'Made for Love' a new podcast focusing on marriage, family

Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2018 / 03:04 am

Made for Love is a new podcast that aims to convey the truth about marriage and families by helping Catholics tell stories of God's work in their lives.

Hosted by Sara Perla, a program specialist for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Made for Love is under the aegis of Marriage: Unique for a Reason, an initiative of the bishops' conference.

While the podcast is focused on people "living out the call to love," it is not afraid to explore the less-rosy forms of "love" in the world. During the show, Perla speaks with guests about each episode's theme, while also narrating a framework of what the episode is about.

In the series' first three episodes, Perla discusses the relatively unique phenomenon of a priest who is able to baptize his own parents; a woman who had to care for her terminally ill spouse during the majority of their marriage; and a woman who sought a declaration of nullity for her marriage.

While these topics may seem dicey, or even dark, Perla told CNA she thought it important to share these stories, and she thinks her listeners can be helped by hearing what others have gone through.

"I do think it's important to get real about the challenges that people face, and that we all benefit from seeing how other people get through hard times," said Perla. She continued, saying that when someone has suffered through a trying situation, they can use what they've learned to help others.

"When you've suffered in a dramatic way, had time to process that, and come to a place where you are ready to speak about it, others can benefit from the lessons that the Lord taught you through that experience," Perla said.

Perla hopes the podcast is able to reach Catholics who may feel alone in their faith or who might need encouragement. She also hopes that she's able to reach non-Catholics with the podcast, and is able to convey successfully the beauty of the faith.

"If I do my job well, the podcast will inform people of the 'whys' of Catholic teaching and expose them to resources they may not have known were out there," explained Perla. "I think it could be a useful tool for teachers and catechists as well."

Perla hopes to to publish at least two episodes a month, and upcoming episodes will be coordinated with various awareness weeks, such as National Marriage Week.

Made for Love can be streamed on iTunes.