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Parish of St Mary and St Paul
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POPE FRANCIS SIX POINT PLAN FOR THOSE PREPARING TO CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE
(1) Build love: love, said Francis, must be more than mere emotion or psycho-
(2) It’s not about forever: marriage is about more than duration, the Pope made clear. ‘A marriage succeeds, not just because it lasts, its quality is also important’.
(3) Remember to be courteous, grateful, and apologetic: ‘Gratitude is an important sentiment. Do we know how to say thank you? Saying sorry is important too. In general, we are ready to accuse others and to justify ourselves. It is an instinct that lies at the origins of many disasters. Let us learn to recognise our mistakes and to apologise’. No couples should ever end a day angry with one another; being at peace with one another is the secret that preserves love.
(4) It’s not just about the wedding: ‘Some people’, said Pope Francis, ‘are more concerned about the party, the photographs, the clothes, the cars and the flowers. These are important, but only if they are able to indicate the true reason for your joy: the Lord’s blessing upon your love.’
(5) There’s no such thing as perfect: ‘The perfect family does not exist’, the Pope said, ‘And nor does the perfect husband or the perfect wife. In a long marriage, both partners have to put up with each other; in other words, it’s about give as well as take for both parties’.
(6) Marriage is about helping one another to grow. ‘The husband has a duty to make his wife more of a woman and wife has the task of making her husband more of a man… this is called growing together. Always act so that the other person will grow…’