In
our first reading, Tobiah and Sarah pray on their wedding night for a long and
happy life together. In our second
reading, Saint Paul offers five virtues that are essential to a harmonious
marriage: compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience. But
above all, Saint Paul calls us to “put on love,” because love is the precursor
to each of these virtues.
God
created us to love. We’re called, chosen
and sent out into the world to love. To
remain in Christ’s love, as Jesus commands in our Gospel, we have to love each
other as Jesus loves us. “Love is the
golden thread that binds Jesus, his followers, and the Father, who is love
itself.”[2] As Pope Benedict so beautifully explained,
“we could not love if we were not first loved by God. God’s grace always precedes us, embraces us
and carries us.”[3] And God’s love is eternal – it has no
beginning and no end. It lasts
forever. So “[j]ust as God's love is
stable and lasts forever, we want the love on which a family is based to be
stable and to last forever.”[4] So, for your marriage to last forever, you have
to remain in God’s love forever.
Of course, every
marriage faces its challenges, and love is what will get you through them. In the words of the bard, “Love comforts like
sunshine after rain.”[5] So Mike, love will get you through the times
when Amy may not be as patient as you might hope she would be. And Amy, love, only love, will give you the strength to forgive Mike if he ever again
makes you miss a plane because he had to stop for ice cream, or if he ever
again accidentally shoots you in the leg with a bottle rocket. The more you entrust your marriage to God, the
more your love will be 'forever', able to face every challenge and overcome every
difficulty.
I’ve
known Mike since he was a little squirt begging for his Grandma’s meatballs,
and Amy for more than 3.6 years of their courtship. But I’ve been blessed to come to know both of
you much better through marriage preparation.
I’ve learned that Mike loves spreadsheets and that he rarely gives a
simple answer to simple questions like, “What’s your full name?” or “Where were
you born?” I really started to question
that whole “Thirty Under Thirty” thing.
I thought it might be referring to his IQ. I’ve also learned that Amy and Mike love to
eat and hike together, they’re skilled moose chasers, and they both have an odd
relationship with their microwave ovens – Amy uses hers to sterilize sponges;
and Mike uses his to warm his chilly pet fish.
You’d think that two people who love to eat would figure out that a
microwave is for warming food. Most
importantly though, I’ve learned that you love each other very much. I’ve seen your love in the way you look at
each other for reassurance; I’ve seen your love in your willingness to
compromise and accommodate each other; and I’ve especially seen your love in
your most patient forbearance of the Church bureaucracy leading up to this most
special day. I’ve seen in you both the
kind of love that lasts forever, and that’s why I believe that your marriage will
last forever.
Readings: Tobit 8: 4b-8; Psalm 145; Colossians 3: 12-17; John 15: 9-12
[1]
Shauna H. Springer, “Key Factors that Impact Your Odds of Marital Success,”
Psychology Today, June 12, 2013, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-joint-adventures-well-educated-couples/201206/key-factors-impact-your-odds-marital-success
(accessed August 30, 2017).
[2]
Scott M. Lewis, “The Gospel According to John,” New Collegeville Bible Commentary – New Testament, Daniel Durkin,
ed. (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2009) at 350.
[3]
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy
Narratives (New York, Image, 2012) at 76.
[4]
Pope Francis, Valentine’s Day Address, February 14, 2014.
[5]
William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis
(1593).
No comments:
Post a Comment
God is listening . . . comment accordingly.