 Love
While joyful marriages experience eros
(romantic love) and philos (friendship), they are built and sustained on the
solid rock of agape (free, full, faithful, and fruitful love). In
keeping with the old playground ditty "First comes love, then comes
marriage…" let's build on the last article on love ( "Love
is in the Air?" ) and talk a little bit about marriage. Since
marriage is a vocation, does that mean everyone gets the call? How
will I know when I am ready, or if I have found "the right one?"
Understanding God's plan for marriage will shed much light on these weighty
questions.
…and Marriage
Wedding vows pledge agape love, and transform
the man and woman into a one-flesh union ("…bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh…" Gen. 2:23).
It is more than just words; it is a pledge.
It is more than just a ritual; it is a Sacrament.
It is more than just a contract; it is a covenant.
It is more than just ceremony; it is a fulfillment of our personhood made in
the image and likeness of God ("Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created
him; male and female he created them." Gen 1:26-27).
It is easy to lose sight of the sacredness of
marriage in our modern world of Vegas wedding chapels, civil marriage,
same-sex "marriage", and Desperate Housewives. However, as baptized
Christians, we have a higher standard imposed by truth. As Catholics, we
have even greater responsibility and burden imposed by the fullness of
truth.
This truth sources from Our Lord Jesus Christ
himself through his revelation of God to man and the revelation of man to
man. What do we know about this God in whose image we are made?
Continue article on next page
Return to start of article
|
