A Blog For Catholic Marriage & Formation

“Offer It Up”: When Suffering Is Taken Out of Context

Kristin Beck Chmiel

Published on: 03/25/2026

A reflection on redemptive suffering, spiritual bypassing, and how “offer it up” can be misunderstood in marriage when taken out of context.

When Forgiveness Is Used to Avoid Accountability

Kristin Beck Chmiel

Published on: 03/22/2026

Forgiveness is essential in marriage—but when it’s used to avoid accountability, it can keep couples stuck in the same painful patterns. This article explores the difference between true forgiveness and the kind that quietly prevents real healing.

Spiritual Bypassing in Marriage: 5 Ways Faith Language Can Undermine Healing - Part 1 of a Series on Faith, Psychology, and the Real Work of Healing in Marriage

Kristin Beck Chmiel

Published on: 03/08/2026

Sometimes the language of faith strengthens a marriage. Sometimes it unintentionally undermines healing. In this article, we explore five ways spiritual bypassing can appear in marriage and what the Catholic tradition teaches instead.

Do You Need Your Spouse to Change First?

Kristin Beck Chmiel

Published on: 03/01/2026

If you’re waiting for your spouse to change before your marriage improves, you may be waiting forever. Here’s where real change begins.

This Lent, Don’t Go It Alone

Kristin Beck Chmiel

Published on: 02/17/2026

Lent is not about self-improvement. It is about conversion. And real conversion is rarely sustained alone.

Walking Through the Fire

Kristin Beck Chmiel

Published on: 02/10/2026

This is a reflection on choosing the pain of change over the risk of staying the same, and what a season of suffering taught me about healing, faith, and freedom.