My Delight with Sarah Bartel

Have you picked up the idea that sex is a need, especially for men? This idea is false. Sex is not a need. It's a desire. Believing that sex is a need for men in marriage puts a lot of pressure on wives, and it may be one reason that many women don't enjoy sex in their marriage. Speaking as a Catholic moral theologian, Sarah Bartel refutes this claim and counters with the Catholic view on sexual desire in official Church teaching. First, Sarah examines one book in which sex is presented as a man's physical need for release, the popular 2004 Protestant book by Dr, Emerson Eggerichs. In it, the author states that even if a wife doesn't want to have sex, or if she has suffered childhood sexual abuse, she needs to set that aside and have sex with her husband "as unto Christ," looking over her husband's shoulder and spiritually seeing Christ there. Sarah comments on how coercive this is, then presents the Catholic view of chastity, self-mastery, and respectfully subordinating physical sexual desire to the service of emotional, spiritual, and relational values in marriage as found in magisterial Church documents. From Pope Pius XI's Casti Connubi (1930): par. 37: "Moreover, the dignity of both man and wife is maintained and mutual aid is most satisfactorily assured, while through the indissoluble bond, always enduring, the spouses are warned continuously that not for the sake of perishable things nor that they may serve their passions, but that they may procure one for the other high and lasting good have they entered into the nuptial partnership..." From Vatican II's document Gaudium et Spes (1965): par. 49: "This love is an eminently human one since it is directed from one person to another through an affection of the will; it involves the good of the whole person, and therefore can enrich the expressions of body and mind with a unique dignity, ennobling these expressions as special ingredients and signs of the friendship distinctive of marriage. This love God has judged worthy of special gifts, healing, perfecting and exalting gifts of grace and of charity. Such love, merging the human with the divine, leads the spouses to a free and mutual gift of themselves, a gift providing itself by gentle affection and by deed, such love pervades the whole of their lives:(11) indeed by its busy generosity it grows better and grows greater. Therefore it far excels mere erotic inclination, which, selfishly pursued, soon enough fades wretchedly away. This love is uniquely expressed and perfected through the appropriate enterprise of matrimony. The actions within marriage by which the couple are united intimately and chastely are noble and worthy ones. Expressed in a manner which is truly human, these actions promote that mutual self-giving by which spouses enrich each other with a joyful and a ready will." From St. Paul VI's Humanae Vitae (1968): par. 13: "a conjugal act imposed on one's partner without regard to his or her condition or personal and reasonable wishes in the matter, is no true act of love, and therefore offends the moral order " From the The Pontifical Council for the Family's 1995 document, The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality : par. 3: "In fact, man is called to love as an incarnate spirit, that is soul and body in the unity of the person. Human love hence embraces the body, and the body also expresses spiritual love. Therefore, sexuality is not something purely biological, rather it concerns the intimate nucleus of the person . ... Lord's Redemption has made the positive practice of chastity into something that is really possible and a motive for joy, both for those who have the vocation to marriage (before, in the time of preparation, and afterwards, in the course of married life) as well as for those who have the gift of a special calling to the consecrated life." From The Catechism of the Catholic Church: no. 2361: "Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death." no. 2337: "Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman . The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift." no. 2339: "Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. the alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy . "Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end." Women are not the only ones harmed by a believing that sex is a physical need for men; it trains men in an entitled and selfish view, short-stopping their capacity to grow in self-mastery and in attunement, care, reverence, and respect for the wife and her physical and emotional well-being. On that note, a final quote from Humanae Vitae underscores the attitude of care and solicitous concern for his wife's well-being that should temper a man's sexual desire: par. 17: " Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman , and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires , no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection ." The Catholic Church teaches that sex is a desire that can be mastered in view of higher emotional and spiritual goods. Sex should express love in marriage, serving and fitting into the emotional and spiritual relationship of husband and wife, not bulldozing past important human and spiritual values of care, respect, emotional connection, consideration for the other spouse. The Church does not teach that sex is a need for men ... or women. It is meant to be a beautiful expression of love in marriage that is both unitive and procreative, and it is not to be pursued in marriage in a self-serving, physicalist way. It should be at the service of the emotional and spiritual connection of the couple's relationship, subordinated to relational goods. Inconsiderately setting aside a wife's past sexual trauma doesn't respect this. The Church teaches that sex is not to be imposed on a spouse inconsiderately when they don't want it, not coerced. The wife's condition and wishes matter. A husband should lovingly show reverence his wife's physical and emotional equilibrium. Husbands and wives are equal, and both are expected to be capable of integrating their sexual desires into their whole personhood and into the service of their marriage bond in a way that is truly human, that is, it involves the will, the soul, and the heart. This is how married men and women are called to live as disciples of Christ, pursuing holiness. 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Married twelve years with four kids, Elizabeth and her husband mentor engaged couples for the church and teach sympto-thermal NFP through the Couple-to-Couple League. Raised in purity culture, they both assumed that by abstaining until marriage, sex would naturally just work great and keep getting better through the years. It wasn't getting better on its own, so Elizabeth enrolled in My Delight. In this interview, she candidly shares how the conversation went when she asked him about her enrolling. She shares what helped, what changed for her and her husband, and what advice she'd give women thinking of joining My Delight this fall. Resources mentioned in the show: Couple to Couple League My Delight (opening for the fall cohort Sept. 14-17, 2026) 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Haley Yeager is a Creighton Model FertiliCare NFP instructor and the host of the Truth and Fertility Podcast. Sarah asked her what she would say to a young engaged Catholic woman who doesn't think she'll need to learn NFP because she wants to have kids right away. Listen along to learn: 1. You might not get pregnant as quickly as you hope, and NFP is great for helping couples conceive. In fact, 76% of couples with normal fertility conceive on their first cycle using CreightonModel FertiliCare, and by the sixth cycle, that rate goes to 98%. Couples with infertility have a 20-40% chance of conceiving, the same rate as a round of IVF. ( https://tcmef.org/achieving-pregnancy) 2. Learning to track your cycles together gives your husband a window into the cyclical life he'll be living once he's married to a woman and closely united with her. 3. Learning to understand your body with cycle charting empowers you with a body literacy that can help you address underlying root causes of reproductive health challenges. Find Haley on her Truth and Fertility Podcast Reels @truthandfertilityproject https://truthandfertility.com https://www.factsaboutfertility.org 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Sarah sits with Catholic Health and Hormones expert Rita Johnson of Divine Mercy Nutritional Care to discuss how to thrive in perimenopause. Inspired by a conversation with the Lord in Adoration, Rita created "The Perimenopause Toolkit" a week-long workshop with a talk each day featuring the expertise of one of five Catholic women's health experts who gather to share about exercise, hormone replacement therapy considerations, hormonal knowledge, and marital intimacy through this season of change in a woman's life. God's design for your body is beautiful and good--even as your body changes. Register at https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit/ Sarah asked Rita to share three tips to help women thrive in perimenopause. They are: 1. Calm down your nervous system. The same emotional regulation and nervous system calming measures that can help your libido thrive can also help you feel better through perimenopause. Things you can try to keep your nervous system regulated include protecting sleep so that you get at 7-9 hours. At Sarah's request, Rita shares her own nighttime wind-down routine that prepares her for her nine-hour-a-night sleep. 2. Eat a good breakfast with protein within an hour of waking up. Women's hormones thrive when blood sugar is stabilized with morning protein, especially when perimenopause hormone shifts remove some of the blood sugar protection that women may have had earlier. Rita shares how this can look like adding collagen to your coffee or tea in the morning or adding sausage to breakfast. 3. Get intentional about movement and exercise to work your muscles for strength, however you can fit that into your days. This can look like a short walk after meals, or doing ten bodyweight squats, or trying to get up from your chair without using any assistance, and see if you can do that ten times in a row. Want to learn more about thriving in perimenopause from multiple Catholic women experts? Sign up for the workshop hear from experts. If you can't make each daily session live, don't worry, as the recordings will be available for those who register. Sign up here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Catholic married women, have you ever thought that you might have limiting beliefs about sex in your marriage? Have you ever envisioned that you could experience sex with your husband as nourishing comforting rejuvenating delightful playful tender sweet wild and so much more! What gets in the way of these positive types of experiences? Obstacles can include an obligation sex mindset, lack of emotional connection, ignorance, or spousal selfishness. When obstacles are removed and problems are solved, sex can be so beautiful in a wide variety of positive ways. Sarah helps expand your thoughts about what can be possible in sex--all based in Catholic teaching. Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Sources mentioned in this episode: Catechism of the Catholic Church 2362 "'The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude.' Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure: 'The Creator himself . . . established that in the [generative] function, spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has intended for them. At the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves within the limits of just moderation.'" Ruth Buezis, Awaken Love: The Truth About Sex That Will Transform Your Marriage (Protestant author, so use your Catholic filter. Don't masturbate or use birth control, even if she talks about it in the book. Her mindset advice is great.) Dave Ramsey, Financial Peace University and Total Money Makeover (Evangelical Protestant) Excellent Catholic personal finance advice, check out our friends Jonathan and Amanda Teixeira's content at WalletWin.com (try their Budget Reset ) and The Catholic Money Podcast 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Recently, Sarah invited her marriage ministry followers to reply to a simple question: "What Does Your Marriage Need Right Now"? She offered to take their marriage prayer intentions before Jesus in Adoration. Over 59 women and men answered. There was a common thread running through most of them. In today's episode, Sarah shares fifteen responses from Catholic wives and husbands. This privileged glimpse into the heart of real Catholic marriages illustrates what Our Lady says at the Wedding at Cana in John 2:3: "They have no more wine." Reading through these 15 replies, Sarah reflects on what they teach us about the need for intimacy, communication, joy, friendship, and that so-necessary superglue for marriage: emotional intimacy. Do you any of these stories resonate with what you are feeling right now? In this episode: ✅ 15 honest responses from Catholic wives and husbands ✅ Recurring themes ✅ An example of emotional abuse, and a Catholic response ✅ Why many marriages don't need more work. Enough with the heaviness! What they need is more FUN! ✅ Resource ideas if you want to improve emotional intimacy in your own marriage Mentioned in this episode: 🌴 canafeast.com/abundantlive The 4 week experience your marriage needs this summer! 📖 Don't Plant Your Seeds Among Thorns: A Catholic's Guide to Recognizing and Healing from Domestic Abuse A book for Catholic wives suffering emotional abuse ❤️‍🩹 hopesgarden.com Online community for hurting wives and husbands ✨ youaremadenew.com Catholic coaching with De Yarrison for wives who have suffered emotional abuse 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Maybe you don't need to work on your marriage right now. Maybe you need to rest, play, and relax more together. This creates a lush space for connection to naturally flourish. In this episode, Sarah explores why so many couples feel emotionally exhausted. They're in the daily grind, slowly drifting apart as they handle the real-world responsibilities of work, kids, household, and social commitments. Even Church commitments can add to this! What they need is not more work , but more play. More delight. Drawing from favorite memories of tropical vacations, quiet walks in the countryside, and the meaning of authentic leisure, Sarah shares how couples can step out of survival mode and cultivate the atmosphere where friendship, affection, and intimacy can thrive. You'll discover: Why vacations often help couples reconnect The surprising importance of play, laughter, and leisure in marriage How the beach vacay essentials of sun, sand, and waves can become a simple framework for strengthening your relationship Practical ways to bring vacation-like joy into your everyday life—without buying a plane ticket! ✈️ Whether you're longing for a special getaway or just hoping to find connection again after an intense season, this episode offers encouragement and practical ideas to help you rediscover the delight of being together. Mentioned in this episode: 🏝️ Join our free Summer Marriage Getaway for Catholic couples at CanaFeast.com/Getaway , You get our short, fun online sessions designed to help you slow down, laugh together, and renew your friendship as husband and wife. Hawaiian Island vibes are infused throughout!🍍🌈🌺 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

It helps the bad times feel more bearable. It makes the good times even more joyful. Encouragement is magic for your marriage relationship. In this episode, Sarah shares how Nathan's encouragement transformed her late nights staying up creating her Catholic French language course, French with St. Thérèse. Learn five aspects to becoming a better encourager in your marriage, and learn what NOT to do when your husband or wife is struggling. 1. Know you are aligned with the voice of God's affirming love. The enemy's voice is harsh and critical. The Lord's voice is gentle, loving, and encouraging. You are a conduit of that love when you encourage your husband or wife. 2. You have to have a hopeful, positive big-picture perspective on the future rooted in God's goodness and ultimate victory. 3. You can boost your encouragement powers by layering on helpful practical gestures, such as bringing them a tea. Show you support what they're trying to do by pitching in to support them tangibly in some way. 4. Be specific in your affirmations. "You are amazing!" is a great start; "You handled that specific situation really well" is even better. Point to their specific victories and achievements, even if they are internal victories. "You kept your cool while you got that done. That was admirable!" 5. Give comfort. Reassurance can keep a spiral from getting out of hand. Wives, do you dismiss your husband's encouragement to you? Learn to graciously receive and believe the encouragement and reassurance he offers you. Learn to ask for this if you're not getting it. These are choices you can make. Learn how and why to avoid sabotaging encouragement by offering unsolicited practical advice. Interested in taking French with St. Thérèse this summer? A backdoor is open, if you or your teens want to slip in! 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

"I felt like I was embraced by St. Thérèse."🌹 What happened on the May 2026 women's pilgrimage to France? So many gifts, graces, encounters, and special moments! Even though Sarah got Covid on the way home, she would do it again in a heartbeat. In this episode she shares many of the highlights of the experience, along with the following links for you to explore further: 1. T he Story of a Soul , by St. Thérèse of Lisieux 2. A Call to Deeper Love: The Family Correspondance of the Parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux 3. Les Buissonets (the Little Flower's childhood home in Lisieux) 4. N ovena to Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin (the prayer from the shrine in Alençon is in bold at the end of each day of the novena on this website). 5. Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle (Lace Museum in Alençon) 6. Monet's House and Garden at Giverny in Normandy, France 7. Leisure, the Basis of Culture , by Joseph Pieper (easy-to-read book of Catholic philosophy about the importance of authentic leisure) 8. Notre Dame des Victoires Basilica in Paris (church that St. Thérèse and her parents loved) 9. Chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Paris 10. Heart of the Father Ministries (Healing Prayer, Five Steps of Deliverance) 11. Be Healed, by Dr. Bob Schuchts 12. Your Blue Flame: Drop the Guilt and Do What Makes You Come Alive , by Jennifer Fulwiler 🇫🇷Interested in taking a French class with Sarah this summer or find out about upcoming pilgrimages to France?🇫🇷 Fill in your email address here to get notified: https://canafeast.com/france 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

If you want a good foundation in your marriage for those problem-solving, conflict-solving, tension-resolving conversations, you need to build rapport and connection first with AWE: A ffection W armth E ncouragement This concept is developed in Jim Burns' book Creating and Intimate Marriage: Rekindle Romance through Affection, Warmth, and Encouragement. In this episode, you'll learn examples for how to pour in more AWE in your marriage with affirmation and gratitude, non-sexual touch, and rooting for each other. If you want to learn more little things you can do with great love to build up your marriage, check out the Little Way of Marriage , the free online Catholic workshop Sarah and Nathan Bartel created for their CanaFeast ministry. Find it at www.littlewayofmarriage.com. 🌹 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Is it sinful for a wife to withhold sex when she's upset at her husband? Is it unfair if they've planned to make love, but then he does something to upset her, so she doesn't want to anymore? The truth is, emotional connection is the foundation for good lovemaking in marriage. If a wife is upset, she is not in a good place to make love. She shouldn't try to force her body to communicate a closeness, connection, and intimacy that her heart doesn't feel. If a wife is not experiencing physical and emotional equilibrium, the husband must respect that and surround her with care and affection, as Humanae vitae says when it warns that practices such as birth control which lead to an entitled attitude towards sex are dangerous because a husband "may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection." (Humanae vita, 17). To talk about "withholding" sex implies an entitled attitude. Sex is not something husbands and wives are entitled to in marriage--even if there is a common expectation that sex is part of marriage. The Catholic Church does not teach that it is a sin for a wife to decline lovemaking in any circumstances. She is always free to do so. Husbands are also always free to decline. It is possible that a wife may use lovemaking in a manipulative manner to try to control her husband's behavior, but this is objectifying herself, and she shouldn't do that. Instead, a wife should use words to explain why she is upset, and the couple should repair the relationship. Then, they can celebrate that repair with lovemaking... when it's the right time. A couple may need to increase their marriage skills in order to be able to have good, honest dialogue and get equipped to navigate good repair conversations. If they can tend their emotional connection, they'll be in a good place to celebrate that with their physical intimacy. 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Here's the episode with all the things married women wish someone had told them when they first got married. Maybe you've been married a while, and no one ever told you . It's not too late to learn! Maybe you're a newlywed, or about to get married. You're in a great place to learn good habits early, before you settle into practices in your marriage that work against good lovemaking--practices that are unhelpful, harmful, or even sinful. If you want help unpacking these Ten Truths further, you can learn more in The Wedding Night and Beyond: The Catholic Bride's Guide to Sex in Marriage. This is good for engaged women, newlyweds, AND wives married decades who never learned all this at the beginning (which, let's be honest, is probably most women!). https://canafeast.com/weddingnight Other resources mentioned in this episode The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2363 The Ohnut by the Pelvic People (device to reduce penetration depth to prevent pain) The Obligation Sex Series by Sheila Gregoire (excellent blog article series by an Evangelical Christian author/speaker) A Closer Look at Sexual Coercion (straightforward article on a hotline website) My Delight podcast episode "Marital Debt is Not Church Teaching" My Delight podcast episode "What is Sexual Coercion?" 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Your brain is your most important sexual organ. As you go through your days, weeks, months, and years, you need to make space in your brain for relaxation, creativity, fun, and pleasure... if you want to have those in lovemaking. You have to learn to periodically value other things more than productivity. -Connection -Rest -Play -Delight A woman in a chronic stress state is not going to be able to enjoy sex very much. In this episode, Sarah shares some examples for how you can slow down and connect with yourself ....and with your husband!... in order to create the foundation you need for good lovemaking. 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

When Megan Gephart first signed up for the My Delight course, her husband was deployed. She and her husband were both active duty military, and they wouldn't be together for months, but she was decided to use the time while he was away to start work on herself before. Years later, Megan is still seeing the fruits unfold in her marriage. She shares her story of the tremendous changes she made. 🍍 She decided not to push through pain any more--and to finally talk to her husband about it. 🍓 She realized her pleasure mattered just as much as her husband's--which led to even more more honest, open communication than she'd ever had before in her marriage. 🍇 Now creating time to be together is a big priority. Hear the story of the weekend getaway that was like "heaven on earth"--though events, tensions, a nursing infant, and a big NFP decision leading up to the weekend could have derailed it. 🫐 She went from avoiding intimacy and avoiding non-sexual touch to finding her way to turn towards and actively choose connection. 🍒 Listen to Meghan share the genius shift her therapist suggested that is helping non-sexual touch go SO much better in her marriage now! Megan and her husband are now preparing a new adventure with military orders to Germany. She shares how they are being intentional about preparing for this new adventure (and all the packing and tasks leading up to it), while continuing to communicate closely about prioritizing their marriage, improving their love life ever more, and preparing for the years when they'll be that loving, affectionate silver-haired older couple sitting on their porch swing! Follow Megan Gephart's work supporting Catholic women entrepreneurs and professionals with coaching for strategy, operations, and sustainable growth at Apostolic Fruit. She also co-hosts the Apostolic Fruit podcast with her business partner, Anna Saucier. 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Most marriages have one spouse who is more interested in sex, and another who is less interested. This is desire difference. While this is normal-- most marriages have a desire difference one way or another--it causes a lot of tension in marriages. Sarah brings on her husband, Nathan, to talk about understanding desire difference from a husband's point of view at a deeper level. Beyond just physical libido, he shares about the yearning for connection with their wives he hears from men he's worked with who have the higher desire. He also shares what it's like for the husband who has the lower desire. Understanding is key, and so are actionable skills that couples can use to help navigate the different factors at work. Sarah and Nathan point some paths forward to creating more connection--including not making sex the only source of connection in the marriage. They discuss the importance of recognizing the wife's mental load, and how the wife and husband can work with that. Affirmation and gratitude, non-sexual touch, empathy, and curiousity all help husbands and wives grow closer, feel seen, feel like they matter to the other, and grow in their unity and emotional connection. Catholic husbands interested in Nathan's free Desires Differences workshop can join here through March 12th. Replays of past calls are available. Desires Differences Workshop: https://canafeast.com/desire 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

When we fast, we can expect a pattern of five spiritual attacks--whether the fast is from food, behaviors like scrolling, people-pleasing, or other comforts. The enemy works in our false attachments: to things, to false gods, and to false comforts. He likes to get us to put something above God in our life, and that creates disorder. Fasting restores order. It puts God back as the center of our life. Of course the enemy will pursue our soul when we do this. Learn his tactics, learn that this is normal (you are not failing), and then learn how to gently and lovingly restore proper order after an attack. Denise Jelinek joins Sarah to break down the play book for each of these five attacks... and shares what to do about them. They touch on authentic self-care and tie it all in to Join Denise in fasting from the scale and finding peace with food this Lent in her beautiful and deeply transformative 63 Surrendered Program ! Ash Wednesday Sale: Get it for $1 a day (coupon code: Lent63) Join here: https://weightlosswiththeholyspirit.com/ 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

It's almost Lent! Listen to the voice of the Lord speak: "I will lead her into the desert, and there I will speak to her heart." Hos 2:14 So many good Catholic married women feel like there's a desert of some kind in their love life. Maybe it's a libido desert, or a postpartum desert, or a menopause desert. Maybe it's the ache of not feeling as desired by your husband as you'd like. Maybe lovemaking just feels humdrum and routine So many different kinds of deserts! The scriptures can renew our minds and bring supernatural inspiration. In this episode, Sarah shares three lessons from the Song of Songs to help guide your love life. As she reads this scripture through the lens of a Catholic sex and marriage coach, she sees: 1. The Bride's body image is very positive! 2. Great use of words and talking between the Bridegroom and the Bride. More Catholic couples should be talking about their love life with each other and talking while making love. You have a love story. Keep telling the story! 3. Use all 5 senses. The Song of Songs uses vivid language for all five senses. How can you incorporate and highlight the sense of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing in different ways to enliven your time coming together? Sarah shares just a few examples of ideas in this episode, but more is available in her Bloom in the Desert virtual retreat happening Feb. 18-24. It's free! Learn more from the Song of Songs to inspire your love life, do fun homework, win prizes, enjoy a safe Catholic community of sisters in Christ all committed to growing together. Enroll here: https://canafeast.com/desertbloom 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Making you feel guilty for saying "no." Wearing you down with asking over and over. You just want to get some sleep... the babies will be up at 5 am, so you just give in to get it over with. ...These are all examples of sexual coercion, which is a form of emotional abuse. Sarah is joined by Jenny DuBay, a certified trauma-informed Catholic coach, certified deconstructing gaslighting specialist, and certified narcissistic abuse specialist to talk about sexual coercion in marriage and the importance of consent to sex in Catholic marriage. Just because you're married doesn't mean you have to be constantly sexually available. That's not the teaching of the Catholic Church, and Jenny uses her theology degree and deep knowledge of TOB and Church teaching to dive into this topic. Listen in if you want to hear about the many different forms sexual coercion can take in Catholic marriage... and what to do about it. Get Jenny's DuBay's book Don't Plant Your Seeds Among Thorns: A Catholic's Guide to Recognizing and Healing from Domestic Abuse (EnRoute Books and Media, 2024) Learn more about Jenny at https://www.jennydubay.com and learn more about healthy relationships in the articles on her SubStack at: https://www.createsoulspace.org/ 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

How does nutrition impact our hormones for libido and perimenopause thriving? Sarah is joined by Catholic nutritionist Rita Johnson of the Health and Hormones podcast to chat about how what you eat can impact your libido and perimenopause hormones. Along the way they chat about the power of dreaming, mindset shifts, and four high-protein breakfast ideas to anchor your blood sugar and set you up for a stable day... the kind of day more likely to leave with with some extra energy for intimacy at the end of it, if you want! You can find Rita at https://healthandhormones.org. Interested in the 5-day Perimenopause Workshop that Rita, Sarah, and other Catholic experts are offering Jan. 26-30? All sessions will be recorded so you can catch the replays. Walk away with a workbook full of practical strategies. https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-workshop Want Rita's free handout on hormone health? https://birdsend.page/forms/9473/cDk9YT4KSn 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.

Ladies, this is your invitation from Sarah to join her on a "Daughters of Grace" Women's pilgrimage to France in May 2026! It's this May 4-13th, in the footsteps of St. Thérèse, her mama St. Zélie, St. Joan of Arc ("I was born to do this!"), and of course, all guided, inspired, and devoted to Our Lady. You'll pray at Notre Dame cathedral, the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, Mont St. Michel where we'll seek the archangel's strength and protection, and culminate with a healing of hearts at Lourdes. The themes of the dignity of women, feminine genius, the theology of the body throughout a woman's life cycle, and healing the heart of a woman will all be woven throughout the pilgrimage. Sarah shares her pivotal memory of encountering St. John Paul II at World Youth Day in Paris in 1997 in an atmosphere of joy, gathered with thousands of youth from around by the Holy Spirit. In this episode, Sarah shares seven reasons why she loves France and wants to take you there with her. 1. The country's devotion to Our Lady 2. French saints! 3. Breathtaking cathedrals (French Gothic architecture 😍) 4. Beauty 5. Intelligence + Elegance 6. The French Language 7. The Food The pilgrimage costs $4,199 for the land-only package in which you arrange your travel to and from France, or $4,999 flying from Seattle. More info at https://canafeast.com/france Want to go, but can't? Pray this novena to see if a way might open up through the Little Flower's prayers! My Novena Rose Prayer O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands . . (mention in silence here) St. Therese, help me to always believe as you did in God’s great love for me, so that I might imitate your “Little Way” each day. Amen Want to join the free online formation on the pilgrimage themes? Sign up at: https://canafeast.com/france 🔥 Free Guide to 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit for Improving Intimacy for Catholic Wives https://canafeast.com/MyDelight-9-Skills 🤔 What is Allowed for Catholics in the Bedroom? Find out in the 19-page "What's Allowed List" ($10) https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed Support the show "Is This Perimenopause?" Aug 24-18, join 5 Catholic women's health experts to learn about intimacy, nutrition, hormone health care (inc. HRT questions), and exercise as your body changes according to God's good design. 🔥 Find out more here: https://healthandhormones.org/perimenopause-toolkit Want to learn 10 Truths for Good Sex for Catholic Wives? Free "10 Truths" download. https://canafeast.com/10truths Free Enhancing Marital Intimacy Guide for Catholic Women: 9 Skills for Body, Mind, and Spirit (for married and engaged women) Do you want to know what is allowed for Catholics in the bedroom? The "What's Allowed List" answers 20+ questions about what is licit and illicit. ($10) Model-free lingerie! Get 10% off with my affiliate link for Mentionables.