now that we're talking about how raising kids is hard I think we can also start talking about how marriage is a form of asceticism if done correctly

no one believed me the last time I posted this. It's not a sentiment to make marrieds feel better about not entering religious life, Christianity is a fundamentally ascetic religion and there's a chance that any of us will suffer tremendously, but thats how we win

Look at the life of St. Theresa's family, absolutely and utterly tragic by secular standards. 4 dead children, the mother dies of breast cancer, the father dies of dementia later on, but they're all Saints in heaven now experiencing a joy that is infinite

celibacy is fundamentally better but that doesn't mean married life isn't about suffering gracefully as well, it's not the easy way out