In the last half of today’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that hearing and acting on the word of God is like building a house on rock while hearing and not acting on his word is like building a house on sand. This can be applied to marriage.  Marriage needs a strong foundation in faith and a willingness to act on that faith to survive all the storms that will inevitably come.

Belief in God and his support provides purpose and strength for the efforts required for a successful marriage.  Finding God in one’s spouse provides the motive and ability to love them when he or she is not at their best and to put the spouse ahead of self.  Trust in God’s unwavering love provides the ability to share and survive the pains and losses that come to every human family. Even marriages that are centered on God are not perfect because the spouses are not perfect, but they are more likely to weather the trials and pains that come their way.

The divorce data in our country is a reflection on the secularization that permeates our society. Marriages that lack a strong foundation as a result of not being centered on God are likely to be like the house built on sand, blown about with every gust of wind and unable to withstand storms.

Those with long, successful marriages centered on God can encourage younger couples by giving witness to the source of their success. We can all pray for successful marriages throughout the world which are centered on God with a firm foundation that can weather the storms of life for many, many years.