One of the Lenten daily meditation books that I'm reading is called 'Daybreaks: Daily Reflections for Lent & Easter, written by Kenneth G. Davis, OFM, CONV (Conventional Franciscan).
This is his reflection for Wednesday of the first week of Lent:
"The marriage of heaven and earth"
The bride and groom blanched, because the gospel I proclaimed during their wedding was taken from the crucifixion of Christ. The entire assembly seemed to gasp, "Why did this crazy priest read about the death of Christ on a day that is supposed to be about happiness and love?"
Actually, the passion of Jesus has everything to do with marriage. Remember that our first sin had separated what God had joined. Along with Adam and Eve, we have all eaten of sin. And we have all known the sour fruits of that tree: rejection, isolation, and loneliness. God had given us paradise, the perfect union between man and woman. But our sin isolated us from that Eden and separated what God had meant to be always joined.
Thankfully, however, God is also merciful. The Father sent the only one who could pay an eternal price: Christ. The Father sent Jesus who took on our flesh to bridge the gulf between God and us. He healed that division when he endured it in his own flesh at the moment of his final, desperate prayer. Loneliness and isolation died on the cross with Jesus.
The sacrament of marriage is a taste of that ultimate union with the Divine, won for us by Christ. Marriage is a foretaste of our eternal union desired by God. With Christ, spouses heal the separation begun at original sin. Their constant forgiving and mutual understanding is their share in the passion of Christ, as well as their part in recreating the original harmony God intended for our world.
(Becca)
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