A 5 MINUTE HOMILY 

ON MARRIAGE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C is, “A 5 Minute Homily on Marriage.”

I’d like to make a few reflections on Marriage because today’s gospel - the miracle at the  Wedding Feast of Cana is on marriage. Today, we’re also we’re into the week on Church Unity and the basic unit of Church and World is marriage and the family.

I’m making it 5 minutes because I just read the Archdiocesan campaign announcement/letter.

5 GIFTS

Today’s second reading talks about the Christian community of Corinth having people with different gifts - with different forms of service. Paul talks about that reality in a few places in his letters.

Here is some homework for today or this week. If you are married write down 5 gifts you see your spouse has. Then swap lists with each other. Surprise …. If he or she is gone, still do it - and thank God for the gifts you experienced. If you’re not married, you got extra work, write down 5 gifts you saw in your mom and 5 gifts in your dad - and thank God for them - and if they are alive thank them.

Next write down 5 gifts you see that you have. Then do an examination of conscience how well you’re using your gifts.

5 REALITIES

More homework ….

Next write down 5 realities of marriage. The first reading begins with the words, “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake, I will not be quiet.”

For marriage’s sake put a voice and some words to  5 realities of marriage.

Here would be my quick 5:

1) It’s work - good marriages don’t just happen. People have to work to make them happen.

2) It’s sacrifice - be aware of sins of omission.

3) People change - expect it.

4) Listen to what is being said and not said.

5) Make a cheat sheet - and keep it handy - like in your wallet. It should have your list of key 3 word sentences that are regularly needed to make a marriage work. For example here is a short list: I  forgive you. I am sorry. I blew it. I hurt you. I love you. I need you. I trust you. Please forgive me. Thank you hon. [If you’re from Baltimore.]

5 MOMENTS  OF EMPTINESS

Today’s gospel story of the Wedding Feast of Cana tell us the story about the couple who run out of wine at their wedding and Mary saves the day by calling on Jesus.

Jot down 5 times in your marriage when you felt the wine ran out in your marriage. Bring your marriage to the Mother of Jesus and Jesus in prayer and ask for a refill. Tell each other the stories - unless a specific story would destroy the other.

It could be a family fight and your spouse didn’t back you. It could be alcoholism itself.  It could be a mistake. It could be a broken secret. It could be comments about weight. It could be about how one is treating or not treating the kids. Check it out. It’s your marriage.

Name it. Shame it. Pray about it. Bring it to Mary’s altar, the holy family altar, and to Jesus.

5 QUOTES ABOUT MARRIAGE.

I have a dozen quote books and when I looked up marriage, many of the quotes were digs and put downs about marriage. I looked for positive up lifting quotes - so here are 5 in my 5 minute homily.

1) “Marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb.  It isn’t something you get.  It’s something you do.  It’s the way you love your partner every day.” Barbara De Angelis

2) “The value of marriage is not that adults produce children, but that children produce adults.” Peter De Vries

3) “Don’t discuss important matters with the television on.” Or as Ann Landers put it: “Television has proved that people will look at anything but each other.”

4) “One’s family is the most important thing in life.  I look at it this way: One of these days I’ll be over in a hospital somewhere with four walls around me. And the only people who’ll be with me will be my family.” Robert C. Byrd, U.S. Senator, New York Times, March 27, 1977

5) “The most ancient and universal symbol of the marriage union was holding hands. In many cultures a couple could not hold hands until they were officially wed.  Even if a wedding contained no verbal vows, the simple act of holding hands was often enough to make the marriage valid. And since antiquity, holding hands, if only to exchange rings, has been part of almost every marriage service on earth. Today we have rings, legal certificates, and vows to show the world a couple is married, but the natural, affectionate hand holding by a couple in love still says much more.” Howard Kirschenbaum and Rockwell Stensrud

BRIEF 5 PRAYER CONCLUSION

1) Lord, thank you for our parents who brought us into this world.

2) Lord, bless those here who are married. May this moment today be one more blessed wake up call - that they experience miracles - water becoming an overflow of wine - the ordinary becoming extraordinary and then some more.

3) Lord, be with those who have lost a spouse through death. Give them sweet memories and deep gratitude.

4) Lord, help those whose marriages have fallen apart. Mess is also part of life. Sometimes things don’t just work out. Mistakes happen. Sin happens. Love disappears. Miracles of recovery are needed.

5) Lord, bless the children and the generations to come that they will see in us - living images of Christ - gifts to our world. 

OOOOOOO

Painting on top: By Carol Ann Waldron, Irish Painter