You may recall me mentioning Mary Kate in past posts. She is the creative genius behind Mark Joseph Ministries, making all of our stuff look so good.
I want to congratulate Mary Kate and Greg, who got married this past Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding…the joining of two wonderful people. Cyndi and I want to wish Mary Kate and Greg much health and happiness for the entirety of their lives. May God continue to bless them on their journey!!!
Given their wedding, I thought I’d take the opportunity to give my slant on the importance of marriage and family. Please note that I come to this topic having been divorced from my first wife. We had several challenges and I definitely was not the husband that I’d be proud of today. There are no winners when it comes to divorce, not husband or wife, nor the kids, who are often the ones hurt the most.
I was very blessed to not only receive an annulment from the Church, but to have found my best friend in the world, my wife of the last 11 years, Cyndi. Believe me when I say that I don’t have it totally figured out (just asked my wife), but now understanding what marriage is to be, I truly try my best every day.
In a document published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which I sited a several weeks ago, it indicates that “the family, founded upon marriage, is the basic cell of human society. The role, responsibilities, and needs of families should be central priorities. Marriage must be defined, recognized, and protected as a lifelong exclusive commitment between a man and a woman, and as the source of the next generation and the protective haven for children. Children, in particular, are to be valued, protected, and nurtured”.
Why is the above so important? I’d suggest we first reference Scripture. In Mark 10:6-9, Jesus says, “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate”.
Blessing of Our Children
In response to His Disciples, who were chastising people for bringing their children to Jesus, He said in Mark 10:14-16, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them”.
Jesus spoke to the importance of marriage and family. Scripture references the topic in other places, i.e. Ephesians, Chapter 5. All of Christianity, including Catholicism emphasizes the critical nature of both. Why?
I think there are two reasons, the first personal. Life is built on relationships and none is stronger or more important than that between spouses. My wife is my best friend. We help each other to be the very best we can be. We in turn try to help our kids, their spouses, and kids, to be the best they can be. There’s no one nor anything more important to us. We’re family.
Second, the family is the foundation of society…the statistics, too many to site here, clearly support its criticality. The healthy family structure, with two parents in the home, is fundamental to success in the numerous ways we can define it. That’s not to say that some families can’t endure separation, i.e. divorce. It is to say that families are much better off when intact (just ask the kids)…and so is society. And that’s coming from a divorced guy.
In celebration of Mary Kate and Greg, let’s salute marriages and families. Let’s pray for them as well. Dear Lord, we ask you to abundantly bless the families of our world, starting with the parents, that they have healthy, happy marriages.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected], with your comments, questions, concerns, challenges, and prayer requests.
May God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!
Mark Joseph