Discerning Marriage

Breakups are painful, but what if they don't mean you failed? In this episode, Elizabeth shares her biggest convictions about breakups, from why every breakup can be successful discernment to why she recommends 40 days without contact after a relationship ends. You'll learn why numbing your pain, rebounding, and seeking comfort in new relationships can make healing harder, and how to honor the heart of someone you've loved, even when you're no longer together. Most importantly, Elizabeth invites you to bring your heartbreak to Jesus and discover how rejection and suffering can draw you into a deeper relationship with Him. You are not alone, and there is hope on the other side.

Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Gaitley https://ignatius.com/consoling-the-heart-of-jesus-chjp/
Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

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What if the biggest obstacle to discerning marriage isn’t finding the right person, but learning to trust God?In this conversation, Father Chris Alar and Elizabeth talk about Divine Mercy, past sexual sin and bondage, fear of choosing the wrong spouse, scrupulosity, spiritual direction, and how God works through the decisions we make. Father Chris also shares powerful lessons from St. Faustina’s Diary about spiritual warfare, temptation, forgiveness, sacrifice, and trust. They unpack what love actually requires in marriage, including the difference between masculine leadership and domination, feminine receptivity and submission, and why both husband and wife are called to sacrifice.If you’re dating, discerning marriage, or struggling to trust God with your future, this conversation is for you.Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Deluxe Burgundy Leather: https://shopmercy.org/diary-of-saint-maria-faustina-kowalska-deluxe-burgundy-leather.htmlDivine Mercy Plus: https://divinemercyplus.org/
Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:
🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

What should dating actually look like if you’re discerning marriage? Elizabeth breaks down the six stages she recommends: singleness, friendship, dating, committed relationship, pre-engagement, and engagement. She explains when to become exclusive, why multiple first dates can be appropriate, when physical intimacy should enter the picture, and why commitment shouldn’t be taken lightly. She also explores why your single season matters, the importance of healing and community, and why the hardest conversations should happen before engagement. Finally, Elizabeth explains how intentional pre-engagement discernment can change your engagement and help you enter marriage having already asked the questions that matter most.

⁠Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info ⁠
⁠Next Step: A Course for Discerning Marriage ⁠
⁠Discerning Marriage x Emily Chapman ⁠

📸 ⁠Elizabeth’s Instagram⁠

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our ⁠Next Step⁠ course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:
🛍️ ⁠⁠Store⁠

What if the patterns sabotaging your relationships began long before you met the person you want to marry? Dr. Gerry Crete shares how trauma, attachment styles, and unresolved wounds can shape the people we pursue, the relationships we struggle to sustain, and even the ways we turn to pornography or other behaviors for comfort. Elizabeth and Dr. Crete also unpack Internal Family Systems and its compatibility with Catholic faith. They discuss healing before marriage, recognizing self-sabotage, learning to love imperfect people, and using prayer and therapy to move toward secure attachment with Christ and others.

Souls & Hearts: https://www.soulsandhearts.com/
Pateris Agape: https://www.youtube.com/@PaterasAgape

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:
🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

Lance and Nicole have been married for 30 years, but their story of marriage and family didn't unfold the way they expected. They open up about infertility, miscarriage, grief, and the temptation to become bitter when the future you've imagined disappears. They also challenge the common advice to simply “adopt” and explain why adoption and infertility require very different discernment. Along the way, they share how suffering unexpectedly led to deep relationships with spiritual sons and daughters, including priests and young people they helped accompany through life. This is a conversation about loss, trust, parenthood, marriage, and discovering what God can bring from suffering.Nicole's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolerodriguezoffical/

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:
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