Human Relationship
Loving God, each new generation of humans is granted freedom to choose eternal life with You as children of God. You made men and women to complement each other, and to share in Your Creation by propagation of their kind from generation to generation.
You created men and women as reciprocally attractive, finding beauty and treasure in the presumed goodness of the cherished other. In their mutual attraction and vulnerability, men and women are led to dedicate themselves to each other. You bless this intimacy of interaction through Your Sacrament of Matrimony, with its safeguards to soul and body in the security of continuing union.
This Sacrament was instituted to ensure that men and women serve Your will in unselfish ministry to each other’s spiritual, mental, emotional needs—so that each is a sacrament of Your love to the other. The welfare of children born of this sacramental union is assured if lived out in love. Love is the basis of our relation to You and to each other.
Our God, please bless married couples with love, faith, hope, forgiveness, and perseverance. Please guard them and their family relationships against selfishness and injustice, against cruelty and abuse, against misunderstanding and insensitivity. Shield them against impurity and promiscuity.
Please flood families with healing grace when unemployment, and financial pressures threaten to erode family life. Support them where illness or disability threatens to overwhelm their strength and relationships. Encourage and support them when the actions of each other or their children disrupt family peace and unity.
continued, from"a handful of wildflowers"