- Feb 5, 2002
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Peak wedding season is now upon us, and we all must prepare to face our culture’s image of the marriage ideal. In fact, the phrase “the perfect” often precedes every noun associated with weddings, from the “perfect proposal” to the “perfect dress” to the “perfect honeymoon.” All that matters is getting that one day and its associated activities “right.” In order to do this, couples are presented with an endless array of expensive options, most of which have little to do with the successful maintenance of the marital bond.
Few couples escape this mindset. We are all products of our cultural ethos in one sense or another, and many of us grapple with this reality. As someone who works with both college students and couples preparing for marriage, I am often struck that what is needed is the cultivation of a desire for something better during youth and young adulthood. Just as our taste buds become more sophisticated through exposure to quality foods, young people must become acquainted with true goodness long before marriage, so that its cultural counterfeits are found lacking in flavor. Young people do not simply need another program. They need a compelling encounter with virtue in their daily lives.
An encouraging development within the Church has been the introduction of the Marriage Catechumenate based on the document “Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life.” In addition to calling for the conversion of the traditional pre-Cana process to a mentor couple model, the document also highlights the need for greater “remote preparation” for marriage. Quoting Pope St. John Paul II’s “Familiaris Consortio,” the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life describes the importance of instilling virtue, self-mastery, respect for members of the opposite sex and the dignity of all human persons from early childhood.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
Few couples escape this mindset. We are all products of our cultural ethos in one sense or another, and many of us grapple with this reality. As someone who works with both college students and couples preparing for marriage, I am often struck that what is needed is the cultivation of a desire for something better during youth and young adulthood. Just as our taste buds become more sophisticated through exposure to quality foods, young people must become acquainted with true goodness long before marriage, so that its cultural counterfeits are found lacking in flavor. Young people do not simply need another program. They need a compelling encounter with virtue in their daily lives.
An encouraging development within the Church has been the introduction of the Marriage Catechumenate based on the document “Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life.” In addition to calling for the conversion of the traditional pre-Cana process to a mentor couple model, the document also highlights the need for greater “remote preparation” for marriage. Quoting Pope St. John Paul II’s “Familiaris Consortio,” the Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life describes the importance of instilling virtue, self-mastery, respect for members of the opposite sex and the dignity of all human persons from early childhood.
Continued below.
How we think about marriage needs to change
Reshaping wedding culture begins by forming virtue in young people, preparing their hearts for lasting marriage long.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
