When we were dating and discerning marriage, we spent a lot of time talking about families and all the work God can do through them. Deciding who you’re going to marry is a big deal. Your spouse (in most situations) is the only family member you get to choose. Husband and wives will always differ from one another, and as they grow as individuals and as a couple, they will become more alike in some ways and different from one another in other ways. When Sophia and Chris started dating in their senior year of high school, they were similar in a lot of ways. When Chris transferred to JMU, they were still similar in a lot of ways. But when Sophia underwent a reversion to her Catholic faith, they experienced what it was like to be quite different. Sophia’s reversion got Chris thinking, and he ended up looking into the faith that Sophia was becoming so fond of. Then Chris converted to Catholicism himself.
This past weekend, we were talking about what makes a marriage successful. The first thing we thought about—and it still stands as number one in importance—is keeping God first. If you slip your boyfriend, girlfriend, fiancé, or spouse into the number one spot, you will be disappointed and you will be putting an unfair amount of weight on their shoulders. The fact that Sophia and Chris established their own relationships with God and His sacraments during their courtship has set them up to succeed at this first step of a good marriage.
Sophia and Chris, you as individuals and as a couple have already undergone so many changes. Change is an inevitable part of life! This massive change of reversion and conversion has set you up for success, because it has given you the opportunity to keep your priorities in the right order. It is unfair to the other if you expect them to satisfy the longing for God that is deep within all of us since The Fall. In marriage, you are still called to seek God first, but you will have a spouse to assist you in that seeking and to be a partner in the journey. You can consider your Catholic faith to be the first of your wedding gifts, as it will be the number one thing that strengthens your marriage and makes you both better individuals. We are so excited to see the blessings this vocation and sacrament bring to you! You’re in our prayers.
In Christ,
Amy and Kyle
