|
No greater blessing can come to your married life than pure conjugal love, loyal and true to the end. May, then, this love, which you join your hands and hearts today, never fail, but grow deeper and stronger as the years go on. And if true love and the unselfish spirit of perfect sacrifice guide your every action, you can expect the greatest measure of earthly happiness that may be allotted to man in this vale of tears. The rest is in the hands of God. Nor will God be wanting to your needs. He will pledge you the life-long support of His graces in the Holy Sacrament which you are now going to receive.
With the exception of the some of the dated language such as irksome, this text depicts the reality of the tests and caresses that are a part of every married life. Love is the genesis of the marriage relationship the introduction shows. It also focuses on the role of self-sacrifice as a necessary element of a sacramental marriage. The sacrifice of self for others is what Jesus does for us. He is the model of loving that our faith calls us into.
In our age where our world coaches us in self interest, power games and materialism, we must bear in mind that love means self-sacrifice. Sacrifice is sometimes described as turning from self interest and sin and back to God. Having to let go of self is irksome. Turning is the motion of conversion. This turning requires us to use our graced strength of character to fight against the weight of popular thought and selfish behavior. We have the task of swimming against the currents so that Christ's love is made more present in the world. We as married persons are presented each day with the opportunity to renew our pledges to each other by giving ourselves lovingly to our spouse and by giving our relationship to the building of God's Kingdom. Our ability to love is a gift from God. We are challenged each day to decide how to use our loving nature.
Lena & Lawrence Crudup, natives of Portsmouth VA, reside in Harrisburg, PA. We have been married for 36 years. Parents of two children Lawrence and Lisa. Lena is a library circulation manager; Lawrence is a pharmaceutical sales representative. Members of Holy Name of Jesus Church, Diocese of Harrisburg, PA. We have worked in marriage preparation for 30 years.
Return to start of article
|
