My internet news feeds overwhelm me with information every single day. Rarely do I watch network newscasts anymore. Email inboxes are filled each morning. I spend way too much time just reading headlines and hitting delete. One article did grab my attention this week. The title read, “Wedding dilemma for many couples: Should God be invited to the marriage celebration?”
My first thought was, how sad that modern day couples would consider such a question to be a dilemma. How did marriage become so secularized to the point where God’s involvement is an afterthought? Further evidence that our society no longer understands the true meaning of a marriage covenant.
Fighting my impulse to hit delete, I did open the article and was pleasantly surprised. Written by Fox News correspondent Lauren Green, the article cites family therapist Doctor Roxanne Louh who refers to marriage saying, “If you don’t have God at the center of that, holding you accountable to something much greater than your own feelings, then your feelings can become quite divisive.” Doctor Louh is married to a Greek Orthodox priest, Father Nicholas Louh. He is also quoted in the article saying, “You’re not a random act in history. God has a purpose for you, whether you’re married or single. And so, is that person in my life going to help me fulfill, or work toward the purpose that God has for me?”
Last Sunday was Father’s Day. In his homily, our priest reminded us that our most important job as fathers is to help our families get to heaven. When God is not present in the marriage, the relationship can be fragile. Too many children are growing up without fathers in the home.
It is refreshing to occasionally come across a secular source that expresses support for God-centered marriage. For many young people, marriage is a relationship void of any religious significance. The wedding has become a social event to put on a display. I am glad the Catholic Church requires Catholic weddings to take place in a Catholic Church. There is a good reason for marriage vows to be exchanged in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. How much more God-centered could a wedding be?
