The
prayer, which appears in the Prayer Book for Spouses, implores God 'to
place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly
unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive,
forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that
welcomes'.
It adds: 'Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of
your will.
'Cover our poverty in the richness of your mercy and
forgiveness. Clothe us in true dignity and take to yourself our shared aspirations, for
your glory, for ever and ever.'
The 64-page book has been published by the London-based
Catholic Truth Society.
The group has close links to the Catholic Bishops' Conference
of England and
Wales.
The Rt Rev Paul Hendricks, who is the Auxiliary Bishop of
Southwark and sits on the charity's board, said he thought the
prayer's inclusion
was 'brave but good'.
'I suppose it is a bit idealistic but it is recognising that
God is at the heart of the marriage relationship between husband and
wife,' he said.
'It is important for the Church to affirm the value of
marriage and family life and I suppose this is a particular way of
doing that.'
'Perhaps it is something that has not been tried, certainly
for a while - I can't remember seeing something like that before.'
The book contains prayers for every stage of marriage and
family life, including engagement, planning for parenthood, pregnancy and caring
for children and elderly parents.
The prayers, written by a variety of authors, are
interspersed with Catholic teaching on the meaning of marriage and
family.
The book pushes the message that marriage should be exclusive
and life-long and condemns abortion.
Courtesy of
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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