World Marriage Day
Posted by: tony on 02/09/2006 10:46 PM
Updated by: tony on 02/09/2006 10:52 PM
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Expires: 03/12/2006 12:00 AM
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 I am blessed.
This weekend, I will be traveling to Syracuse with my lovely bride to have our bishop renew our marriage vows on Sunday with oodles of other couples. We will have been married 21 years in April.
This gets me back to thinking of The Promise™. You know, "I promise to love, honor and cherish you in good times and bad, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, 'till death do us part."
The first part is interesting, and has taken me a while to fully understand. It doesn't say: "Do you promise to feel love?", or "do you promise to engender a feeling of love in your spouse?"
The promise is "I promise to love". The rest is commentary. Love means seeking out the greater good for your beloved, sometimes denying yourself. Love is a choice. You can love even when you don't feel particular loving. Sometimes that is the hardest to do, but it pays the best benefits.
My wife is easy to love.
I have never been one of these guys who has found it easy to talk about his feelings. I am much better at writing them down (Marriage Encounter taught me that, but that's another story).
My wife completes me. If she's away, I feel bad. I can't wait to get home to her. God has blessed me abundantly, and sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve her, so I strive to do as St. Paul entreats.
"Love your wife as Christ loves his church".
I watched "The Passion". I hope I can live up to that.
So this weekend, when the Bishop asks:
"Do you promise to love...", my answer will be the same as it has every day of my life for the past 20+ years.
"I do".
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