Prayers for Marriage

I believe in the beauty of marriage. 
I believe that marriage done well, may possibly be the most beautiful blessing that one can ever have.  In my ever naive heart, the idea of finding a soul mate to share a lifetime of  joys and struggles with, seems precious and beautiful.  To have that one person who knows the authenticity of your heart, broken or wonderful, and loves you in spite of it is a comforting, glorious notion.  Despite the tragedy of my own marriage, I believe in marriage for others and believe it should be celebrated and prayed for incessantly.

Prior to the ending of my marriage, but when it became painfully obvious that our union was in trouble, I began to truly see the attack that marriage in general is under.  As heartbroken as I was that my marriage was decaying, it was almost more frightening to see the epidemic of failed marriages that exist.  It was during this time that I began to pray, not only for myself and my husband, but for marriages everywhere.  Families are crumbling daily, hearts are being broken and lives are shattering.  What is supposed to be celebrated and nurtured, is being thrown away and discarded as if we are all just transient strangers coming in out of each
others lives for mere moments.

My marriage did end tragically. I clung to it well after the time had come to let go, but I did so out of respect and belief in the institution.  I still believe in marriage despite my own painful outcome, perhaps more so now. I believe in it for my parents, my siblings, my friends and my children.  That beautiful gift can still exist in the right hands. Because I hold this belief, I still pray for the institution and the danger that seems all to prevalent to it.

Earlier this week, I saw an article on pledging to pray the rosary for marriage on April 28th.
Although, I no longer align myself with Catholicism, I was moved by what I thought was the sentiment; a day where people prayed for the hearts of the married so that they could strengthen their unions and commitments towards one another.  There I sat, behind my computer, misty-eyed and reflective, pledging to myself and my God, that I too, would join in and pray the rosary for marriage.

And then I opened the link.

And I immediately closed out.

This was not a benevolent call to arms to pray for the strength of committed hearts.  It was a rallying against those who wish to be able to call their same sex soul mates their spouses.  It was an organized "prayerful" display of bigotry.  I instantly was angry at myself for not immediately understanding the motive beyond this "pledge," as the topic of homosexual persecution and marriage is lighting up the Supreme Court this week.  My naive, hopeful heart once again betrayed me. Needless to say, I did not dust off my long since neglected rosary beads that night.

I am not a theologian, nor am I scholar of the social sciences.  I do not wish to engage in debate on the validity of same sex marriages in the legal arena. What I am, is a woman who has lived and  watched the devastating effects that take place on individuals and families when marriages are destroyed.  I am certain that our prayers need to be focused on preserving love and not preventing it; protecting hearts and not prejudging them. 

Pray for marriage. I do every day.

That Which is Unknown is Most Everything

... knowledge must continually be renewed by ceaseless effort, if it is not to be lost. It resembles a statue of marble which stands in the desert and is continually threatened with burial by the shifting sand. The hands of service must ever be at work, in order that the marble continue to lastingly shine in the sun. To these serving hands mine shall also belong. (Albert Einstein, On Education, 1950)


We live in a society in which the inhabitants are constantly grappling for position to prove their intellectual and moral prowess over one another. Through subtle intimidation or overt condescension, the race is constant to show superiority in knowledge and theory.  It has been mistakenly assumed that the loudest most frequent voice is the one that will be absorbed by the largest audience.  Perhaps this is the case.  I, however, contend that it is not.

Passion is beauty.  Sharing ideas breathes life into that which matters. It is the responsibility of us all, for the sake of our souls, our fellow man and the world as a whole, to nurture that which is innate within our minds and hearts.  Truth exists there.

Even greater still than regurgitating what we hold to be absolute, is the eagerness to search for and receive opposing discourse. It is through these often uncomfortable lessons that the evolutions of our minds take place. It is only when we are challenged that we can begin to grow. When we cease to grow, we cease to be.

Be hesitant in your judgements.  Always look for another way.  Explore the vastness of the possibilities that exist.  At the end of the great long day, you may find yourself in total agreement with your previous self, or you may discover a rebirth and evolution of the spirit.  Allow yourself the opportunity for transformation.