Father in Heaven! In the joy of our young love we come to You, in order to thank You for the gracious guidance which You have given us. You have led our hearts to find each other. You have awakened in us the strength of love, which enriches us and makes us joyful. In joyous expectation, we think of the hour in which You will bind us in an insoluble companionship, and will give to us the sanctification of a great sacrament. It will be our calling to participate in the future in Your privilege of creation and contribute to the building of the Kingdom of God. It is a great task You have entrusted to us. You expect, however, deep reverence for the powers which rest within us of awakening new life. You demand that the Holy Temple of God, which You have built in us by Baptism, shall not be defiled or disgraced. Your Word and Your Law show us the paths we should take and the dangers which we must avoid.
O Lord, you know our good will. You know that we wish to prepare a joyous marriage. But You also know the power of temptation, the influence of evil examples and our own weakness.
Help us to be vigilant, to humbly stay aware of our weak power, to courageously withstand temptation. Awaken the inner strength of our love, our fidelity, our moral gravity, and our responsibility. Fill us with a heroic striving, that we may build a blessed future and attain perfection in eternal life.
Mary, Mother of fair love, take us under your mantle, so that we may be allowed to worthily and chastely approach the altar of our God. Amen.
