Becoming One with Christ

It is already June, and many couples are preparing to marry. It is so common during this month to be plotting weddings as there is the term “June Bride”. Weddings in June is a common culture in the West because of the belief that Juno is the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Although we have a different belief, some Filipinos have been adapting to this culture since we have been colonized by western people. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were 34,661 marriages in June of 2021. This indicates that we Filipinos have adapted to western culture in some ways.

Ms. Beberly Alcayde, the younger sister of Rev. Fr. Christopher Alcayde, a bride-to-be this month, stated that when planning their wedding with her future husband, they prefer to marry in September. However, due to family considerations, they have to adjust their wedding plans, and her wedding will happen this month. She clarified that their marriage wasn’t prompted by their desire to participate in the “June Bride” tradition or by Fr. Chris’ planned trip abroad for studies. However, their decision to change the date of their wedding helps them prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage and the thought that maybe this is the right time they are waiting for. Although their plan was changed, it was indeed for the better for it is the feast of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Today, the Catholic Church commemorates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Union in Marriage can also be seen with the union Jesus has with us as we receive Him in the Eucharist. This is comparable to our Lord Jesus Christ’s huge sacrifice of offering himself for all of us His people. In their wedding vows, husband and wife promise to love one other completely, freely, faithfully, and fruitfully. This is also what Christ did for us on the cross.

Christ proclaimed at the Last Supper, the first celebration of the Eucharistic feast, “This is my body given for you.” Whenever the couple seals their marriage in the marital embrace, they repeat Christ’s words by offering their lives to one other in one-flesh union. As Paul, the apostle, writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “’For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church” (Eph 5:31-32).

A married person’s life is not easy; we should not focus solely on what is trendy around us. There are sacrifices to be made, need for a deeper understanding of each others differences as well as staying firm to their wedding vow. If one wants to have an exemplary married life, they should cultivate prayer or put the Lord at the center of the relationship and always receive the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation. (Honey Kaye Etdang | San Isidro Labrador Parish – Lumondao Parish SoCCom)