Two Become One WMOF Family Friday, February 20th

Opening Prayer Women: Those who abide in love abide in God. Men: Those who abide in love abide in God. Women: Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious, or boastful, or arrogant, or rude. Men: Those who abide in love abide in God. Women: Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. Men: Those who abide in love abide in God. Women: Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Men: Those who abide in love abide in God. ALL: Glory be…

JP2: Married love is… 1 TOTAL 2 HUMAN 3 FAITHFUL 4 FRUITFUL The Cross: a WAY better image of married love than ♥ hearts or  diamonds.

JP2: Married love is… TOTAL Total Gift of Self, total acceptance of the other, mutually given and received. Total minus a lil’ bit equals NOT TOTAL. TGoS minus a good of marriage equals NOT MARRIAGE. Kinda like an airplane minus a wing does not land on schedule…

JP2: Married love is… HUMAN There is only ONE creature in the universe which has both REASON and a BODY…the HUMAN PERSON. The three best things about being human, and the three main ways we are like God: 1 Intelligence(God is ∞ intelligent.) 2 Freedom(God is ∞ free.) 3 Relationship(God is ∞ love.) “Go Trinity! It’s your eternity!”

JP2: Married love is… HUMAN Marriage is special to humans. We are the only beings who marry! We marry in a human way: by a FREE CHOICE. We humans make a free choice using our minds first, then our wills too; and the result of a free choice is a RELATIONSHIP. “Hmm. I could go for a bagel.” “I’m going for that bagel right now.” “That was a good bagel. Bagels are good.”

JP2: Married love is… HUMAN ERGO… Marriage cannot happen by force! It can only happen freely.

JP2: Married love is… FAITHFUL Faithful means exclusive: one person and one other person marry each other. Marriage is NOT a block party, a barbershop quartet, or a regulation hockey team. 3, 4, 5, 6…

JP2: Married love is… FAITHFUL Faithful means in good times and in bad: “We marry each other no matter what happens to us. We make a public commitment to unconditional love.” &

JP2: Married love is… FRUITFUL Marriage is good and brings about MORE GOODS. The procreation-and-education of CHILDREN is GOOD! Strong marriages are the foundation of strong families, which in turn bear fruits of JUSTICE and PEACE and GOOD PEOPLE for society.

Prayer in the Middle I, _____, take You, God, to be my God. I promise to be true to You in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Read the next 3 slides and discuss… “Hey, I have an idea to discuss with you…” “Spectabulous! Do tell.”

“Saint John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’ speaks of a certain ‘interior freedom’ and ‘self-mastery’ which spouses need in order to truly make a gift of themselves to one another. A person tied too tightly to romantic expectations, without the leaven of interior freedom and the capacity for self-gift, will lack flexibility.

To live the sacramentality of marriage and to follow the way of the covenant, husbands and wives need the capacity to transcend resentment, to lay aside entitlements, and to step forward in generosity. Without this interior freedom and power, serious problems are bound to arise, because life puts husbands and wives in situations that are very often not romantic at all.

The marital promise to love steadfastly as God does helps to create and protect this vital space. The sacramental commitment to do the work of love, even when loving is tough, is an essential ingredient in God’s covenant.”

Ask a married couple whom you admire… ┼ What made you decide to give yourself freely to each other? ┼ Now that you’ve been married for a while, how do you continue to make a free gift of yourself each day? ┼ What is the most helpful advice you could give on loving faithfully? ┼ What are some of the blessings that have come from your marriage?

God and Father of us all, in Jesus, your Son and our Savior, you have made us your sons and daughters in the family of the Church. May your grace and love help our families in every part of the world be united to one another in fidelity to the Gospel. May the example of the Holy Family, with the aid of your Holy Spirit, guide all families, especially those most troubled, to be homes of communion and prayer and to always seek your truth and live in your love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us! Closing Prayer