*Says unions outside real man, woman ‘unacceptable, outrageous fantasy’

Proper marriage – between a real man and a real woman – remains the foundation of a family, while the family is the bedrock of society and a sure way to save the world from the destructive impacts of secularism, the Parish Priest of Holy Family Catholic Church, Festac Town, Lagos, Rev. Fr. Melvis Mayaki, has said.

Fr. Mayaki, who is also the dean of Festac Deanery of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, spoke as 42 couples who had been living together regularised their marriages on Saturday according to Catholic rights. He described the family as “a domestic church and the first unit of the society, as well as the first unit of socialisation.”

According to him, the Church will “continue to call people to the truth – whether the society accepts it or not – about the importance of true marriage built on the right foundation on the rock that is Jesus Christ, and on biblical principles, as the only way the world can be saved from the corruption and secularism that is eating it up.

“So, whether or not the world is not appreciating marriages again, the Church continues to encourage young people today to get married, to agree to live together and start a family, to live together for better, for worse, and in good times and in bad times.”

On the merits of the exercise, Mayaki said “The beauty of Christian marriage is the fact that a marriage is a covenant, not a contract like the world sees it. A contract is an exchange of goods and services, but a covenant is an exchange of lives. So, every time we get married, it is a covenant, and till death do us part, we are exchanging lives.

“More so, the Church elevates it from covenant to a sacrament. A sacrament is a sign of God’s presence, so it is even on a higher level and people must see God in every marriage. The Church does not joke with sacraments, especially the sacrament of God’s love for His people expressed in marital love – a love that a man and a woman would have.

“And that is why, from the beginning, a man would leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife – a real man and a real woman, not same-sex marriages, not man pretending and marrying another man or a woman pretending and getting married to another woman.

“Those things are outrageous fantasies that are not acceptable in the eyes of God, and it is against nature itself. No matter how the world covers or coats it, it is wrong; even animals do not undergo such arrangements.

“We must know that the beauty and reality of marriage is the marriage between a man and a woman, and no matter what the society says, the truth must be upheld, and that is what this group wedding is celebrating as well.”

Commending the couples for successfully completing the processes, Mayaki urged them to “take this sacramental marriage as a new beginning to love each other afresh, to make the society better and, above all, to love the ways of God and let His glory be seen in their marriages.

“It is an opportunity to draw closer to God and closer to the Church which has organised this marriage for you. Try to live good and holy lives just like the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. You should rededicate your families – father, mother and children – to God.”

He further commended the parish’s Catholic Men Organisation (CMO), which organised and bankrolled the event, adding that in John 2, Jesus worked his first sign at a marriage feast in Cana and let his glory be revealed.
In his sermon at the mass, the Associate Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Hilary Ogunyemi, told the couples that marriage must always be cherished, with togetherness, love, commitment, tolerance and forgiveness as indispensables in every marriage.

Urging every couple to accommodate each other, he reminded husbands to always love their wives, while “a humble wife is a natural choice for the husband.”

On his part, the CMO Chairman, Mr. Anthony Igboanugo, thanked God for inspiring the group with the “apostolic work,” stating that “some actually wanted to regularise their marriages but do not know how to go about it, having been living together already.

“Now that they are regularising their marriages with the Church, they are consolidating their union. Before now, though they come to church, they were not fully part of us because they don’t join us in the Holy Communion.

“By the grace of God, now they have all the enabling grace and opportunities to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, as the bible told us.”

According to the chairman of the organising committee, Mr. Kenneth Nkemchor, the couples are from different races, cultural and religious backgrounds, including non-Catholics and even Muslims.

He explained that 45 couples registered initially, but three dropped over health, distance and family reasons respectively, while 42 completed the journey, even as the committee also had to manage the challenges of participants working outside Lagos.

“For us, it was really a very tasking exercise,” he added. “Funnily enough, we were expecting to see people of 40 years and above but surprisingly we have some under-30s. That means they are just starting their new life.

“Bringing them all together was not easy because some are working and some are outside Lagos, but thank God for the telecommunication device, through which we were able to reach them and receive the necessary documents.”