May 2021 bi-monthly reflection – Teams of Our Lady
Marriage Week – Naked Marriage

Focus on the Essentials of Our Relationship
The Marriage Week theme might sound a bit risqué to include in the church newsletter! On further reading we see that it is pointing us towards the essentials of our relationship. This sounds better … and it might even be risky not to try this closer examination.
We do know from Genesis 2:25 that before humankind tried to be independent of the Father’s ordinances that they were confident in their skins; “now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame”. As couples, enabling each other to be whom they were meant to be, we look towards the greatest meaning of our lives; living without unnecessary clutter and really being ourselves!
In our lives together as a married couple, we have to balance being drawn in different directions – with demands of our work, with demands from home, with pressure to socialise or pressure to block out diary time for fun with the whole family. Can anyone tell you what the essentials are for YOUR relationship? We don’t think so – but we do know some important principles.
One of the things about ‘naked’ is not being covered up – seeing it as it really is – so seeing “me” as I really am and seeing “us” as we really are.
So, how can we uncover ourselves to reveal ‘who we really are’? That might be difficult enough but then besides uncovering ourselves to ourselves – we have to communicate that “real me” to our “real other”. Now this is getting complicated because there’s the “real me”, there’s the “me I appear to be” and the “me I’d like to be”. And that applies to my partner too – and among each of those communicating with the other there must be just too many opportunities for misunderstanding!
Shall we make it simple? – Let’s sit down together (yes, let’s put an immovable date in the diary). Together let’s open our hearts to invite The Spirit who is ultimate truth and reality into our lives.
Let’s eat together, let’s talk, listening in turn to each other. Let’s have fun together, pray together.
We really like the Marriage Encounter method that is to begin talking with paper and pen – try these questions one at a time; write, swap, read, really read, smile, kiss, talk more – and talk for as long as you like before you tackle the next question.
- Tell me three highlights of the last week?
- What has made you smile or laugh recently?
Stripped back to the essentials…
- What is at the centre of “the real us” as a couple in love? (hopes, dreams, work, principles)
This might help us focus on the essentials of our unique loving relationship. Praise God!
Enjoy your focus on your Naked Marriage this week.
See www.marriage-week.org.uk for date night ideas, conversation starters, to see the ‘uncovered series’ and more.
And please do pass this on to other couples, family members, other families and groups who might like to look at the essentials of their relationships.
Annette and Paul O’Beirne, Teams of Our Lady