by Analda Anglin, Redstone Arsenal
We are not made to be alone. Human beings need and complete each other. Friendship and community satisfy that longing with bonds of common interest and love. Marriage is a uniquely intimate form of friendship that calls a man and a woman to love each other in the manner of God’s Covenant. Marriage is a Sacrament. Married love is fruitful and offered without reservation. This love is in the image of Jesus’ faithfulness to the Church. (Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, Chapter 4)
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We are not made to be alone. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that love is “the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being” (1604).
Man and woman were created by God out of love and for love. The love that a husband and wife have for one another is an earthly image of the love that God has for us. The desire for marriage is written into our souls. Marriage has existed since man and woman were first created by God. In the miracle of the wedding at Cana, Christ raises marriage to the dignity of a sacrament and bestows a special grace to spouses.
This matrimonial grace is a unique gift from God that lasts throughout the entire married life. It helps spouses to attain holiness in their vocation and to accept the gift of children. It also helps spouses to make sacrifices that are required in marriage. The sacrament of marriage is so important to God that he bestows this tremendous gift to married couples. Without this grace, marriage becomes less important and more selfish.
Consider the special challenges that military families face. Then consider how the Lord helps us through those challenges. That is matrimonial grace at work. If you look at the demands of the military life on paper, marriage seems difficult at best and impossible at worst. But it works. Military families have loving, supportive, happy, strong, grace-filled marriages. They are possible because of that special grace from God.
There is an excellent book called “The Faith Explained” that says about marriage, “To Christian spouses who do their human best to make theirs a truly Christian marriage, God has pledged his grace, when needed and as needed. God will not default on his pledge.”
God will not default on his pledge. He helps us in our marriages in ways we don’t even realize or understand. When we share this love that God created in us, when we join together in sacramental marriage to complete one another, when two become one, we see the supernatural fruits of that love and participate in God’s plan. We are strengthened and blessed, assisted, and guided, all in the name of love. What a wonderful gift!
Monthly Catechesis Reflections Choosing Life
