Couples from across the Archdiocese gathered on February 7 to celebrate World Marriage Day at a bilingual liturgy presided over by Archbishop Christian L\u00e9pine of Montreal. Organized by Worldwide Marriage Encounter <\/i>in collaboration with the Diocesan Centre for Marriage, Life and Family<\/i>, the celebration became a time of prayer and reflection on the vocation and enduring meaning of married love.<\/p>\n\n
In his homily, Archbishop L\u00e9pine invited spouses to consider a vital question: \u201cDo you speak to one another about your marriage?\u201d<\/i> How do you define love? Drawing on the words of Saint Paul \u2014 \u201cFor I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.<\/i>\u201d<\/i> (1 Corinthians 2:2) \u2014 he reflected that the truest lesson in love is found at the foot of the Cross.<\/p>\n\n
On the Cross, he said, Christ reveals a love that gives itself completely, without reserve and without taking back what has been offered. Married love, in turn, is not limited to acts of service or shared responsibilities. It is the gift of one\u2019s very self \u2014 a daily choice to place the other\u2019s happiness first.<\/p>\n\n
Such love, he acknowledged, calls for trust and perseverance, especially amid trials. Yet the desire for a love that endures remains deeply rooted in the human heart. A society that ceases to believe in lasting love, he suggested, risks losing something essential to its own hope.<\/p>\n\n
Contemplating the crucified Christ, couples are reminded that love is not merely an ideal but a living reality. God is love, here and now. By grace, he makes possible a faithful love capable of forgiveness, dialogue and steadfast commitment.<\/p>\n\n
The world, the Archbishop concluded, needs couples who believe in love and embody it in their daily lives. The family remains the fundamental unit of society. Rooted in Christ, spouses are called to be light in the world, witnesses to a love worth living to the end.<\/p>\n\n
Click here to view the photo gallery:<\/p>\n\n