World Marriage Day 2018 Resources / Liturgy Helps Second Sunday in February (February 11, 2018) TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1 World Marriage Day 2018 Resources / Liturgy Helps Second Sunday in February (February 11, 2018) OFFICE OF FAMILY LIFE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE OFFICE OF WORSHIP This package is also ready to DOWNLOAD and PRINT from our Family Life website at TABLE OF CONTENTS Statement of Purpose o History - Symbol - Theme Preliminary Preparations o Ideas and Resources o Prayer for Our Marriage WMD Prayer Card Order Form : Liturgy Helps for Celebration of the Eucharist o Possible Homily Themes o Universal Prayer / Intercessions o Music Suggestions Marriage and Family Life Intercessions for Use Throughout the 2018 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE World Marriage Day honors husband and wife as head of the family, the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice, and joy in daily married life. History: Symbol: Theme: The idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge, La., in 1981, when couples encouraged the mayor, the governor and the Bishop to proclaim St. Valentine s Day as "We Believe in Marriage Day". The event was so successful the idea was presented to and adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter's national leadership. By 1982, 43 Governors officially proclaimed the day and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries. In 1983, the name was changed to "World Marriage Day", designated to be celebrated each year on the second Sunday in February. Our World Marriage Day Symbol speaks of the role and values we proclaim. Husband and wife are symbolically seen as two candle-like figures, reminding us that married love calls us to help enlighten the world. The couple is joined by a heart, focusing on love as the power that fosters unity within the couple and generates the capacity to be life-giving and inspire others to fruitfulness and unity. The Theme for WMD has been permanently adopted as "Love One Another". This phrase is the commandment given us by Jesus in John 15:12. It speaks to us in a simple but challenging way of how our Heavenly Father wishes us to live. Loving one another is a daily decision - simple, but challenging. 1

2 PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS While each parish or congregation may customize the fine points, many have developed a basic event that includes some of the following components: Ideas & Resources: 1. Handout the Prayer for Our Marriage WMD prayer cards, which may be downloaded and printed or to order free prayers cards go to: 2. Have married couples bring a wedding picture to the Church the week preceding World Marriage Day (WMD), and display them on the weekend of the celebration of marriage on a table in the gathering area. 3. Recognize in a special way the longest married couple in attendance. The Presider asks the couples in the Assembly if anyone has been married for 10 years, 25 years, 50 years, over 60 years and longer, to please stand. 4. Have married couples participate in the liturgy and liturgical ministries at the parish-designated Sunday Mass. 5. Plan a continental breakfast reception in honor of married couples following the Mass, inviting all to attend. Possible Homily Themes: LITURGY HELPS FOR CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST Jesus manifests the powerful healing love of God by curing the leper. He turned to Jesus in his need and was filled with joy. We are called to imitate the healing and compassionate Jesus in marriage and family life. Jesus exhibited his ever-present compassion. Jesus showed us that real cleanliness is a matter of the heart. Compassion engenders community. Community engenders compassion in a beautiful way. Marriage requires deep compassion to be fruitful and bring peace to the family. We need to develop respectful relationships regardless of what makes them different. Marriage and families are diverse and come with unity and divisions due to differences; how are we called towards inclusion and respectful relationships? May we realize that we have great value and dignity, so we can always reach out and show the same for others. Marriages based on an exclusive and definitive love become an icon of the relationship between God and his people and vice versa. How are we called to value and bring wholeness to our self and our loved ones? Jesus sets up the situation so the cured man will be brought back into the community and share the Good News. How are we called to share the Good News of the sacrament of Marriage and inspire others to walk in this journey by providing guidance and leadership? 2

3 Universal Prayer / Intercessions: [This ritual is adapted from Book of Blessings pg. 25 and WWME.] (Husband and Wife who are lectors may be chosen to voice these intercessions.) Presider: In the tender plan of His providence, God our almighty Father has given married love, its faithfulness (and its fruitfulness), a special significance in the history of salvation. Let us therefore call upon Him and ask for continued guidance and mercy. Husband: For our Holy Father, our bishops and all priests and religious, that they may be faithful in their call to fidelity and service. Wife: For all married couples, that God gives them comfort and strength in each other and joy in their children. Husband: For all those preparing for marriage, that God guides them to a deep appreciation of this Sacrament. Wife: For widows and widowers, that God may comfort them with compassion. Husband: For those who suffer the pain of a troubled marriage, separation or divorce, that God guide them into a future filled with hope. Wife: For a greater respect for the dignity of marriage and family in our nation and society. Husband: For all our deceased family members and those of our parish who have died in faith. Wife: That all married couples among us continue to grow and encourage one another in faith. 3

4 Special Blessing for Married Couple after the Intercessions: (At the end of the Intercessions, the presider asks the Husbands and Wives to stand and face one another hold hands, and bow their heads. Then he asks the Assembly to raise their hands in a gesture of blessing for the Married Couples as he offers the following prayer.) Presider: Almighty and Eternal God, you have so exalted the bond of marriage that it has become the sacramental sign of your Son s union with the Church as his spouse. Look with favor on the couples present today whom you have united in marriage, as they ask for your help and the protection of the Virgin Mary. For them we pray that in good times and in bad they will grow in love for each other; that they will resolve to be of one heart in the bond of peace. Lord, in their struggles let them rejoice that you are near to help them; in their needs let them know that you are there to rescue them; in their joys let them see that you are the source and completion of every happiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen Presentation of the Gifts: (A married couple may be chosen to bring the gifts to the altar.) Final Blessing: [Book of Blessings on page 27 may be used at the conclusion of the Mass.] Presider: May God, the almighty Father, give you joy. Amen May the only Son of God have mercy on you and help you in good times and in bad. Amen May the Holy Spirit always fill your hearts with love. Amen (Presider blesses all present) And may Almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. Amen Music Suggestions: For the Beauty of the Earth (tune: DIX) Hear Us Now, Our God and Father (tune: HYFRYDOL or ODE TO JOY) The Servant Song (Will You Let Me Be Your Servant?) (Richard Gillard ) All Creatures of Our God and King (tune: LASST UNS ERFREUEN) Canticle of the Sun (Marty Haugen) (GIA) Glory and Praise to Our God (Dan Schutte) (OCP / New Dawn) Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (tune: GROSSER GOTT) Lead Me, Lord (John Becker) (OCP / New Dawn) Lord, Whose Love In Humble Service (tune: BEECH SPRING or IN BABILONE) Send Down the Fire (Marty Haugen) (GIA) The Love of Christ Urges Us On (Jeffrey Honore) (World Library Publications) We Are Called (David Haas) (GIA) 4

5 OFFICE OF FAMILY LIFE SAMPLE MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE INTERCESSIONS (FOR USE THROUGHOUT THE 2018) 223. Emphasis should also be given to the importance of family spirituality, prayer and participation in the Sunday Eucharist Liturgies, devotional practices and the Eucharist celebrated for families, especially on the wedding anniversary, were mentioned as vital factors in fostering evangelization through the family. [Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia] We invite you to include affirming intercessions which recognize engaged and married couples, as well as families, in the Universal Prayer at Mass throughout the year. Following are some samples: For young families, that they may see their lives as holy and blessed. For mothers and fathers, that they may be proud of their wonderful families as they daily strive to raise their children in the way of the Lord. For married couples, that they will always enjoy and delight in each other. For young families, that they may know that they are a blessing to our parish community and the life of the Church. For mothers and fathers, who await the birth of their child, that God will fill their hearts with an everdeepening love. For all engaged couples, that they may know the mission God has for them as they prepare for Marriage in the Church. For all couples in their first years of marriage, that God will bless them as they continue to grow in their joy and love for another. That all families may be rooted in the Holy Family, drawing from Christ the gifts of patience, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice. For all young children, that they may remain close to God and be nurtured through prayer and love in their home. For teenagers, that they may find their own unique and significant place in the life of their family, and in the life of the church today. 5

6 For all those in our families with special needs, may we all awaken to the beauty and power of their presence among us. For parents, that they may have the patience and courage to bring their children to Mass and the wisdom to raise and guide them in the faith. That the self-giving presence of Christ may always be a model for how we love one another as family. That all children may work to develop respectful and loving attitudes towards their parents, their friends and members of their community. For single parents, may God bless them with patience and strength. That the joy and beauty of our children s spirits may never be diminished. That the world s children may be valued and cherished. For married couples who are separate, that they may find resolution for their hurts and struggles that lead them closer to God. For families struggling with financial challenges, may they always remember that love for God is the foundation of their lives together. For our parents and grandparents, that they may always remember the love they have shared. For single parents, may they and their children feel the love and support of our parish community. That our homes may be places where Jesus love is acknowledged and celebrated. That families disrupted by the pressures of life may find the courage to acknowledge and accept their brokenness, and seek to heal the wounds that divide them. That our participation in the Eucharist may always form us as families that engender respect for all life and all of creation. 6

7 That all families may join regularly in prayer together. That our family meals, like this Eucharist we share, may be a source of spiritual nourishment. That all our family relationships may be rooted in open and honest communication, and grow ever more in holiness. For family members who are ill, may our support and love, will bring them hope and healing. For the youth of the world, that hope in God may be the foundation upon which they live and grow. 7