Homily for 60th Wedding Anniversary (Genesis 24:48-51, 58-67; 1 Peter 3:1-9; Mark 10:6-9)

Dear friends in Christ, what a profound joy it is to gather here today to celebrate 60 years of marriage between [Name] and [Name]. Sixty years of faithful love! Sixty years of covenant commitment! What a beautiful testimony to God's sustaining grace. As we gather in thanksgiving, let us begin with a simple prayer: Loving God, who joins hearts in covenant love, we thank you for the gift of [Name] and [Name]'s marriage, a living sign of your faithfulness through the decades. Continue to bless them with your presence. Amen.

Today, as we reflect on the beautiful Scripture passages chosen for this celebration, one powerful theme emerges: **"Covenant Faithfulness: And God's Hand in the Journey."** This theme flows through each reading, reminding us that marriage is not merely a human institution but a sacred covenant where God actively participates, guiding and sustaining couples through life's many seasons.

In our first reading from Genesis, we hear the beautiful story of Isaac and Rebekah's union. The servant declares: "I bowed down and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way" (Genesis 24:48). This narrative reveals God's providential hand in bringing two people together. When Rebekah arrives and Isaac takes her as his wife, Scripture tells us "he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (Genesis 24:67).

In the second reading, Saint Peter offers wisdom for married life, emphasizing mutual respect, understanding, and honor. He concludes with these powerful words: "Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind" (1 Peter 3:8). Here, Peter outlines the virtues that sustain covenant love through the years.

And in the Gospel, Jesus speaks of marriage's divine origin: "But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:6-9). Jesus reminds us that marriage is God's idea, God's design, and ultimately, God's ongoing work.

These readings illuminate the truth that marriage is a covenant where God is the author, witness, and sustainer. In Genesis, we see God's providential guidance bringing Isaac and Rebekah together. The servant recognizes that God "led me by the right way" – a beautiful reminder that God's hand guides the journey of love. When Isaac and Rebekah meet, their union brings comfort and healing. This is what covenant love does – it creates a sanctuary of belonging and consolation.

Saint Peter's counsel reveals the daily practices that sustain covenant love: unity of spirit, sympathy, tender hearts, and humble minds. These virtues don't come naturally – they require grace and intentional practice. Peter reminds us that marriage flourishes when both spouses cultivate these virtues, creating a home where love and respect reign.

And Jesus' words in Mark's Gospel take us back to creation itself, reminding us that marriage reflects God's original design for human companionship. "What God has joined together" – these words reveal that God is not merely a witness to marriage but an active participant, the divine binder who joins two lives into one and remains present through every season of married life.

[Name] and [Name], for sixty years you have lived this covenant faithfulness. Through joys and sorrows, through challenges and triumphs, through all the ordinary days that make up a life together, you have remained faithful to each other and to God. Your marriage stands as a living testimony to the truth of these Scriptures – that God does indeed guide, that covenant love does comfort and heal, that the virtues Saint Peter describes do sustain a marriage, and that what God joins together endures.

Like Isaac and Rebekah, your union has been a source of comfort and blessing, not just for you but for all who know you. Like the faithful described by Saint Peter, you have practiced unity of spirit, sympathy, and tender-heartedness toward one another. And as Jesus teaches, you have lived as "no longer two, but one flesh," witnessing to the world that covenant love can indeed last a lifetime.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that marriage is "ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring" (CCC 1601). But it also tells us something profound about the nature of sacramental marriage: it is "an efficacious sign of Christ's presence" (CCC 1613). In other words, your sixty years together have been a living sign of Christ's faithful love for his Church.

This covenant faithfulness you have lived is no small thing in our world today. In a culture that often views commitments as temporary and relationships as disposable, your sixty years stand as a counter-witness, a testimony that with God's grace, faithful love is not only possible but beautiful and life-giving.

[Name] and [Name], as you celebrate this remarkable milestone and look toward the future God continues to prepare for you, I offer three simple encouragements drawn from our readings:

First, continue to recognize God's hand in your journey, just as Abraham's servant did. Each morning, take a moment to thank God for bringing you together and for sustaining your love through sixty years. Gratitude keeps our hearts attuned to God's ongoing presence.

Second, keep practicing the virtues Saint Peter describes – unity of spirit, sympathy, tender hearts, and humble minds. Even after sixty years, there is always room to grow in understanding and honoring one another.

Third, remember Jesus' words that you are "no longer two, but one flesh." Continue to make decisions together, pray together, and face life's challenges as one, knowing that God who joined you remains with you, strengthening your bond day by day.

[Name] and [Name], your sixty years of marriage is not just a personal achievement but a gift to all of us – a living witness to covenant faithfulness and God's sustaining grace. Through six decades, you have shown us what it means to love "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health."

As we celebrate with you today, we give thanks to God who has led you "by the right way," who has comforted you through one another's love, who has helped you cultivate the virtues that sustain covenant love, and who has kept you one through all these years.

May the God who has faithfully journeyed with you these sixty years continue to bless your covenant with joy, health, and peace. May your love continue to be a beacon of hope and a testimony of grace to all who know you. And may you continue to recognize God's hand in your journey, today and always.