Celebrate Catholic Marriage with Love that is Sacrificial.  Choose Mercy and Forgiveness 

7 opportunities to read individually or together. Let the redemptive story arc in the books be a model for you to bless your marriage with a willingness to embrace sacrificial love by giving and receiving forgiveness. 

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1) The DEAL by Chuck Neff   (If you have not read it yet…go for it now!)

https://www.virtuesearch.com/content-detail/77356/the-deal 

A motorcycle mishap mysteriously launched Charlie into the romance of his dreams. But his once-happy marriage is now running on empty. He wants out. Speeding toward the finish line on a mega-deal for his law firm, he takes an unexpected detour to his hometown in western Nebraska... and a haunting reunion with an old high school friend. Their tumultuous two-day encounter ricochets from a small church, to a majestic bluff, to a mysterious cabin. The clash of friends leads Charlie to a gut-wrenching dilemma: an internal collision of anger, frustration, passion, and faith. Charlie discovers that to achieve the deal of a lifetime, it will cost him everything. His very soul is on the line. This is the ride of his life. Great novel offering reflection on the trials and triumphs possible in any Catholic Marriage.

2) Instagram posts by Stephanie Weinert (True stories) in which she invites real-life couples to share their special marriage stories. “Catholic Love Story Challenge”  Search with the hashtag: #fridayintroductionsourlovestory

These quick nuggets of hope when marriage is hard, and the power of  God’s providence, can offer a boost for both husbands and wives.

 

3) Rachel's Contrition by Michelle Buckman (Fiction)

https://www.virtuesearch.com/content-detail/77354/rachel's-contrition 

After the death of her daughter, grief-spawned delusions cause Rachel to lose her husband, her home, and custody of her son. Help arrives from two unlikely sources: a young teen, Lilly, battling her own demons, and a tattered holy card depicting Saint Therese of Lisieux. As Rachel grows closer to Lilly and comes to know Saint Therese, unbidden memories from her edgy past reveal fearful mysteries that haunt her . . . and a truth that leads her back to her husband.

 

4) Stolen Blessing by Jim Sano  (Fiction)

https://www.virtuesearch.com/content-detail/77355/stolen-blessing 

Erick and Addie Comghan have a good life in Boston. When the baby they have longed for is born, the unimaginable happens—Elizabeth goes missing the day after her baptism at St. Francis Parish, testing their relationship, trust, and marriage. Father Tom and Angelo are pulled in to help solve the mystery of her disappearance in a race against time and the complicated dynamics of the relationships involved. Stolen Blessing is the third book in the Father Tom Series and is a story that offers suspense, intrigue, and a journey of love, redemption, and forgiveness. 

 

5) The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur  (True Story)

https://www.virtuesearch.com/content-detail/77359/the-secret-diary-of-elizabeth-leseur

The Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest. This inspiring book gives a splendid example of how to live as a Christian in a secular environment that can be indifferent or even hostile to your faith. Containing Elisabeth's diary and her spiritual writings, it is a profound self-portrait of a soul molded and transformed by divine grace. 

 

6) From This Day Forward by Irene Hannon (Fiction)

https://www.virtuesearch.com/content-detail/77358/from-this-day-forward 

After his surgical career ends in tragedy and his marriage shatters, Dr. Sam Martin leaves Philadelphia for a new life in Oak Hill, Missouri. But he’s never stopped loving the woman who stole his heart. Determined to win her back, Sam invites Cara to recover at his home after she suffers a trauma of her own.

Desperate to find a way to conquer the panic attacks that are paralyzing her, Cara accepts—though she wants no part of the husband who betrayed her. Deep in America’s heartland she discovers a changed man—but can she and Sam find a way to build a new future from the ashes of their past?

In this HOLT Medallion winner, bestselling author Irene Hannon takes readers on an uplifting journey that illustrates the healing power of love…and hope.

 

7) Dying For Compassion by Dr. Barbara Golder (Fiction)

What happens to a new love when an old one appears to claim first rights to a man and a marriage? Just as Telluride Medical Examiner Jane Wallace and Irish writer Eoin Conner take their first steps toward romance, Eoin’s beautiful wife Fiona arrives to resume her long-abandoned life with Eoin. When Eoin discovers that Fiona was responsible for the denial of their annulment, he returns to Ireland to find the proof to free him to marry Jane. After Fiona is found dead in her hotel room, Eoin is indicted for her murder. Unwilling to leave the matter solely in the hands of Irish authorities, Jane goes to Ireland to follow the evidence wherever it leads. She leaves behind a tangle of problems in Telluride, where it is left to her trusted friend Father Matt to unravel the mysteries at home, unaware that they hold the key to Jane’s mystery abroad.