God is the supreme matchmaker. God provides, particularly when it comes to finding one’s spouse. Take a good look at your wife or husband. Your spouse is a miracle, an incredible blessing, and a gift from God to you. Before the two of you met, could you ever have imagined how you would connect and fall in love?
One of the great biblical stories to demonstrate God the matchmaker is the marriage of Tobiah and Sarah. Tobiah lived in Nineveh, modern-day Mosul in northern Iraq, and Sarah lived in far-away Ecbatana, Media, in modern-day northwest Iran, separated by over 400 miles, a desert and a dangerous road.
Tobiah’s father had money deposited with a relative in Ecbatana and sent his son to recover it. Out of nowhere, the angel Raphael appeared (Tob 5:4) and served as his guide on the journey (Tob 6:2). Upon arrival, the angel Raphael told Tobiah about Sarah (Tob 6:11-13), instructed him to marry her (Tob 6:16), and Tobiah fell deeply in love with her (Tob 6:18). Sarah’s father said that their marriage was “decided in heaven” (Tob 7:11). The angel Raphael was God’s agent and messenger, so through Raphael, God guided Tobiah to Sarah, instructed him to marry her, and gave him a great love for her. God led Tobiah and Sarah to each other. No one would ever have predicted that they would meet. Their encounter, love for each other, and union to each other was God’s plan for them. It was a marriage made in heaven.
In the Gospel, there is a yet more famous couple, Mary and Joseph, which serves as another example of God the matchmaker. It is not known how Mary and Joseph met, yet according to God’s plan they were betrothed to each other (Mt 1:18). Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Take Mary (as) your wife into your home” (Mt 1:20), and Joseph followed the angel’s instruction when he “took his wife into his home” (Mt 1:24). Again, the angel acted as God’s agent and messenger. When the angel said, “Take Mary as your wife,” it was God who was saying, “Take Mary as your wife.” It was God’s plan that they would meet, love each other, be betrothed and then married. It was a marriage made in heaven.
My parents serve as another striking example of God the matchmaker. My father, Arthur, was from Chaska; my mother, Lanie, was from Brandon. They were 160 miles apart, and no one could ever have predicted that they would meet. Dad had just been discharged from the Navy and somehow landed an entry-level position as an optician in St. Cloud. Mom decided to go to cosmetology school, providentially in St. Cloud. They went to the same dance — each with someone else — and by the end of the night, they ditched their dates and left together. Their acquaintance instantly grew into friendship, and their friendship blossomed into love, a love so strong that they were faithful partners in marriage for 63 years. God led them to each other and blessed them with their love for each other. It was a marriage made in heaven.
Every couple has its own unique story, and I have had the privilege of listening to hundreds of them as couples prepare for marriage. Oddsmakers would never bet on these matches. After so many personal encounters with classmates, teammates, coworkers and neighbors, why this person? Why did they connect? Why was their chemistry so good? Why did their friendship go to another level and develop into a beautiful love? The answer is by the grace of God. God led them to each other, blessed them with their love for each other, and gave them as a gift to each other. It is God’s plan for them. It is a miracle. Theirs is a marriage made in heaven.
Father Van Sloun is the director of clergy personnel for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This column is part of a series on the sacrament of marriage.
