Hi PWA fam! I never post anything here, but this is a long prayer request if you have the time. I appreciate you reading this☺️ and this is pretty private to me but I really need some major spiritual help with prayers here! My beloved and I have been dating for 5 months and we know we want to get married this year, and so we want to get engaged in the next few months in a special feast day :) We are both catholic, we pray every day together, whether in person or the phone. We are very open and communicate well, not just bout ice cream flavors but about real life topics. We have come to believe and understand that we want to get married and glorify the Lord in our vocation! But about a month ago I asked her dad for his blessing, and just yesterday I was able to hear a response. Parents are catholic but not see things the same way we do, lots of fear, only talks on practicalities, I wanted to be responsible and work with them to get that blessing. But after last night, instead of a talk, I was handed a letter, being asked to wait a few years, do these different things (finish my degree, finish my citizenship, and pay off my debts) these are things I am all in the process of and being responsible about them. But it was presented to me more like check these boxes and maybe you’ll be the one that can marry my daughter. Never did they ask me or their daughter about these topics, and they say we are rushing because its been too short dating etc. I wanna understand a father, but the more I pray, and my beloved prays and we pray together; the more we know we are called to marry this year. And it seems like the parents just don't love that idea, they ask whats the rush etc. I also don't feel comfortable with the fact that after reading that letter I asked to talk right away because I’ve had a lot of prayer on these topics and on what would happen at the talk with the dad for the blessing (I had a whole month where in prayer The Lord told me exactly how this would happen and assured me in discernment and communication with my partner.) in that talk I tried to share more and He got super defensive, so did his wife… he is not super empathetic, more of a numbers and systems guy. She was somewhat empathetic. They think they want to and are supposed to be our wisdom and discernment and mentor us, but to be short and charitable I will say we do not look forward to having a marriage like theirs, we have other couples we look up to online and in person (shoutout Matt and Cameron Fradd online haha) that we want more wisdom and mentorship because they are actually in different stages of living a wonderful and real catholic marriage how we want to. The Whole case is that We (my beloved girlfriend and I) are going to adoration this week and ask God for His guidance, and meet with my spritual director and chat with a few mentors, but if you reas this far we would would love all the extra prayers and rosaries and masses that can be offered for My beloved Maria and I! I believe we want to be happily married, and her parents might just not be happy with that for a few years but I trust God will heal their hearts. Although I know it is hard to know my case from just a long post here, any advice or wisdom I am open to receive too. JPII, Mary, Joseph pray for us, and come holy spirit!
