+ years of marriage. All totaled, this represents over 18,400 years of marriage, over 6.5 million days of marriage and nearly 161 million hours of wedded bliss. In this time of skyrocketing divorce, what have these couples done to be masters at marriage?
Research shows that kindness is like the glue that holds a couple together. When it is coupled with emotional stability, it is the most important predictor of satisfaction and permanence in marriage. Contempt, on the other hand, tears a couple apart. Spouses who have a habit of criticism miss a whopping 50% of the positive things that their beloved does for them.
Marriage masters like those celebrating 50+ years in our diocese create a climate of trust and intimacy that makes both spouses more emotionally and physically comfortable. The primary way that they put their spouse at ease is by responding with kindness and generosity. In contrast, the disasters create a sense of contempt because they responded with criticism, hostility, and neglect.