The Weekend Press: My Interfaith Marriage Plus: The year celebrities stopped saying sorry. A man should know how to wear a tuxedo. And Abigail Shrier has stern words for a reader who’s considering ditching her anti-vax brother.
R.R. Reno, the devoutly Catholic editor of First Things, writes a gorgeous essay about his interfaith marriage. (Animation by The Free Press)
Welcome back to The Weekend Press! Today’s is a New Year’s edition. Suzy Weiss is looking back on the big cultural trends of 2025. Abigail Shrier has advice on how to cope when someone you love is doing something you hate. And Elliot Ackerman tells you how to dress fancy ahead of New Year’s Eve. But first, we’re handing the mic to R.R. Reno, the devoutly Catholic editor of “First Things”—who has written us a gorgeous essay about his interfaith marriage: Juliana’s rabbi could not officiate our wedding. This was a few decades ago, and in those days, very few rabbis would marry a Jew to a Christian, or indeed anyone of another faith. So, our wedding ceremony took place in the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore, the Episcopal parish where I grew up, on a cold night in late December. My mother-in-law was horrified when she visited the venue the day before the wedding. “How can you be married there?” she asked Juliana. “There’s a huge stained-glass window of Jesus!” “Mom,” Juliana replied. “I’m getting married at 5 p.m. on the shortest day of the year. It will be dark.” And so began our interfaith marriage, which is still going strong after 39 years. Juliana and I have both become more religious, more observant, more devout. I won’t pretend that it’s easy to believe different things. But it is a precious thing, a very precious thing, to have a partner who takes religion seriously. Even if there are some compromises, and a little confusion for our kids. Some years ago, when Santa paid a visit to our kids’ preschool, our daughter Rachel happily sat on his lap to whisper her gift requests. But on the drive home, she squirmed with worry: “Mom, don’t tell Santa that I’m Jewish.” Juliana replied: “Sweetheart, if Santa knows when you are sleeping and knows when you’re awake, then he certainly knows that you are Jewish.” At times like this, I’ll find myself thinking: God can write straight with crooked lines. Perhaps my story will have you thinking the same thing. —R.R. Reno If, after all this time with your family, you also need some Tough Love from Abigail Shrier—send her a note! If you’re a paying subscriber, write to her here; if not, subscribe today. |