Our First Year & Why We're Here
Updated: Sep 25, 2018
On our wedding day, Ante and I had known each other for 10 months. I didn’t need more time to get to know him... I just needed to know that he loved Jesus more than he loved me. I had finally found a man that I found attractive, both physically and in his essence; he had dedicated his life to Jesus and His Catholic Church, not because of me, but long before me. I am not naive and knew marriage would be difficult; perhaps there would be times I would doubt my decision… Times I didn’t like him very much. With Christ as the center of our lives, we would overcome all of this, striving toward a life of unity, peace, and deep faith.
The first year of marriage was more difficult than I could have imagined (spoiler alert: year two has looked up, to say the least! <3). I tend to be a realist, but have ideals that I believe are… Realistically attainable! I wanted an engaging, passionate, fun, trusting, peaceful, and God-centered marriage. Too bad I’m half of the equation, and trust, peace, and a regimented prayer life don’t come easily to me. Now add Ante’s imperfections (I’ll let him write about those!), and the differences in male and female needs and expectations; without strong communication and a DEEP humility, the result is a storm.
Thankfully Ante and I knew God put us together. Ante’s love and fidelity to me never wavered throughout my questioning; he knew that I was God’s gift to him, his beloved to protect and defend (I am forever thankful for this). I have a strong sense of integrity, never keeping anything from my husband, fighting relentlessly for our happiness. With our God-given strengths as a saving-grace, we knew we had some weaknesses to work on. The tail end of our first year and the beginning of our second year have been the world of a difference. We both plan to write more in depth about the difficulties and spiritual attacks in marriage, which is part of the reason we created CATHOLIC ET CETERA. Through talking to more and more Catholic couples, we realized that many people go through the same struggles, but are left feeling hopeless and alone. Neither of us have a problem putting our experiences on blast, so we pray that this blog becomes an aid to some.
In addition to blogging about marriage, Ante and I are PASSIONATE about our Catholic faith and felt called to share it at this level. We will write about faith topics for both teens and adults, including commentaries on current events and opinion pieces. As Catholic speakers and apologetics enthusiasts, we love discussing defenses of the faith and the day-to-day rationale and beauty of the Church. I am studying my Masters of Theology, so things may get theological up in here from time to time! Ante is heavily into healthy living, so he’ll be discussing some important life changes he’s made in the past 7 years (also see “Healthy Living” on our Menu). Ante and I are comfortable learning and writing about anything, so if you’d like our take on a topic, please email us and let us know! If you are interested in having us speak at an event, check out “Speaking Topics” on the Menu and “Contact” us.
I speak for both of us when I say that we are overjoyed to be on this journey of faith with you. Please continue to pray for us, and know that we are praying for you!
Blessings,
Roberta Skoko
“On our wedding day, I promised Jesus that I would never leave Ante; that I would love and honour him no matter the struggles and temptations that may come our way.
On your wedding day, you make vows to your spouse, but don't forget the promise you are called to make to Christ: to love even when our humanity prompts weakness; to lay down your life for your beloved, even when you don't feel like it. Through fulfilling this promise, God will sanctify you through your marriage--in time He will make a saint of you, and form a love between you and your spouse that is unbreakable and greater than you could have imagined.” @robertaskoko, 01/10/18
