In the dizzying times we live in, times of use and throwaway, the notion of “forever” has become blurred and, in some cases, erased from the face of the earth. The period of “planned obsolescence” applies to things and people.

This past weekend, hope shone with a dazzling brilliance. Today, in this article, I will try to convey that brilliance, that hope, to all my readers.

In an age where commitment seems impossible and eternal love is a myth, two 23-year-olds have chosen the opposite: they have opted for a love that is strong, free, and eternal.

Vespers

Vespers herald the big holidays, and this one couldn’t start any other way. I received an invitation on my WhatsApp with the following text : Dear friends and family… Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be on Friday the 29th at 7:30 p.m. at the chapel… There will be a priest available for those who wish to receive the sacrament of confession. Afterward, we’ll all go out for a drink. We’ll love spending this time of prayer together before the wedding…

This is starting off well, I thought; God is smiling…

On August 30th, David and Belén, in the present, promise a future—in front of friends and family as witnesses—a future in the hands of their freedom: “Today I love you, but I promise to love you for the rest of my life,” a promise, and they make this at 23 years old.

Some might say, “They’ve gone crazy!” as the priest said in his homily, but it was all planned. They had worked hard: their studies completed, a well-practiced task, and a bold project in these times:  starting a family.

In his wedding homily, the priest reminded them that “only a frivolous person doesn’t realize that promising forever is actually almost impossible.” Almost, almost… but nothing is impossible for those who love. “God is powerful because he loves,” the priest said.

And there were David and Bethlehem, standing before the altar, saying a yes that the world often considers unpronounceable.

The way to God is the other way

The priest told the story of a husband who, every morning upon rising, would kiss the ground, saying “serviam”—I will serve—and then kiss his wife’s forehead, repeating: “serviam.” And he reminded them forcefully:

“The way to heaven… is the other one.”

It is not about living for oneself, but about discovering that the path to God is in the face of one’s spouse.

Only with God can you do it. The grace of the sacrament will give you strength; marriage is a three-way affair, and if God is involved, nothing can go wrong.

A love that remains

The love promised today is not sentimentality. The priest expressed it clearly and firmly:

“Charity, the love of which Saint Paul speaks, is not a flowery or sentimental thing. Love is the strongest, the most enduring thing when it is true.”

That love fears neither weariness nor illness. It is the same love that accompanied an elderly husband who, after sixty years of marriage, waved goodbye to his ailing wife with the same tenderness with which he had looked upon her as a young woman.

The Great Freedom

In the midst of a world obsessed with claiming rights, the priest launched a luminous challenge:

“I have the right to never have any rights again.” (says the song)

And he explained: “What would our world be like if, instead of thinking so much about what is owed, we thought more about what is needed? What would our marriages be like if, instead of demanding rights, we sought to serve with love?”

The great Christian paradox is this: to give up demanding in order to be able to love without measure.

A Bright and Cheerful Home

The strength of marriage, the strength of true love, is that it is forever. A happy eternity awaits you. A heaven forever, forever…

The homily concluded with a wish that is also a mission:

“Don’t be small: your house should be a bright and joyful home, one that illuminates and reaches out to others.”

Your home, that fire that you will maintain, will warm many hearts, and they will seek the secret of your happiness.

The marriage of David and Bethlehem is not just theirs. It is a sign for all of us. It is testimony that true love is still possible. And that, when it is promised before God, it becomes a project with eternal dimensions.