This is probably all going to sound ridiculously common sensical and silly, but it hit me like a bolt of lightening. It was a wierd feeling – electrifying almost – I felt like my soul was threatening to fly right out of my body. Here is the passage I was reading at the time (one I’ve read many times before but it never struck me like this):
“Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words:
forget your own people and your father’s house.
So will the king desire your beauty:
he is your lord, pay homage to him.
And the people of Tyre shall come with gifts,
the richest of the people shall seek your favor.
The daughter of the king is clothed with splendor,
her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold.
She is led to the king with her maiden companions.
They are escorted amid gladness and joy;
they pass within the palace of the king.”
I believe God used this passage to give me new insight (new to me) into the Sacrament of Marriage. I have been praying for a deeper understanding of the Sacrament for a while now. Bear with me. I (and every other godly woman) is this princess, the daughter of the Eternal Christ the King. As such we deserve only the best in marriage. One way to know if a man is the right one is to ask oneself: “Do I – as a woman, daughter of the Eternal King Himself, as daughter of the Queen of Heaven Mary Immaculate – love and admire this man enough to leave my earthly father (my figure of the Eternal King) to be this new man’s princess, sitting at his feet and paying homage to him? Not homage as a servant, that is, but as an admirer of his position as earthly figure of the King and as special chosen carrier – vessel – of his future. Just as the Church on earth ministers to its Lord, carrying Christ’s Word and authority into the world, so also in marriage.
Well, there you have it, for all the good it can do you. It seems to fit right into my personal meditations on the Three Fiats of Mary I read about: (1) The Fiat to Creation, of placing oneself in God’s hands with perfect trust; (2) The Fiat to God, making the promise to do and love His Will; and (3) the Fiat to man (e.g. husband). I think it is this last that I finally understood at least in a small way.
If any “fella” has thoughts on the Sacrament of Marriage, it would be wonderful to hear the male perspective!
+ Lily
Saint Joseph's Lilies 