Genre

Non Fiction

Audience

Engadged & Married Catholics

Author’s Worldview

Catholic

Year Published

2019

Themes

marriage, matrimony, sacraments, vocation, vocations, Catholicism, Catholic, family, chastity, sexual ethics, sacrifice, Eucharist, communion

 

Reviewed by

Ruby Shao

 To help restore marriage as a vocation among Catholics, How to Nourish Your Marriage: The Sacramental Method briefly explains how marriage benefits from the seven sacraments that Christ instituted as the essentials for every human life. Two chapters introduce the book and the sacraments as a whole. The next chapters treat, in order, “Matrimony,” “Baptism,” “Confirmation,” the “Anointing of the Sick,” “Holy Orders,” “Penance and Reconciliation,” and the “Eucharist.”

Subscribe to our Newsletter & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1

      Perhaps because Michael So studied as a seminarian before marrying, he almost seems to be writing homilies. Each chapter starts with Scripture, incorporates anecdotes, and explicates Church teaching, often with excellent references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. One can imagine a friendly, upbeat priest preaching such words to a congregation. The powerful discussion questions at the end of each chapter would enhance an Examination of Conscience. How to Nourish Your Marriage: The Sacramental Method would interest engaged or married Catholics, whether individually or as couples, who are seeking light tips in just 43 pages.

       So grounds his definition of the sacraments in several excerpts of the Catechism, summarizing the sacraments as “works of God that transform open and faithful recipients to be like Jesus” (6). He explains that the sacraments elevate natural elements of life into supernatural ones (7). Thus sanctified, humans who keep receiving the sacraments can join the family of God as His adopted sons and daughters for eternity (7).

      Launching from this solid overview of the sacraments, several of the chapters present compelling ideas. “Matrimony” likens the covenant between God and humanity to the covenant between husband and wife. Even as someone familiar with this parallel, I found fresh angles, especially with regard to Biblical history, the difference between heaven and hell, and the distinctively marital fruitfulness of not only creating but also raising children. “Baptism” calls for marital unity with a whimsical analogy involving trees. Attending to the nuances of why spouses might hold grudges against each other, “Penance and Reconciliation” supplies practical advice on forgiveness. “Eucharist” makes a touching comparison: “Every time the Eucharist is celebrated, the participants of the Mass are brought to the foot of Jesus’ Cross. Just so, every time a couple chooses to love each other, their matrimonial vows are in a sense made present and renewed” (38). So adds that “the Eucharist makes us into one flesh with God and with each other,” a family that lasts forever, just as every marriage should continue until the death of one of the spouses instead of ending in divorce (38–39). The final chapter, “Concluding Thoughts,” gives a moving exhortation from So’s heart.

      As the book assumes basic knowledge of each of the sacraments, it caters to Catholics specifically. How to Nourish Your Marriage offers many sweet lessons to believers on the path to matrimony.

Subscribe to our Newsletter & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1

 

Join Here for FREE to Never Miss a Deal

Find new favorites & Support Catholic Authors

Theology In the Bottle: Where Cana Meets the Cross By A. P. Schreck

Prayerful meditations to pair with your journal and a glass of wine.

Zeal & Zest: Where to Begin with Hillaire Belloc

Belloc was known as a Catholic polemicist with a vicious talent for skewering his opponents. Anyone struggling to persevere as a Christian in the fields of journalism or media should read him. His children’s books have an acerbic humor that will appeal to bored veterans of political correctness, especially teens.

Navigating Deep Waters: Meditations for Caregivers Jeannie Ewing and Eileen Benthal

If you’re a care-giver for a chronically sick family member or friend, this book is for you and your healing.

Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person By Luke Burgis and Joshua Miller, PhD

Every person is gifted with a primary vocation from birth based on motivational patterns.

Heavenly Hosts: Eucharistic Miracles for Kids by Kathryn Griffin Swegart, O.F.S.

Teach your children about the real presence through these short bedtime stories.

The Last Monks of Skellig Michael by Philip Kosloski

The Christian monastic roots of Star Wars’ Jedi Knights.

Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation By Fr. Josh Johnson

Fr. Josh addresses some of the common misconceptions people have about God and what getting to actually know him actually means.

On Heaven’s Doorstep by Andrea Jo Rodgers

When you’re on the front lines of life and death, it’s hard to avoid seeing real miracles.

Me, Ruby & God; A Journal of Spiritual Growth by Linda Crowley

A beautiful memoir about the love of God and the love of a good dog.

Revelations Of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich, read by Sr. Wendy Beckett, Edited by Donna K. Triggs

A 14th century account of visions exploring the meaning of love, and God as love.

Calling All Booklovers! – Editor Positions Open

Do you love reading books and getting other people to read them? Join our team and make your mark on today’s Catholic literary revival.

The Doha Experiment by Gary Wasserman

For a Catholic reader, the Doha Experiment offers a unique opportunity to understand both the Jewish mind and the Qatari culture.

Wanderings of an Ordinary Pilgrim by Tim Bete

Poetry that will take you deeper into Scripture and help you see the extraordinary in the simple.

Servant of the Suffering: Rose Hawthorne by Voyage Comics

The great-great-great-granddaughter of a Salem witch trial judge is on her way to Catholic sainthood.

Three Reformers: Luther, Descartes, Rousseau by Jacques Maritain

Reaching back to a forgotten era of integrated Christian philosophy, Maritain retrieves concepts that could solve the dissolution of postmodern society.

Finding God Anew by Barbara Kudwa

After multiple divorces, a suicide, and a murder, Barbara Kudwa shares how she found peace through her faith in God.

The Fisherman’s Tomb; The Story of the Vatican’s Secret Search by John O’Neill

The untold true story of the greatest treasure hunt of the century, all done under the noses of the Nazi invasion.