The F5 has marriage questions today! And on the day of the royal wedding, because who doesn’t love timeliness? I will admit that after a very long day of diocesan training, I watched the first half of the royal wedding ceremony on YouTube. I LOVE KATE’S DRESS! Score a billion for modesty! Shoulders covered for church! Sleeves that look good! I don’t care if it didn’t look like a fairy-tale princess. Can you even really sit down in a princess dress? She looked beautiful, comfortable, and super classy. Good all around.
I am also so excited that the sermon (I think it’s still called that for Anglicans) started with the very St. Catherine of Siena quote I have as my email signature! I admire that they went for outright religiosity instead of trying to modernize/secularize things to death, but I guess that’s expected when your country is known for creating Protestantism as a state religion. Then again, I’m vaguely horrified that a British royal who marries a Catholic is automatically barred from the throne. Bad blood runs deep. Here’s some laughter to explain the title of this week’s F5 and lighten the mood again.
Now to the questions! (I think will subtitle this The Post of Many Exclamation Points.)
- What are your overall views on marriage? I believe marriage is an outward sign of the inward love between one man and one woman until the death of either spouse, and that it must be free, total, faithful, and fruitful. There’s more to that, of course, but that covers the basics.
- Are you married or is marriage something you want? I am not married. I do not know if I want to be married.
- Do you like the symbolism of wedding rings? Why or why not? I love it! The circle is an unbroken and neverending line, as marriage ought to be (except for death). The fourth finger of the left hand was thought to connect directly to the heart. It’s an instantly recognizable symbol of the promise someone has made whether the spouse is present or absent. What’s not to like?
- What do you think is the best age, ideally, to get married? (In general.) I think the best spouses are young enough to have children and enjoy their life as parents. If you’re too old, the risks associated with childbearing increase exponentially and you’re less open to adjusting your life to your spouse and children. I think the time the spouses have known each other and been in a marriage-directed relationship is far more important than the age of the spouses, though, and readiness for marriage trumps everything else. You can be 35 and not ready for marriage, especially in the United States today.
- Which is worse: shotgun wedding at 17, or meeting your partner when you’re in your sixties? Shotgun weddings are always a bad idea. Biological parents do not always make good spouses, and I say that with the full backing of the Church. It can work, but being forced into marriage does not set a good precedent. Conversely, if you’re not already married when you meet that spouse at 60, what’s the problem? It’s unlikely that you’ll have biological children, but you could licitly. Nothing is impossible for God.
I understand that Kate is only really Princess William of Wales because she wasn’t born a princess, but that didn’t stop anybody with Diana. Now a new generation has its princess. I wish William and Kate much happiness.
Comment Love