Memorial Day Weekend was for me especially aptly named, for the reason that I spent it at home for a memorial for my recently deceased Great-Grandfather. I pray that his soul may rest in peace. The service itself was held at the Christian community church in Cocquille, a small and non-denominational Protestant Church, and the Eulogy was given by a non-denominational preacher who was a friend to my Grandparents and Great-Grandparents. His eulogy itself was touching, and I am grateful for that; I am even more grateful for whatever comfort it afforded my grandparents--no small amount, I'm sure.

However, it was also my first live brush with (non-Denominational) Protestant theology in quite some time, and touching as it was, it touched on more than one of my Catholic nerves. As has become commonplace with the non-Denominational crowd, he did bring up the false dichotomy between "religion" and "relationship", though not as forcefully as some I've seen. I want to write a bit about the other point which he brought up in passing: the often repeated idea that in Heaven we will have new bodies.

The topic of marriage has been on my mind quite a bit as of late. My fiancée and I are in the midst of our wedding (and marriage) planning. We just sent out the cards announcing date and time (so save the date!), and I've been discussing suits with my groomsmen. She's changed her bridesmaids' outfits a couple of times (making picking the aforementioned suits a bit more difficult), and has been meeting with her tailor to make the wedding gown. Today my fiancée and I begin our marriage preparation classes, and last night was the first of three NFP classes. We've even found a little time to read up on some materials and go to a few extra talks to prepare us for marriage: Fulton Sheen, John Paul the Great, Christopher West, and even a few discussions with the local priest.

All of this has caused me to think a bit about the theology which underlies marriage, especially in light of the high divorce rates. There are many people who believe that marriage ought not to be necessarily permanent, and others who want theirs to be permanent, but excuse failed marriages by saying "Too bad, so sad," but then turn around and complain about the Church's teaching against "remarriage" after a divorce.