World Marriage Day

Today is World Marriage Day. As I listened to the homily at mass, I wasn't certain how I should be feeling. How I should be reacting. The Deacon spoke of marriage as sacred. He spoke of marriage as a sacrament. He also spoke of marriage being the root of the family, and that without a marriage the family is at risk for being broken.

So, will my children grow up feeling broken? Will they grow up believing marriage is nothing more than a piece of paper? No, I don't believe my children will feel that way - because I don't feel that way. I fully believe in marriage as a Sacrament. I believe that married couples are pictures - glimpses - of the love the Jesus Christ has for us.  I know that marriage is a vocation. Unfortunately, my spouse did not believe in marriage the same way I did. 


I believe my ex-spouse is broken. He is lost in the depths of self-gratification and self-exaltation, so to speak. I pray for him. I know Jesus did not create his heart to be the way it is now. His heart is hardened and he turns from God, who would be his only chance at changing his ways. Often times, when we are so immersed in something, we cannot even see how it could be - how it should be. We have to want to change. We have to realize that we long for Christ; thirst for Christ. If we replace the longing and thirsting for Christ with other things, we are ultimately leading to our own destruction. That is what has happened with my ex-spouse and that is one of the factors that has brought me to where I am today.


Today on World Marriage Day, I pray for all married couples. That they fully allow Christ into their marriage. I pray for all engaged couples. That they fully understand what marriage is. I also pray for all of those who are separated or divorced. That they may continue to find strength in Christ. That they may continue to pray for those who have hurt them. That they may be able to truly forgive. And that, eventually, they find happiness in a new relationship that God has planned, or find happiness alone if that is God's will. 


Am I sad today? A little. But I know as long as my eyes are fixed on Christ I will get through all of this.