John and Sandy Hess, December 8, 1962

Begin with the Prayer of Abandonment.

Today’s theme is “complementarity.”

“Opposites attract. If you had the same gifts and strengths, one of you would be superfluous.” I watched this lived out in my parents’ marriage: Dad the thoughtful introvert; my mother the whirlwind organizer. They depended on each other, truly needed each other, all their lives.

In his “Theology of the Body,” Pope John Paul II frequently referred to the complementarity of men and women, how the “oneness” of marriage is imprinted on our very bodies, which uniquely fit together in a loving, life-giving way. And yet, this unity is also expressed in other areas of marriage as well: God matches up penny-pinchers and generous souls; organizers and disorganized; accountants and poets. Together, we blend and wear on each other, helping each other grow in love and holiness.

How do you see this complementarity worked out in your marriage? Tell your spouse one way that he (or she) has made you a better person by example.