I used to keep track of all the couples I prepared for the Sacrament of Marriage. By the time the list grew into the hundreds, the notebook I used was filled…and I never quite got around to the next notebook. That is just a way to say I have done a fair amount of helping couples prepare for married life. It is a process that surprises couples. They assume it will be all about “church stuff.”  It certainly talks about the sacramental aspect of marriage, the place of marriage and family in God’s plans for human flourishing, and more, but it also talks about many things, especially communications. In the end perhaps one couple said it best when they remarked, “This was great. It got us to talk about so many things and brought us even closer. We have friends that are being married in another denomination that don’t do anything like this.” They went on to describe what a loss it was for their friends. I think the Catholic Church’s requirement for marriage preparation is a great aid to the couples in their planning for success.