Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

 THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY

Genesis 24: 10-27

“Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate”. Mark 10: 9

The Bible begins with Adam and Eve being created in God’s likeness. God tells them to be fruitful and multiply. Their love for each other is the image of love God has for us. The sacrament of marriage is a covenant.  In the sacrament of matrimony, two people are united in such a way that they become one flesh. The purpose of the sacrament is to help the partners in this life as they work to live in faithfulness to God. Their love for each other is a reflection of the enduring love between Christ and His Church and it provides them with a foretaste of divine love. The sacrament of Christian marriage involves their entire life as they journey together through ups and downs of marriage and become more able to give to and receive from each other. Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple co operates with God’s action in their life and sees themselves as living “in Christ” and Christ living and acting in their relationship, attitudes and actions.
Members of modern family face an uphill battle to remain faithful to the sacred trust they have received from God to be a living school of love. Today, the beauty of family life is not everywhere reflected with equal brilliance, since the plague of divorce has an obscuring effect. Almost fifty percent of marriages in the United States will end in divorce or separation. However, the fact remains, when done correctly, it can be a rewarding union. Christian marriage is a sacrament that orders the husband and wife to serve one another. This service is based on the Christian virtue of charity and is done in a spirit of care and concern for the good of the spouse and children (if any) following the example of Christ. When two unknown people, like Isaac and Rebekah, whether from the same or from different cultural background decide to hold each other’s hand and share their future as husband and wife, they come together because of God. Such relationships are made by God and that is it is said that marriages are made in heaven. As His image bearers, we humans are designed for relationship, to live and be loved. And the deepest expression of this relational nature that God has given humanity is found in the institution of marriage. 

The story of Isaac and Rebekah teaches that marriage is built not just in love, but on faith. Rebekah had to choose whether she would leave her family and become the life of a man she had not met before and did not know at all. This was a great leap of faith! Have this faith lead and guide us in our married life. 

Prayer
Good Lord, help our youngsters find suitable spouses in their life journey. Also, help the married spouses adore the sanctity of marriage based on fidelity, love, prayer and faith. Amen.



 Thought for the Day
“The family that prays together, stays together”


Samuel K. Samuel
St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, New York

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