July 12th - Louis and Marie-Azélie Martin

Besides the Holy Family and Mary's parents Anne and Joachim we do not have many married couples on the A-List. Sure there are a lot of people who were married, but often not to another considered for sainthood.
Louis and Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin were simple people, not trained catechists, martyrs, or theologians nothing that would put them front and center for consideration. He was a watchmaker and she a lace maker. Together they had nine children, also not something to consider them for sainthood (although, one would not deny that in itself might be enough) of which only five girls lived. The youngest, Therese became a saint herself: Therese of Lisieux. Again probably not enough to make one or the other a candidate for the canon. A miracle was attributed to them, which does at least make one a candidate.
We are seeing here in them a need to understand that our lives are not enough to get us into or out of heaven but it is what we do in them, how we love one another, practice married love, raise our children in the Faith, love them in their vocations, mourn those who are lost, tenderly care for those who are in our care, these are the things that bring about the Kingdom, and help to secure our place in it.
Especially those of us who are married where our vocation is to get each other into heaven, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves. Louis and Marie-Azélie Guérin are examples for us and proof that we can love each other into heaven!
Louis and Marie-Azélie Guérin pray for us couples!

---

He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘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, no human being must separate.” ...Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

-- Matthew 19:4-6, 12-15