Appreciating marriage successes

I had the opportunity to attend the golden wedding anniversary of an elderly couple lately. I was impressed with the way the duo lived their lives together for 50 long years, each saying they always gave in to the wishes of the other whenever some disagreement arose. They did this not because of fear but love. That they said was the success of their marriage for fifty years.

Matrimony is a Sacrament instituted by the church to safeguard the sanctity of marriage. It was a time when the couple took their solemn wows to be always true to each other not for a year or two but till death. The couple who celebrated their 50 years of marriage did so with so much pride which touched me as they consider their wedding day to be so important in their lives.

Today marriage has become a fashionable ritual and the wows just meaningless words. We see marriages breaking down so frequently and so early after it is officiated. Yes, today divorce is so common and accepted easily for trivial matters. With divorce the family unit is disrupted and the children suffer without “true parents” to show them what love really is.The Church can help fight this menace to certain extent by giving more importance and greater emphasis to wedding anniversaries of couples in their congregation. Appreciating and honouring couples during their wedding anniversaries for their success in remaining faithful and true to each other will go a long way to encourage the younger ones to follow them. Special masses, services and prayers for such couples should be regular celebrations in the church community to emphasise the message of the importance of a lasting marriage.

Those of us having gone through many years of successful marriage will understand the pains and trials we had undergone to build and keep our families together. It is sad that many such couples are not appreciated by the people and at times by even their own children. The least we can do is to acknowledge the married couples in our midst for the sacrifice, perseverance and love for one another not by giving money or gifts but by just greeting them from the bottom of our hearts.