Let Us Save Marriages! Prayer for Marriages in Crisis
Author: Red.,
Love One Another! 18/2011 → Family Life
“The future of humanity passes by way of the family. It is therefore necessary and urgent that every person of good will endeavor to save and foster the values and requirements of the family” (John Paul II)
Satan’s war with mankind reaches into the deepest layers of our being: our sexuality, our family life, our marriages. We are witnessing a relentless devaluation of the family in society. The secular media glamorize infidelity, casual sexual encounters, and thus contribute to the destruction of marriages and families. As believers we need to appreciate the great gift which the Creator bestowed upon us and which Jesus exalted to the level of a sacrament.
Holy Scripture appeals to us “not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor 6: 1). Let us take full advantage of this grace, which is the sacrament of marriage, and struggle for the indissolubility of the marital bond in accordance with Christ’s teaching. We are not talking here of some arbitrary human invention. We are talking of God’s will for married couples, of which Saint Paul speaks: “To the married […] I give this instruction (not I, but the Lord): a wife should not separate from her husband […] and a husband should not divorce his wife” (1 Cor 7: 10-11).
The notion of the indissolubility of marriage is not the brainchild of monks and priests. It is God Himself, Our Creator and Savior, who willed it. He instituted the sacrament of marriage as a blessing for his people.
It is normal, even expected, that married couples should experience difficult moments, conflicts, and problems, for this is an inescapable part of our human condition. Neither faith in God, nor a fervent prayer life, nor frequent reception of the Eucharist — good as these things are — can assure us of a “trouble-free” life. Jesus clearly teaches that those who trust in Him will encounter hardships in their lives. At the same time He gives us His guarantee that obedience to His word will ultimately bring about the resolution of all our problems: “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built” (Lk 6: 47-48).
Obeying Jesus is worth the effort. It is worth telling ourselves that Jesus is always right and that He has the power to heal us in our pain and solve our problems. It is worth putting aside thoughts of betrayal, divorce, and anything else that threatens marital unity. It is worth praying for marriages, especially those undergoing a crisis.
In his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio, John Paul II writes: “The future of humanity passes by way of the family. It is therefore necessary and urgent that every person of good will endeavor to save and foster the values and requirements of the family. I feel that I must ask for a particular effort in this field from the sons and daughters of the Church. Faith gives them full knowledge of God’s wonderful plan: they therefore have an extra reason for caring for the reality that is the family in this time of trial and of grace. They must show the family special love. This is an injunction that calls for concrete action” (FC, 86)
One way of showing our special love for families is to part in the Prayer Crusade for Marriages in Crisis. Those who undertake the crusade promise to pray every day for imperiled families and recite a decade of the rosary for a period of six months. They can also offer up frequent reception of Holy Communion or other voluntary spiritual gifts. Anyone who wishes may undertake the crusade. Trusting in the power of Almighty God, the One Source of Healing Love, let us not stint on our efforts and sacrifices to render assistance to marriages facing breakdown!
Mirosław Rucki
Daily Prayer of the Prayer Crusade for Marriages in Crisis
“Dear Father, who called marriage into existence, you wished to bestow upon us the best means of fulfilling the commandment of love. At the wedding feast of Cana, your Son Jesus Christ began to preach the saving message of assisting married couples and their friends. Mary was also there; indeed, she was the first to notice the difficulties experienced by the young couple. Loving Father, through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, and through the intercession of Mary the Blessed Mother of God, save all marriages in danger of breakdown, whatever the cause.
May the married couple, for whose intention I pray, be granted a miraculous transformation from evil to good, from coldness to warmth, from hardheartedness to sensitivity, from harsh words to tender ones, from distance to intimacy, from sorrow to joy, from indifference to longing. May your glory be revealed, and may this couple believe in you again — they and their children. Amen.”
The above article was published with permission
from "Love One Another!" in August 2016.
