There was once an american writer who was famous for his short stories,  One of these stories was about a married couple.  They lived in a small apartment in some big american city.  Its christmas and it’s time to buy a present for the other.  He knows what she would like,  she has beautiful long hair and she would love a silver comb to comb her hair.  He has a beautiful golden watch, a present from his grandfather and he would love a golden chain from which to hang the watch.  Neither of them have the moeney to buy the present for the other.  In the late afternoon, they both go out  and a couple of hours later, he comes back and he enters the appartment,  and he presnets his wife with a beautiful silver comb; and she presents him with a beautiful gold chain.  But he looks at her, she is different,  she has cut her hair, at this moment he realises that she has cut her hair and sold it so that she could buy what he wanted:  the golden chain.  She realises at the same time, that he has sold the golden watch to buy the silver comb for her.  Each one had sacrificed their own treausure to make the other one happy.  Whenever I see a couple getting maried, I think of this story.  It’s what marriage is about.  Giving and taking,  winning and loosing, reward and sacrfice.  We all know that marriage is not a rose garden;  with the sunshine there has to be a little rain sometimes.  There will be days filled with joy and happiness and there will be days filled with grief and sadness.  In our gospel today, Jesus reminds us of the beauty of marriage;  and he tells us very clearly what God has put together, that nobody must seperate.  But he promises to be with us every step of the way.   So when we read this part  of the gospel;  it is an invitation for married couples to pray  for themselves and to pray for each other;  to pray for thei familes.  For those of us who are not married,  to pray for those who are;  and let us remember in a very special way, those  who are going through a diffcult time in their marriage, those who are struggling;   that they may find in Jesus the strength and serenity;  the wisdom that they need; so that the words: I willl love and honour you all the days of my life;  may never loose their meaning.