Monday, January 8, 2007

Sacrament of Marriage

Working with RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation) teaches me as much as it teaches the catechumenates. This week we spoke of the Sacrament of Marriage and the following struck me as its ideal!!

"God's faithfulness to people is evident in the commitment a couple makes to love each other for a lifetime. That love requires a sacrifice for the good of the other. This is not just in the major things like illness or tragedy. It is getting up at an awful hour just to have breakfast together; it is listening when the other needs to talk rather than going to sleep.
It is trying to affirm instead of criticize; it is allowing laughter to end a quarrel instead of insisting on being right. It is sharing hurts and fears instead of hiding them and being independent. It is understanding that some people just can't balance a checkbook; it is disciplining the children together. It is asking the other's opinion and responding to it.
God's faithfulness accepts us for who we are, affirms us, looks for the good in us, and helps us grow. A married couple should challenge all of us to an understanding that doesn't give up on others, but looks for the gifts in each one, affirms those gifts, and draws them forth for the good of the community."

Marriage can be everyone's ideal if we remember that marriage is not two people but three. The presence of Jesus in the relationship should be strong and it's made stronger each day through prayer - prayer shared by couples.

God bless all!!

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