29 August. Immediate preparation.  Adam and Beth  had been engaged for a year and had lived together for two years when they heard about Catholic Engaged Encounter and were told they were expected to experience the weekend programme. “But I am not a Catholic and I don’t want them to preach to me,” Adam told Beth. They did go with some trepidation but found the weekend most enriching. “We did learn about God and the Catholic Church but also learned much about ourselves and our expectations of marriage,” Adam concluded. “It was good too to think seriously about our wedding day to make it really special.  I now understand that a Wedding is a Day and a Marriage is a Lifetime. I promise to do my best to make it so for us.” From a non-human perspective observing the difference in animals and humans when it comes to commitment it is clear that humans ought to have a strong moral sense in their behaviour.

Reflect, share, scripture:      This preparation for the sacrament of Marriage should be the culmination of a catechesis which helps engaged Christians to retrace their sacramental journey intelligently. It is important that they know that they are uniting themselves in marriage as persons baptized in Christ, and that they should behave in conformity to the Holy Spirit in their family life.    PCF Prep  53