One of the things your children learned about in this month’s classroom time is the grace a couple receives through the sacrament of Matrimony.  To Catholics, marriage is more than just a civil contract, it is a divine covenant between the couple and God Himself, and a marriage freely entered into with full knowledge and consent, and consummated by a baptized man and woman can NEVER be dissolved – not even by the Church.  While that may sound unreasonable by today’s societal standards, God PROMISES to provide each married couple with all the help needed to make it possible.  Each sacrament brings its own special graces, and this one is no exception.  Through a sacramental marriage, a couple receives the graces to grow in their love, to strengthen their unity, to become more holy, and to welcome and educate their children.   Every day brings countless opportunities for spouses to set personal wants and needs aside out of love for the other and sacrifice to their family.  This beautiful self-giving is truly a reflection of Christ’s total offering for us.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:12-13