A MARRIED LIFE

John 12:47

“And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him… I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world”.

Today is our wedding anniversary. It has been 14 years already when I married the most wonderful woman on earth. Our marriage started like many other marriages. We experienced a romantic courtship and thoroughly enjoyed being together. We laughed, played, and prayed together. At times, we experience disagreements that will at times force us to realize that the person you married seems to have disappeared. And 14 years after, we still have problems. We still disagree. There are even times when we don't like each other.

However, having problems doesn't mean we have a problematic marriage. I may sometime does not follow what she wants and vice versa. However, this is not enough reason for her to condemn me forever and go out of our marriage. Through the years, we have faced problems and challenges and see them not only as obstacles to our survival but, in God's hands, as opportunities for increased satisfaction.

May the Lord continue to bless our marriage. And now we are wiser about our frailties and limitations. We are now more aware of our complete dependence upon God. Each one of us may have committed mistakes in the past but we now know that it should not be enough reason to condemn the other. Jesus did not condemn us for our sins. Having come face to face with our own sinfulness, we are more sensitive and compassionate towards the weaknesses of one another. Most of all, we are grateful for God's unconditional love, and the chance to begin anew.

Almighty Father, I thank you today for the marriage that you have blessed me with, and the gift that you gave me in my wife, Tonet. I thank you for the 2 wonderful children – Mark and Shiela, you have blessed us with. I know that without the Holy Spirit in our lives, nothing we could have said and did would have made a difference. I pray for all the marriages, that they would be strengthened daily, and blessed as well. I pray all this in Jesus Holy Name.

Amen +

“You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person whom you cannot live without.”