The Philippines went Pope-crazy this week, and I was one of those who followed all his activities on television. Pope Francis imparted many simple lessons during his 5-day visit in our country, but the one lesson that struck me the most was his "marriage joke" during Encounter of the Families in SM Mall of Asia (SM MOA). In his homily during the holy mass there, Pope Francis told husbands and wives everywhere to remember their courtship.
In Spanish (and translated to English by his very able priest interpreter, Pope Francis told married couples to remember their husband or wife when they were still their boyfriend or girlfriend. He said “If we think about husband and wife, dream about good qualities that they have.. Don’t ever lose the illusion of when you were boyfriend and girlfriend.” Very inspiring right? I was so inspired that I made my first every photo quote, haha! Feel free to share it :)
Most couples are excited when wedding planning. They try to prepare everything, at 100% perfection. What they usually fail to prepare for is what comes after the wedding. In this blog, I have said time and again that the wedding is just the very tip of the forever iceberg. Marriage, which comes after the wedding, is what couples should prepare for. After the honeymoon and newly-married glow fades comes the hard reality of being husband and wife. Are you ready for that?
And if you ever grow disenchanted with your spouse years down the road, you should remember what Pope Francis said on January 16, 2015:think of your spouse's GOOD qualities AND remember the SWEET LOVE you shared when you were still courting. Even better: try to recreate your dates before the disenchantment sets in. And always, always pray for your spouse. Prevention is definitely better than cure! ;-) Thank you Pope Francis for this wonderful nugget of marriage wisdom. WE LOVE YOU!
