By Patrick Wemambu
Couples intending to tie the nuptial knots have been counselled that God is not directly involved in choosing life partners. Even as they are at liberty to select who to marry, prospective spouses must conform to laid down principles before taking such monumental decisions – Rev. Fr. Leonard Okoli, Parish priest, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Umuochi-Utchi, Ndokwa-East LGA of Delta State has asserted.
Making the disclosure while celebrating Mass for the 27th Sunday of the Year in the Warri Diocese, the priest announced; “Marriage begins with choice. It’s the individual’s right to choose who to marry. God never does that for anyone (except Prophet Hosea. This was symbolic though). God only makes the lifemate available, He does not select life partners for anyone.”
Given that marriage, therefore, is fundamentally human before spiritual, prospective brides and grooms were advised to first mutually accept themselves before God blesses their unions.
Explaining that it was only after Adam had accepted Eve in the First Reading of the Day (Genesis 2:18-24) that God blessed them – and they became one body – the homilist argued that the teaching by some spiritual leaders that God can select life partners was very wrong.
Differentiating between praying for the wisdom to meet someone to marry and praying that God shows one the person to marry, the Church learnt that concerned members can pray for the spirit of discernment but not for God to show them specifically who to marry.
“This erroneous trend has caused more harm than good. One of such harms is that it shifts responsibility from the man or woman to God. Some persons go to the extra mile looking for places where visions are given. They consult ‘men of God’ who specialise in spiritual match-making. Furthermore, such a belief builds the marriage on a fragile foundation. Anyone who marries through a spiritual means is only threading dangerously,” Fr. Okoli submitted.
Quoting 1 Cor. 13:8 where St. Paul warns that charismatic gifts of vision, prophecy can fail, the reverend gentleman sermonized that the best foundation of marriage is love because it never fails.
“Marriage is a journey of choices which begins with two individuals and is sustained by their continuous decisions to remain together despite challenges”, the priest emphasised. He noted that the grace of God is available to enable any future Mr and Mrs to discern properly, choose wisely and strengthen the will to be committed to each other.
