Day 22: He Gives Us the Grace of Marriage
Intention
To be grateful for God’s life-giving gift of marriage, which is for our good and the good of society.
Scripture
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”
– Genesis 2:18
Reflection
The Church’s proclamation of the good news of life and love, of marriage and family, is not, as some would claim, a matter of judgment or moralistic finger-wagging.
It is about a desire for the good of each individual person and society as a whole.
Consider the fruits of the Church’s vision of sexuality expressed in lifelong, marital love ordered towards the raising of children. Family life is the context of so much that is good and necessary. This includes the protection of life, promotion of health, early education, care of the elderly, transmission of faith and values, and experience of love.
Compare this with the fruits of the current, popular thinking of sexual activity. Often, sex is seen as completely separate from marriage, requiring no commitment or self-gift. Children are viewed as an optional (and detrimental) extra. Many children grow up without the experience of their Mum and Dad committed to each other – and to them – over the long haul.
Clearly, this world’s morality is not making people happy.
But we are to offer people a much more ancient, beautiful and divine wisdom about marriage and family life than what the modern culture proposes. This duty is one of the most prophetic and useful things the Christian community can do. The benefits are not just for ourselves – but also for the rest of society.
This is not just about sociological goods. Marriage and family life are also about vocation and salvation.
Marriage is about vocation because it is a divine calling to an intimate, lifelong partnership. It’s an abundant grace that forms character, moulds identity and shapes the destiny of the spouses.
Marriage is also about salvation because it mirrors Christ’s total, faithful, fruitful self-gift to His Church, consummated on the cross (Ephesians 5:22–33). It was raised by Him to the status of a sacrament. Marriage is a place for affection and joy – but also for self-sacrifice and mutual sanctification. In making their home a domestic church, spouses live out their faith and transmit it to the next generation.
We cannot pretend marriage and family are always easy to live out. They do require a certain kind of heroism. But God does not ask us to do it alone. He gives us the sacraments, the Word of God, and the support of the Christian community.
If you give it your best shot, God will give you the grace.
Video
Prayer
God our Father, from You every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. Give us the grace to imitate Christ’s free, total, faithful and fruitful self-gift to His Church, consummated on the cross, in our own families. Make us a prophetic witness to the good news of life and love in our world today.
We make this prayer through Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Author Bio
Archbishop Anthony Fisher has been the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney since 2014. He is a member of several Vatican bodies and has several national and state roles in the Church, especially in education. He has lectured and published extensively in bioethics, moral theology, history, law and spirituality.
Prayer Points and Purpose for October 2024
- Revival and restoration of sexual integrity to renew the individual, revitalise marriages, restore families and protect children. Hebrews 13:4
- Revival, repentance and reformation of Australia. 2 Chronicles 7:14
- Revival, repentance and reformation of America. 2 Chronicles 7:14
- The Lamb that was slain may receive a reward for His suffering. Revelation 5:12
We invite you to support this prayer campaign by ordering your FREE copy of Break Through: 15 Keys to Supernatural Breakthrough, a book on prayer written by Warwick Marsh. Reading this book will multiply the effectiveness of your prayers. You can make a donation to the Canberra Declaration to help pay it forward and bless someone else to receive a free copy of Break Through.
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