SO GOOD QUOTES

Celebrations following the wedding should be befitting the majesty of that holy sacrament. It is inappropriate for the married couple, after having acquired the blessings of this great Rite, to open the doors wide for Satan, disinviting God. What kind of marriage would we expect, if its first night consists of an invitation to Satan, replete with dancing, alcohol consumption, etc…)? It is impossible to assert that God will be present in such a marriage.

Wedding celebrations used to abound in the days of St. John Chrysostom, which led him to warn us in no uncertain terms against inappropriate celebrations. There is nothing to prevent us from rejoicing in a holy, spiritual way; our wedding celebrations should be appropriate for children of God.

I’d like us to ask ourselves: “If an invitation were sent to Christ, the holy virgin and the apostles to come to the celebration, would they attend?” If their answer is negative, and they will not attend, I ask, “Who, then, will attend? Will this marriage be successful if, at the outset, we have distanced Christ, the holy virgin and the apostles?”

It is imperative that we preserve the sanctity of the Rite of Matrimony; the more our starting point is sound, the more this is reflected in the life of the married couple.

—Bishop Youssef, Marriage: Vow or Contract?