Often in a classroom situation young people will ask for advice on dating, I will say to them that as a priest that I have one very important principle to keep in mind besides all the other important steps in friendship and love. I answer, “If you cannot pray together as a couple, then don’t ever get into a serious relationship with one another.”

Scripture: Matthew 19.4-6: God is the author of marriage and therefore no one is to separate what God has joined together.