IPOH (Commodity Online): Married couples renewed their vows at the church of St Michael, Ipoh, during a special Marriage Encounter evening Mass on Oct 2. The couples faced each other and holding hands, pronounced their marriage vows in front of Fr Francis Andrew, who celebrated the special Mass.

The Mass was followed by a ME dinner at the parish hall. In his homily, Fr Francis said that when marriages are crumbling in the secular world, it is important for married couples to look at married life as a vineyard.

“If we are not producing good fruit, it will be taken away. It takes years of hard work to develop a good vineyard,” he said. Most important are the promises each spouse made at marriage. Honouring them is our gift to God. From the faith perspective why is marriage so important?

“It is only in the celebration of the Eucharist, when God is present and the married couples make their vows, that makes marriage special. Marriage is demanding and the love of each spouse for the other, radiates to others in the community. “That is the unity and direction we need to create in our marriage, just like following Jesus. Love is not easy, but believe in your spouse and the journey you take.

Love should be the true foundation. “Ask yourselves what kind of love you have, secular, or Christ’s love. One aspect of love is commitment, which is usually associated with discipline and regimentation. “We should be motivated by an inner conviction, like Mother Teresa and Maximilian Kolbe who were free because of their love of others. “In love, we need the spirit of God to sustain us in marriage. It is important to ask God to bless us and give us humility. Don’t be afraid to say sorry or thank you, and be shining lights for others and for Christ,” he said.