Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever. Praise be His holy name. All Glory Be to He who was, is, and is to come. Glory and Honor to the most high God.
Thank You, Lord, for all thy benefits. Thank You for the Sacraments, and for the treasury of Grace from which Your people may draw. Thank You for your guidance through Your Word, Your Church, Your Mother, Your Holy Spirit.
Forgive me, Lord, for my short-sightedness and my moments of worry, anxiety, and despair. Forgive me for my lack of trust, hope, and faith amid trying situations. Forgive me, Lord, especially when I forget that You have a plan- a perfect one- of which I am not always privy to the details.
Tis wedding season; it seems to me. Many of the young adults I know are at that stage in life, and I have been honored to witness the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and to share in the joy of many moments that entails. I don’t know about you, but I always cry at weddings. My children will tell you that I cry for everything!
There are tears of happiness and joy. There are tears that come from the fact that this means change – and change can shake us up a little. There are tears because many are overwhelmed with emotion. Some tears are bittersweet because when a couple says “I do” to each other, it often means they will be moving out of their family home.
God revealed something to me when my first child was married that will stick with me for a long time. One of the pictures from his wedding include his wife in a posture that reminded me of an image of our Blessed Mother stomping on the serpent. When I saw it, I could sense in my soul that God will defeat the enemy through the Sacrament.
The more I pondered this, the more I could understand why the enemy attacks this Sacrament and the family this Sacrament creates. My thoughts at this point ran away from me and I began to feel overwhelmed and worried. That’s when God reminded me that this Sacrament gives exactly the graces needed to accomplish His will. I believe we are called to participate in this Sacrament, because every couple needs encouragement and reminders that their vocation is essential.
At the latest wedding, I found myself sitting in a chair holding my grandson with tears flowing. I was literally holding the first fruit of my son’s Sacrament after just witnessing another young couple enter into their vocation. My daughter and her new husband were serving in this wedding as well, and many of our precious memories from their Sacrament flooded my memory as well. It was all so beautiful and a wonderful reminder that God is still working to defeat the enemy, and how overwhelmingly honored I felt to be just a small part of His plan.
It is a reminder, too, that the Sacrament is witnessed by others, which means we should be dedicated to praying especially for those couples. I believe the enemy prowls and attacks families because he understands that he will be defeated through them; they are a huge threat to darkness because they foster hope and are a school of holiness. Let us not forget to lift all families in prayer; let us support and encourage them in whatever way we can. It may be our part of God’s battle plan, so let us soldier on!
Photo by Megan McFadden on Unsplash
