Daily Asset Editor, David Torough, and his bride, Doom Emmanuella Makir, have been urged to build their marriage on prayer, mutual respect, love and the recognition of each other’s humanity.
The Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Charles Ayoo, gave the charge on Saturday, October 17, while officiating at the solemnisation of holy matrimony between the couple at St. Dominic’s Shachi.
Sir Titus and Lady Ruth Ningir sponsored the marriage.
In his homily, Fr. Ayoo described marriage as a divine institution rather than merely a social arrangement, urging couples to look beyond material considerations and recognise the spiritual significance of the sacrament.
He said misconceptions about Catholic marriage had discouraged many people from embracing the sacrament, particularly those who wrongly believed it required expensive wedding gowns, the slaughtering of cows for in-laws or elaborate receptions.
According to Fr. Ayoo, such expectations are not requirements for receiving the sacrament of matrimony, stressing the need to distinguish between what is essential to marriage and what society has made customary.
“Marriage is not just a social reality; it is a divine reality,” he said, adding that the union must begin with God and be sustained through Him.
Drawing from the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus affirmed that God made human male and female from the beginning, the priest reminded the couple that they shared the same humanity and were created in the image and likeness of God.
He warned David against any tendency to undermine his wife’s dignity, describing ideologies that belittle women as outdated.
Fr. Ayoo also cautioned the couple against allowing external influences to destroy their union, urging them to understand each other’s likes and dislikes, protect their relationship and resolve disagreements through mutual understanding.
He warned against indiscriminate accumulation of friends, noting that some marriages suffered because couples exposed their private challenges to outsiders instead of working through them together.
“You are not just husband and wife; you are friends,” he told the couple, encouraging them to treat each other as the most important persons in their lives.
The priest further urged David and Emmanuella to embrace prayer as a shield against temptations, stressing that their marriage required continuous spiritual commitment in a world susceptible to moral challenges.
