Perpetual courtship does not end at the altar—it deepens within the bond of marriage. Perpetual means ongoing, never broken, never stopping. Courtship is the pursuit of unity, love, and desire that draws a man and woman together. Before marriage, courtship aims at union. After marriage, perpetual courtship sustains and strengthens that union. One of the chief ways this happens is through marital intimacy, the tender self-giving of husband and wife. When a husband neglects his wife or treats intimacy as routine, selfishness creeps in and distance grows. But when he practices perpetual courtship in this most personal part of marriage, intimacy becomes a blessing, not a burden.
God Himself declares that intimacy between husband and wife is noble, honorable, and blessed within marriage (CCC 2360–2363). From the very beginning, God created man and woman in His image and commanded them: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). The union of husband and wife is not just physical—it is a mystery where “the two shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24; Mt 19:6). St. Paul teaches that this union mirrors the self-giving love of Christ for His Church (Eph 5:25–32). Marital intimacy is both fruitful and unitive: open to life, while binding husband and wife in deeper trust, faithfulness, and joy. Perpetual courtship means approaching intimacy with reverence, seeing it as a holy gift that strengthens the bond of marriage.
Your action step is to change how you view intimacy. Stop treating it as routine or as something to be demanded. Approach it instead as a blessing to be received and a gift to be given. Pursue your wife with the same tenderness you had before marriage, but now with the devotion of a husband who understands the holiness of the marital embrace. Speak with kindness, prepare with thoughtfulness, and give yourself fully to her. Perpetual courtship means drawing close not just with words and gestures, but with your whole self, honoring God’s design for marriage.
Pray: Holy Spirit, give me the Virtue of Charity so I may pursue my wife with tender devotion, cherish marital intimacy as a blessing, and deepen the union of our perpetual courtship. Amen.