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That article was utter rubbish. I still think that what might have been the norm 1500 years ago is not something that is applicable in today's society. People married 10 year old girls a long time ago.

Show me when Catholics did that?

 

A 10 year old girl today is no where near what she was mature-wise, skill-wise, etc., as yesteryear.

Why are you bringing ten year olds into this?  It has absolutely no relation to this discussion.  According to Canon Law an 18 year old has reached majority and can marry who they wish without parental consent.  To me it sounds like you're trying to smear those who defend early marriage.  If you're not, what you're saying it is a very stupid comparison.  Are you from fisheaters?

 If the couple today is relatively close in age (same, or fluctuating within 5 years), there's a much higher chance for common interests, sharing of bonds, relationship growing, rather than "hey I'm the provider and you're the baby-maker".

The primary end of marriage is procreation.  A husband supports a wife who bears his children.  That's Catholic marriage.  If you're more concerned about "common interests" (as though people who differ in age cannot have common interests!) then you have your priorities totally skewed.  Common Faith is more important than common interests.

Don't get me wrong, I'm traditional to the core, but is that the norm that the most important thing id of mars the man needs to be just the provider (no emotion), and the woman is just the baby-grower (no emotion back to him)?

No, you're not traditional to the core.  Who said there should not be mutual love?  Why do you keep advancing straw men?  First you talk about ten year olds getting married, now you suggest someone thinks women are just babymakers?  Are you too dense to realize those are despicable straw men?

Creating life is an amazing experience, I'm sure of it, but marriage has a unitive component that should also be addressed in order to facilitate a healthy marriage (aka going on dates still even after 10 years of being together, buying flowers (or growing your own, if you are a real OTG'er), and going on a vacation every now and then (local or abroad... more likely local in today's political/financial climate).

What miserable terminology.  "Unitive component"  No one is saying anyone should marry someone they don't want to marry.  Yes people marry, secondarily, to alleviate concupiscence and for mutual support.  Who are you arguing with?

Parents need to be the Catholic mentors they should be...teaching starts in the home...but the home must learn first from the Church.

What point are you trying to make?

Quote from: Telesphorus

The primary end of marriage is procreation.

Actually, the primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of children.

Let's be clear though.  What is meant by the "education of children" has almost nothing to do with college education.

I don't know if anyone holds here holds opinions I am going to criticize here, but this needs to be said:

I don't think someone who is a thoughtful believing Catholic can consider it more important for a girl to get a college education than to bear children and avoid the occasions of sin by marriage.  I don't think they can really believe 4 years of mediocre learning and exposure to a sub-culture of vice on the college campus is a better use of the best years of a woman's life than devotion to her husband and children.  I don't think you can really have a sense of Catholicism if you object more to a girl marrying a man older than her than to a girl being exposed to the worst influences in modern society in the name of education.  I don't think you can really be Catholic if you compare someone wanting to marry an 18 year old to someone who wants to marry a ten year old, but send young people to coeducational dens of vice, and make light of sin by considering the typical conduct of young people to be indiscretions of youth.  I don't think you can really have a sense of the Catholic Faith if you think it's more important for a girl to be "mature" (how ridiculous that modern people define maturity as being close to the age of barrenness) have a college diploma and an affirmative action based career than to be a virgin at her marriage.

Quote from: clare

Quote from: Telesphorus

The primary end of marriage is procreation.

Actually, the primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of children.

Let's be clear though.  What is meant by the "education of children" has almost nothing to do with college education.

I wasn't thinking of that.

In today's society, school-schooling is becoming less of an option (unless you're lucky enough to live near an SSPX school). So, what does the large Catholic family who wants to give their children a good sound Catholic education do? Supposing they actually are not very good at home-schooling, but rightly do not want to send their children to school? They may fulfill the "procreation" part of the primary end, but the "education" part is not so easy!