They were alone together in the bedroom

The smell of incense was in the night air.

It was their wedding night.

The young man turned to his wife
and whispered a suggestion
about what they might do first.

And then… they did it:

They prayed to God, praising his name and asking for his mercy.

Today’s first reading (Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a) tells part of a remarkable series of events, but the example of the husband and wife praying together before sleeping together is particularly valuable for us in this flesh-obsessed world.

Sad to say, many of us operate with unhealthy ideas about the human body: either “if it feels good, do it” or “if it feels good, it must be a sin.”

The bedtime prayer of the husband and wife reminds them that they are literally God’s gift to each other, that there should be something much greater and noble than lust in what they do, and that they are under the loving eyes of God.

May husbands and wives always remember to pray together, especially before times of intimacy.

And may all of us remember to pray to God, especially when we are tempted by lust or any other desire that pulls us away from the noble purposes to which God calls us.