““Pope Benedict XVI, in his Encyclical “Deus Caritas Est: God is Love,” returned to the topic of the truth of the love of man and woman, which is fully illuminated only in the love of the crucified Christ. He stressed that ‘marriage based on an exclusive and definitive love becomes an icon of the relationship between God and his people, and vice versa. God’s way of loving becomes the measure of human love.’ Moreover, in the Encyclical “Caritas in Veritate: Charity in Truth,” he highlighted the importance of love as a principle of life in society a place where we learn the experience of the common good”.” (AL #70)
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia: The Joy of Love” quotes Pope Benedict XVI on the strength of love when it is placed in the sacramental union of husband and wife.
This weekend I will be away for my cousin Catherine’s wedding in Seattle. For me, one of the great blessings I am able to share with my family is the witnessing of this wonderful gift of the Sacrament of Matrimony. One of the great blessings of my ministry, especially my work within Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) is seeing, experiencing and sharing in the work of love that occurs in the unity of husband and wife. The common good of who Catherine and Gabe will become in the sacramental life is discovered in the shared sacrifice of unitive love.
Blessed Pope Paul VI (soon to be Saint)wrote in the encyclical “Humanae Vitae: Of Human Life” that, “By it (the sacrament of matrimony) husband and wife are strengthened and as it were consecrated for the faithful accomplishment of their proper duties, for the carrying out of their proper vocation even to perfection and the Christian witness which is proper to them for the whole world.” (HV#25) The vocational call of husband and wife in seeking the common good is found in the care for the other and the unitive and procreative love shared and blessed. God has called them to be husband and wife, to share in the creative act of love with Him. It is a divine gift given to be shared equally and blessed with abundance.
It is a sacramental love blessed and shared in union with the whole Church. “The sacrament of marriage is not a social convention, an empty ritual or merely the outward sign of a commitment. The sacrament is a gift given for the sanctification and salvation of the spouses, since “their mutual belonging is a real representation, through the sacramental sign, of the same relationship between Christ and the Church.” (AL #72) It is a holy and joyful work of love that Catherine and Gabe, and all married couples, are called to share in and in doing so become a Sacrament. They will see the sanctification of their love not as a chain to bind them down or a stodgy set of rules to hinder them, rather the sanctification of their life together is the joyful play and work of love. It is the new discovery of life and grace that is shared in the ever growing and deepening knowledge of the other in and through the grace shared and given by our loving Father.
In the marital vows, the taking and giving completely and joyfully, the unitive grace is expressed most thoroughly. As they offer their life and accept the life of their beloved through God’s sacramental grace they will complete the promise they made to each other on the day they began their journey as friends growing in love. “Mutual self-giving in the sacrament of matrimony is grounded in the grace of baptism, which establishes the foundational covenant of every person with Christ in the Church. In accepting each other, and with Christ’s grace, the engaged couple promise each other total self-giving, faithfulness and openness to new life.” (AL #73)
Ultimately, on their wedding day and throughout their married life they will be a sign of God’s love in the world. “To them the Lord entrusts the task of making visible to men the holiness and sweetness of the law which unites the mutual love of husband-and-wife with their cooperation with the love of God the author of human life.” (HV #25) The Trinitarian love of husband and wife flows into the world and attracts others to share in the love of God. It is in this mutual love, they share as husband and wife. It is the mutual love flowing forth in hope, peace and joy that will grow ever more abundant as their family grows in love. As our Lord entrusts this gift to them they are invited to care for the gift of each other…to cherish the gift…to bless the gift…and to grow the gift of each other in love.
God bless,
Fr. Mark