Family Prayer is one of the best solutions to solving the problem of divorce in society, and ensuring that families stay together.
How Many Families End Up in Divorce?
If you are getting married,
your chances for a successful marriage are only approximate 1 in 2. Divorce has become not just acceptable, but in fact even fashionable - glorified through the pulpit of modern-day television which scorns traditional family values and elevates break-ups.
The Forest Institute of Professional Psychology estimates that nearly one out of two couples break-up, with the probability for break-up increasing as one goes through the 2nd and 3rd marriages. They estimate that divorce rates are 50% for those who get married for the first time, 67% for 2nd marriages, and 74% for third marriages.
The national divorce rate in America hovers anywhere between 40% to 50%. Imagine: Almost 1 out of 2 marriages end up in shambles.
The children are the hardest hit by today's society of break-ups: approximately one out of two kids will have to deal with the painful, shattering loss of a happily-married mother and father.
Marriage nowadays, at least in the United States, is basically a coin toss: either you'll end up on the right side of the coin, or on the wrong side.
The Divorce Society Has Created an Entire New Industry for Psychologists
Most couples turn to marriage counselors to try to save their marriage. Decades ago, the whole profession of "marriage counseling" actually did not even exist.
Has the marriage counseling industry helped reduce divorce rates? The answer is a resounding NO. And indeed, the ironic thing is that this is an industry that actually thrives in an environment of high divorce rates: to continue enjoying good business, divorce rates have to remain high. And yet, the objective of the counseling industry ought to be to reduce divorce rates.
A Better Way
What then is the solution to this problem of divorce? The answer is plain, old-fashioned prayer. More specifically, family prayer.
Marriage, after all, is not just a simple contract between two people. It is a sacrament. It is a sacred vow undertaken by two people, together with God.
Marriage is a three-way affair, not a two way contract: it is a contract between husband, wife, and God.
Keeping God at the center of our relationships is the best method to ensure a happy marriage. God is the best counselor, the best psychologist any couple can possibly get. The added bonus? It is totally free!
The Rosary as the Best Family Prayer
For Catholics, after the Holy Mass, the next best prayer to keep the family together is the
Rosary . A popular priest in the Philippines, Fr. Patrick Payton, launched a family rosary prayer movement in the Philippines under the motto: "The family that prays together, stays together."
For Catholics, the best habit for keeping the family together is gathering everyone for fifteen minutes every day to pray the rosary. It will take strong determination and discipline on the part of the father and the mother to instill this as a daily family habit.
But if you are able to instill the daily family rosary as a deeply-ingrained habit among all members of the family, the payoff will be significant. Great graces and benefits are promised by the Virgin Mary to those who recite the rosary regularly.
If we ask the Lord, through the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Lady of the Rosary, to give us the great gift of a long happy family life, He will grant it!
