II Sunday of February:
World Marriage Day (WMD)
World Marriage Day is an outgrowth of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, an apostolate aimed at helping couples make good marriages even better. WMD began in 1983 and is celebrated every second Sunday of February. In 1993, Pope John Paul II imparted to it his Apostolic Blessings. This year WMD falls on St Valentine’s Day,14 February.
WMD honours husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their lifelong commitment, their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy. WMD events provide the visible sign of support couples need to continue to make the daily decision to love each other.
The permanently adopted theme for WMD is: Love One Another.
Marriage is forever. That’s the promise the man and the woman make at the altar, when they say “I do.”. Yet, marriages are under threat today. They face many different and difficult issues. WMD is a reminder for people to think about their marriage and renew those vows.
How to keep the spark alive:
Successful couples do a number of things to keep the spark alive and to manage conflict.
- Love and partnership are inalienable priorities. Accepting the other is easier and more realistic than attempting to change them. When people feel valued, they change more spontaneously.
- Make time for each other and give it your undivided attention. Quality time is a must if you want to have a solid relationship. Recognize when one needs to speak, and listen gladly. Look at one another while communicating.
- Exchange gestures of affection and care. You don’t have to stop courting each other even if you’ve been married for years.
- Laughter is the quickest way to get into a better mood. Being light-hearted together can relieve a lot of stress.
- Appreciate and compliment your other half. It makes your bond stronger and helps you tide over rough moments.
- Don’t keep a score of what you do for others or what they do for you. And don’t take each other for granted. Be polite and respectful.
- It is healthy to spend some time apart and to allow for some alone time too. Spending every second together is a quick way to burn out a relationship.
- One of the biggest strains on a marriage is money. Be honest about things like budgeting, saving and debt.
- Happy couples aren’t afraid to talk about hot topics. They feel safe to express their opinions and have built a level of trust in each other. They can acknowledge what they need and then say it out aloud.
- Your relationship deepens with serious conversations, like discussing a huge fight, a job loss or a child’s temper tantrums. Try to take some of the pressure off. Sit down when you’re both calm; create an environment that’ll keep you that way. Turn off the TV and other distractions.
- Do things together: packing things, running errands, cleaning the house, washing the car. Doing them together promotes companionship.
- Have other couple friends. Being around with other people can help you to break out of your shell and widen your circle. New friends introduce new activities and interests.
- At family prayer time, if you like, hold your spouse’s hands in yours, and say this prayer together:
Let us start a movement where every married couple globally will make this (or a similar) prayer daily during their family prayers. By being reminded daily to love each other, to forgive each other and ask God to protect the marriage, it will strengthen your marriage so that you may endure the challenges that you will face in life.
But, more importantly, when you recite this prayer in front of your children every day, they will start memorizing it, and hopefully they will also pray it with their spouses when they get married someday. This will allow the strengthened marriages and God’s protection to be passed down to your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Happy World Marriage Day!
Celebrate your sacrament with the world.
——-
Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC
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