by Veronica Szczygiel
My husband Arthur and I make it a tradition to travel every year for our wedding anniversary (Oct. 6). When we received an invitation from our good friend, Father Damian Wyżkiewicz, to visit his parish in Stykkishólmur, Iceland, we knew it would be an adventure for our seventh anniversary. Every seven years, Old Testament farmers let fields lie fallow. With a period of rest, the land replenished itself and yielded stronger harvests: “Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord” (Leviticus 25:3-4).
Being our seventh year of marriage, we took that charge to heart. We had a trying year, as I had been bedridden for over a month awaiting spinal surgery, and the recovery after that was slow and steady.
Having survived this challenging time together, we arrived in Iceland and decided to embrace the spirit of the Old Testament sabbatical. We enjoyed leisurely breakfasts, meandering drives through the wild countryside, and unhurried exploration of lava caves, beaches, and waterfalls.
Since the sabbath year is not just for the land but for the Lord, we wanted to commemorate our union. On our last night in Iceland, Father Wyżkiewicz celebrated a vow renewal ceremony in his parish’s chapel. It was a beautiful private ceremony. One of the three resident nuns, originally from Argentina, played the piano and sang a hymn in Polish. Father Wyżkiewicz wrapped his stole around our clasped hands and had us renew our marital promises. I felt a resurgence of deep love for Arthur, which I could see in his eyes too, and a reinvigorated commitment to always stand by his side, as he did during my illness: “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go” (Ruth 16:16).
It was as if we dusted the cobwebs off a stained-glass window. The colors were always there. The glass just needed to be cleaned to let in the full glory of light. In marriage, man and wife “are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6). It is important to attend to sacred marital vows because Satan and the ways of the world try to destroy everything that is holy. The evil one purposefully lays traps. Renewing vows gives us the courage to keep our union healthy, holy, and shining brightly as a witness to God’s unconditional love for us.
Veronica Szczygiel, Ph.D., is the communications director at Semper Fi & America’s Fund.