Today’s Gospel

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall join to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh? – Matthew 19:5

Reflection

Marriage is a key event in the life of every one of us. We harbor many illusions about marriage before we experience it ourselves. But marriage is not a matter of individual choice, it is predetermined by God. Just as God’s words say, “Marriage is an important juncture in a person’s life. It is the product of a person’s fate, a crucial link in one’s fate; it is not founded on any person’s individual volition or preferences, and is not influenced by any external factors, but is completely determined by the fates of the two parties, by the Creator’s arrangements and predeterminations regarding the fates of the couple.” “A marriage is not the product of both members’ families, the circumstances in which they grew up, their appearances, their ages, their qualities, their talents, or any other factors; rather, it arises from a shared mission and a related fate. This is the origin of marriage, a product of human fate orchestrated and arranged by the Creator.” From God’s words we can understand that our marriage is not decided by our appearances, families, ages, preferences or other external factors, but presided over and predestined by God.