Sacrament of marriage celebrated at prayer service

METUCHEN – “This gathering is one of my favorite gatherings of the year because love is so present,”  Bishop James F. Checchio said at the diocesan Silver and Gold Anniversary Prayer Service. “Thank you for your faithful witness of married love in a world which so needs it.”

More than 100 couples served as living examples of faith-filled married love as they filled the front pews of the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Oct. 30 to celebrate 25, 50 or more years of sacramental marriage. The fruits of their long unions – their children and grandchildren – sat just behind, cell phone cameras flashing to capture their joy.

Among the jubilarians were three couples marking 65 years of marriage: Michael and Madelyn Albert of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, South Bound Brook; Cornelius and Frances O’Donnell of St. John Vianney Parish, Colonia, and Raymond and Jeanette Miller of Our Lady of Peace Parish, Fords.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio said, “I am grateful to be with you at this moment of blessing and thanksgiving.”

Noting God’s loving presence is in the gift of the Eucharist, he added, “What better place could we be to celebrate married love?... It was God himself who placed the love of each other in your hearts. What started as a natural thing, your attraction to one other, was changed into a sacred thing and Godly thing, by asking God’s blessing on your wedding day.”

The bishop shared a reflection from Pope Francis’ recent speech to married couples, declaring their union as integral to the Church and society.

‘Marriage calls you to steer a tiny boat, wave-tossed yet sturdy, across a sometimes stormy sea,’” quoted Bishop Checchio. “‘Let us never forget Jesus is in your boat. Welcome him just as the apostles did.’”

Faith doesn’t make marriage easy, the bishop warned, but it helps us to get through the challenges of life. Such long-lasting marriages amongst his parents, siblings and friends benefitted all they encountered.

“Your spouse is your road to heaven,” Bishop Checchio concluded. “The secret to a happy and holy marriage is not in seeking your own self-fulfillment, but rather in looking for opportunities of self-gift to each other… Let us focus our eyes on Christ who teaches us the true cost of unending love [which] led him to the Cross. By hearing his voice and responding in obedience to faith, your marriage has been built on solid rock.”

Echoing the joyful faith and long-lived fidelity about which he spoke, Bishop Checchio led the couples in a public renewal of their marriage commitment. The couples stood, facing one another, hands clasped and gazing deeply into the eyes of their beloved. They prayed:

“Blessed are you, Lord, for in the good and the bad times of our life, you have stood lovingly by our side. Help us, we pray, to remain faithful in our love for one another, so that we may be true witnesses to the covenant you have made with humankind.”