How to Make Decisions Together

Fr. Mike says the key to making decisions together is
distinguishing between preferences and principles. If the reason
you’re favoring a choice is a matter of principle, it is your duty
to lead the other person in that decision to the truth of that
principle. If the choice you’re favoring is just a matter of
preference though, charity suggests that you default to the
preference of the beloved one involved in the decision instead. Fr.
Mike uses going to church as an example. It is a matter of
principle that we have to go to Sunday Mass and worship God the way
he tells us to, so if someone tells us going to a Catholic Mass is
just our preference we can tell them as a matter of fact it’s not.
However, if the issue is which church we go to for Sunday Mass, say
St. Francis’ Church or St. Andrew’s, more often than not that is
just a matter of preference. For a helpful book on decision-making,
check out _Pray, Decide, and Don’t Worry _
(https://ascensionpress.com/collections/featured/products/pray-decide-and-don-t-worry-five-steps-to-discerning-god-s-will)by
Jackie and Bobby Angel, with Fr. Mike.