Wedding anniversary couples ‘true witnesses to god’s covenant’

Though hundreds watched them intently, the couples celebrating 25, 50 or more years of marriage only had eyes for one another.

Facing their beloved spouse, hands clasped and voices laden with emotion, some 144 couples at the annual Silver and Gold Wedding Anniversary Evening Prayer, held Oct. 22 in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, reaffirmed their marriage commitment before hundreds of joyful family and friends.

“Blessed are you, Lord, for in the good and the bad times of our life you have stood lovingly by our side,” the couples recited. “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.”

Bishop James F. Checchio presided at the Evening Prayer, sponsored by the diocesan Office of Family Life, greeting each anniversary couple in turn as they posed for a picture with him. In his homily, he reflected upon the value of the gift of the couples’ long unions. All had given their word before God to be true and love one another until death, he reminded them, with their simple “I do” decades before.

“What better gifts could you have given us, your families and friends, than living by those words and being examples of love?” the Bishop asked. “Like all sacraments, marriage gives you grace. It is a sign of God’s love for us, the way God chooses to reveal his love to us.”

Over and over in the Scriptures, Jesus teaches us about love, Bishop Checchio continued. One of the most striking depictions of that love, he maintained, is “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” a painting by Rembrandt which hangs in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Like the father’s love for his wayward son, God never gives up on us.

“Marriage and family love is dependable, constant and steadfast,” said the Bishop. “You represent the fidelity of Christ to his bride, the Church. Love doesn’t eliminate the crosses in our lives; love makes them bearable.

“When we really need it, we can count on it being there,” Bishop Checchio concluded. “Thank God for your example of love. How we need that witness in our day.”