This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh – Genesis 2:23
This one goes out to all the married couples out there. I’ll start with this: your marriage is important. Really important. Important enough for Jesus to make clear boundaries about it. Marriage between a man and a woman reflects the covenantal relationship between Christ and His Church. The exclusive, faithful love between a man and woman is a sign to the world of the love that God has for His Church.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sets a clear command about the sanctity of marriage: it is indissoluble. Marriage is a vocation, and therefore a path to holiness. True love requires sacrifice; we give up what we want for the good of the other, and hopefully our spouses do the same for us. Working on our marriages is not easy, but it is deeply important. After all, in the sacrament of marriage we become one flesh with our spouse. I must try to remember daily that my husband is a part of me and I am a part of him.
Sometimes we bicker or have trouble communicating. We each have our selfish tendencies and baggage. But by apologizing and forgiving, we become more like God. In our efforts to communicate well in the different seasons of our life, we show the other that we are willing to go the extra mile for our marriage. When we put aside our selfishness and sacrifice for each other, we demonstrate true love.
In His mercy, God does not leave married couples alone in their struggles. This is from the Catechism: “By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself [Christ] gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to ‘receive’ the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ’s cross, the source of all Christian life” (CCC 1615).