Wedding anniversary

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is my pleasure to have you here today at this church
for this Wedding Anniversary Mass. Thank you for coming today, as together we publicly
celebrate your committed love for one another for fifty years of marriage.

Jesus is the cornerstone of the truth and fidelity that forms the foundation of your
marriage as well and which empowers you to endure the trials of life, to remain faithful to
one another and to be fruitful in your loving relationship. With this foundation, your
marriage has become, as the Church teaches, the most fundamental living cell of society
through your witness to the depth of God’s love. Today, sadly, there are those who reject
the institution of marriage or seek to define it as something other than the union of a man
and woman meant for unitive and fruitful love. In light of this crisis within contemporary
society, your outward witness is especially needed today. We know that the sacrament of
marriage is the permanent and faithful union between a man and a woman, and is the vital
foundation of a just and stable society. My dear people, what we celebrate today is more
than an anniversary; it is the commitment you made before God many years ago to love each
other and to share this love with others in our families, neighborhoods and communities. It
is a love that gives witness to the same covenant of love that Jesus has with His Body, the
Church.

Today, in the beautiful Gospel from Saint John, we hear Jesus proclaim, "I am the good
shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (Jn 10:11).As His brothers and
sisters, we are His flock; and He is our shepherd. When we reflect upon the importance of
sheep in Jesus’ time, we know they were primarily bred for their milk and their wool.
Because of their value to the shepherd, he did not keep an emotional distance from them but
came to love and cherish them, even to know them individually. When the shepherd called,
they came as Jesus said, "I know mine and mine know me" (Jn 10:14). In the image of a
shepherd, we behold the image of Jesus, who is our friend. But He is even more than that—He
is our Savior who loves us each personally and unconditionally.

Jesus also says, "A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.…No one takes it from
me, but I lay it down on my own" (Jn 10: 11, 18). In marriage, spouses are called to lay
down their lives for each other and for the good of their relationship. As Jesus laid down
His life for us, so, too, we must do the same for others. As we recounted on Good Friday,
Jesus submitted to suffering and ultimately to crucifixion. He endured His sacrifice,
knowing that to do so would be to redeem us from our sins, bringing us new life.
Through your perseverance and commitment to each other all these years, my dear friends,
you have demonstrated your willingness to lay down your life for the sake of your spouse.
By being willing to sacrifice for one another, and by the many ways that you have "died to
self" through the years of your marriage, you have indeed served one another and your
family; and you have given a joyful witness to the love of Jesus Christ as the Good
Shepherd of His Church.
Again, my brothers and sisters, I want to say thank you: for your witness to life and to
love; for your clear choice to be faithful to each other and to love your family with all
their strengths and faults; for laying down your lives for each other. You have shown, and
continue to show, our society how important marriage is. How truly crucial it is to support
and defend marriage, a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, as the cornerstone
of a just and peaceful society.

Let us all, then, united in the name of Jesus, thank God for the gift of His presence with
you throughout your marriages. Let us thank Him for the gift of the Holy Family, a model of
self-giving love for all of us in our families. Finally, let us thank God the Father for
the gift of His Son, Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of life and love.
May God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit bless you all today, during this blessed
Christmas season, and for all the days of your life. Amen.