The Period of Engagement
The Period of Engagement
In the past issues, we spoke about marriage, the harmony of the spouses, and the difference between their ages. Today we speak about engagement and about this harmony…
The Period of Engagement
Engagement is not a sacrament of the Church, nor is it a contract between the two fiancés, but rather it is an agreement and a promise of marriage.
The period of engagement is a period of acquaintance, a period of affection and friendship, and a period of preparation for marriage.
Some understand preparation for marriage to mean material preparation, in terms of preparing furniture, clothing, and the marital home. Thus preparation for marriage is understood in a material sense, and some enter into financial agreements and preoccupations that distract them from the spiritual element.
As for the spiritual preparation specific to the period of engagement, it is the preparation of the two fiancés so that they may become one: one thought, one heart, and one direction, so that through marriage they may become one body, united in one home.
And this cannot be accomplished unless the period of engagement is a period of acquaintance, in which each of the two fiancés comes to know the other, understands him, reaches understanding with him, and ensures the harmony of their temperaments and the possibility of shared life. And if harmony does not exist, they work toward achieving it.
It is a period in which the two fiancés attempt to reach a degree of friendship and love upon which marriage may be founded. For a marriage that is not built upon harmony, friendship, and love is a failed marriage.
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