At the Annual Archdiocesan Meeting of Families (AMOF), the Local Ordinary of Johannesburg Archdiocese reflected on good marriage preparation to prevent “an increase of invalid or inconsistent marriage celebrations.”

“We should raise the level of awareness of the need to prepare for marriage. And to bring faith into our discussions of marriage, and to prepare couples to encounter Christ himself,” said Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale during the annual meeting of families held at Don Bosco Centre in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.

In his homily, Archbishop Tlhagale recalled the late Pope Benedict XVI’s call for good marriage preparation saying, “One of the things Pope Benedict has been emphasising, is the question of the new catechumenate for couples, he (Pope Benedict) has been arguing that couples are not given sufficient time or sufficient input regarding preparation for marriage.

“Pope Benedict”, said Archbishop Tlhagale, “is therefore advocating that a good marriage preparation should serve as an antidote as it were to prevent an increase of invalid or inconsistent marriage celebrations.”

The Local Ordinary of Johannesburg Archdiocese bemoaned the lack of “commitments that come with marriage” in relation to having stable families saying, “People should actually prepare themselves for marriage in order to lessen the number of divorces we experience. This situation of not preparing for good marriages puts at stake the personal fulfilments and happiness of the couple, and so marriage is weakened.”

“We live in a world where pleasure has become the ultimate good, and therefore people separate sexual activity from a commitment to marriage. And if we continue going down that road of seeking pleasure and not looking at the commitments that come with marriage then we will never have stable families,” he explained.

The 75-year-old Prelate called on couples to understand that marriage is a vocation and that “the sacrament of marriage should be preceded by a Christian orientation.”

He said, “We have a limited understanding of the gift of the Sacrament of marriage, of the gift of spousal love. We do not understand that marriage is a vocation, and when you get married, you are actually responding to God’s invitation to get married.”

“If you recall that the example of Christ married to his church. That should be the ideal, we should have in front of us the picture of Christ getting married to his church for life. And so, the sacrament of marriage should be preceded by a Christian orientation. We must become first the disciples of Christ before we get married,” he added.

He went on to say that “Historically or traditionally, the church has always looked at one faith, faith meaning – an openness to the Holy Spirit and openness to God. And conversion, meaning a desire on our part on the part of those who wish to be married, the desire to correct their behaviors, to correct their habits and life practices that are incompatible with Christian living.”

“Marriage preparation is not about just handing over or teaching about the doctrines of the church, no, Christian marriage should be about the mystery of the sacramental grace that comes with marriage. Those who wish to be married must understand the grace that comes with marriage. That grace must resonate between the spouses. They must sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in the act of becoming one,” said Archbishop Tlhagale.

The second Archdiocesan Meeting of Families was hosted by the youth department of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg under the theme “Mary rose and went with haste” (Luke 1:39), which is in line with World Youth Day (WYD) 2023.

In his address to WYD pilgrims present at the AMOF, Archbishop Tlhagale encouraged young people to “excel academically as these open doors to receiving bursaries and scholarships,” he said, adding, “You need to work hard in order to achieve your goals. We need good lawyers, doctors, and professionals. When you work hard, the world becomes your oyster.”

The Archdiocesan Meeting of Families was borne last year after the Vatican strongly encouraged that all dioceses, with their local bishops, celebrate the World Meeting by gathering families for a customised, local experience of formation, prayer, and fellowship in place of the public worldwide gathering which was limited to around 2,000 families because of the pandemic.

Johannesburg AD News Lerato Mohone contributed to this news report.