The Vocation of Marriage

Hey Everyone!!! Before Chris gets into his post, I wanted to give a few quick updates and thank yous! The past two weekends I've had 2 baby showers, one that my friend Susan and CPLC family had for me and the other my mom, my Aunt Karen, cousins Heidi and Amy, and Grandma Baldwin had for me. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and generosity and have been busy trying to put everything together and "stash" all the new baby goodies. A longer post and pictures (BTW if anyone has pictures from the shower, please e-mail them to me at rachel.l.rendall@gmail.com!) will be coming soon! A thousand thanks, hugs, and kisses to you all!!! Annnnnnnnnnnnd without further ado....I'll leave the rest of the post to Chris. 

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If there is anything that really gets my blood boiling though, it’s hearing statements from husbands/wives/etc like “When you meet God, all He will ask is what did you do for others.” Wrong! That is a sickness that has invaded our country and the mind of modern man. 

Everywhere I see people whose lives are complicated, tangled webs of activity, and yet their marriages, families, faith, and prayer life are dying and weak. Despite their vows to “forsake all others”, they are involved in this, chair member of that, and yet their children and spouses are starving for real, genuine attention and love. Yet, despite their complaining about their voluntary servitude, somehow they have glorified all this activity in their mind as if it was being asked of them. It isn’t. If you don’t believe that, talk to Martha. Jesus set her straight. 

“As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.’ The Lord said to her in reply, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.’” (Luke 10:38-42, emphasis mine)

I am a husband and now a father, and I will, by God’s grace, do those things well. If another calling grabs my heart, I will do it only if I am able to do it calmly, and do it well, while first making sure that I am living out my married vocation as laid out in Ephesians 5 by endeavoring to love as Christ loved, nourishing and spending plenty of time with my wife and children. That is where joy can be truly found, and as Christians we are primarily called to a life of joy. If we lose sight of that, we have missed the point.

 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So [also] husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. (Ephesians 5: 25-30)

Once, when St. Josemaria Escriva was speaking, a man came up with his wife and said “Father, I’m just not sure what my vocation is.” St. Josemaria looked at him, pointed to his wife and said “She is your vocation.”

Yes, as Christians we are called to serve the poor, minister to the sick, etc. First though, we must ensure that our families are not the ones suffering, poor in faith, sick in the soul because they do not know God’s love in their domestic home. We are called to love those who are entrusted to us before all else, not save the world. That is God’s job. Especially with the busy holiday season, let us all remember our primary vocations as spouses and children of God, and often find ourselves at the feet of Jesus. 

Blessed Mary, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, pray for us!
Sts. Gianna and Elizabeth, pray for us!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!