God Himself is the Author of Marriage.

"GOD HIMSELF IS THE AUTHOR OF MARRIAGE, AND HE HAS GIVEN IT A PURPOSE." (UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS).

"Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,

“Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.

"Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”

"Jesus said to them, “The children of this age ­marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to ­attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.

"They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.

"That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

"Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything." (Luke 20: 27 - 40).

Saturday 19th November 2022 of the 33rd Week of Ordinary Time. Let us keep the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Families this Saturday.

The Sadducees asked Jesus a question about the Resurrection using marriage between one man and one woman as an example. They assumed that in the Resurrection the married couple will be automatically in Heaven.
Given the disruption of the institution of marriage in our time, we may ask: How can the Church save Marriage today?

Marriage may be saved through:
#1. Re-evangelising married couples and marriage candidates. This may take more than six months.  We may think of the RCIA process.
#2. Strong and effective catechesis rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and lives of Saints.
#3. Basic sacramentalization especially on the meaning and actualization of Baptism in the Christian dispensation.

Jesus Christ provides the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance which if used with faith and integrity can save many marriages. Below is a typical Examination of Conscience to be used by those seeking healing through this unparalleled free gift of healing.

Examination of Conscience for those who desire a healthy and joyous Marriage:

You shall not commit adultery:
Have I been faithful to my marriage vows in thought and action?
Have I engaged in any sexual activity outside of marriage?
Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control in marriage?
Has each sexual act in my marriage been open to the transmission of new life?
Have I been guilty of masturbation?
Have I sought to control my thoughts?
Have I respected all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as objects?
Have I been guilty of any homosexual activity?
Do I seek to be chaste in my thoughts, words and actions?
Am I careful to dress modestly?

The list above is not exhaustive. Add your personal areas of struggle for example: Texting, Email, Phone, Social Media.

How often do you use Reconciliation? Start with once every month. As you make progress, you can make it twice a month. The great thing about this Sacrament of Jesus is that it is absolutely free. Try to find out how much it will cost to get a marriage counselor or psychotherapist for an hour.

"My priests should be the first to seek Me out in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They should be the first to run to Me as soon as they experience the pangs of an uneasy conscience and the regret of their sinful weaknesses. The single greatest service My priests can offer one another is the readiness to hear each other’s confessions and to pronounce over each other the healing words of absolution. In this way, they carry out the example I gave you when, at the Last Supper, I washed the feet of My disciples. Frequent confession, weekly confession is, more than ever, necessary to My priests." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, July 31, 2008).

Daily Bible Verse @ Seekfirstcommunity.com