The Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo, c. 1536-1541

Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you know that your mission as a husband or a wife is to help your spouse get to Heaven? Of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church, only two are called “Sacraments of Service,” Holy Orders and Matrimony. Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says about these two sacraments:

Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God. CCC 1534

It is through your self-giving love for your spouse that you are helping him or her achieve the prize of eternal life! In helping your spouse get to Heaven, you are also doing well for your own personal salvation, says the Catechism.

But as for you, man of God…aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

Fight the good fight of faith to win, for yourself, your spouse, and your children, the reward of eternal life! Strain to grab hold of the prize! Do not be lukewarm in your faith, hoping to just barely make it in. Strive hard for the heavenly prize. Exert all of your strength for the faith, like a runner straining for the finish line. Great glories await you in Heaven. Keep the faith and win the race.