Church precepts and healthy marriages...

Have you ever noticed the uncanny similarity between the five precepts of the Church and the rudiments of a healthy marriage?

Precept 1: You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
Rudiment 1: Healthy marriages are built upon a foundation of consistent, well-spent time, punctuated by days of celebration.

Precept 2: You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
Rudiment 2: Healthy marriages are restored and sustained by frequent confession ("I'm sorry, please forgive me."). Wise couples do it daily, weekly and annually.

Precept 3: You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
Rudiment 3: Healthy marriages recognize that there's only one thing better than fessing-up, and that's making-up. Marital intimacy is the Eucharist of healthy marriages.

Precept 4: You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
Rudiment 4: Healthy marriages are marked by frequent sacrifices that show a husband's love for his wife and a wife's love for her husband.

Precept 5: You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
Rudiment 5: Healthy marriages are built upon the tireless efforts of husband's and wive's to secure a better life for one another.

One more thing: The precepts outline the very necessary minimum for growth in our love for God. In the same way, the health of a marriage is intimately connected to the frequency and care with which the rudiments are put into practice.