|
Commitment in the Christian dispensation asks
for a good deal of personal trust, devotion and discipleship to allow
oneself the resolve to mimic the God who has been faithful to us and to bear
out that faith through the bonds we forge with one another and with the
church's mission. A prevalent cynicism, pervasive social distrust and a
culture of divorce would make this kind of lifestyle in discipleship
difficult to conceptualize.
Simply put, couples living together without
marriage is contrary to the Christian assembly's fundamental understanding
of sexual integrity and marital fidelity. All the current studies of
relationship survival for cohabitating couples are grim.
The Church's pastoral strategy with couples in
midst of these realities is rather daunting. Noticeably, the number of
weddings in the Church are down in comparison to previous years. Even
nationally, civil marriages are diminished in number while divorces continue
to rise. These trends are due in part to the aging of the American
population and the choice to delay marriage for many young adults while
school and career goals are pursued and the shrinking size of the same young
adult population in general.
How can we impress the young with the challenge
of discipleship in Christ and, therefore, offer their marriages to the
graced sacramental embrace of Christ as an avenue to genuine personal
fulfillment? One way, certainly, is for parents to model affirming marriage
and family relationships for their children. Another is for parishes to
raise up and affirm marriages and families locally while also affirming the
suffering witness of and ministry to parishioners who have not achieved that
goal.
Continue article on next page
Return to start of article
|
