Marriage
«What God has joined together, no human being must separate»
Matthew 19:6
The family foundation Sacrament
The sacrament of marriage -like the other sacraments instituted by Jesus- has a valuable particularity.
Just as in the other sacraments it is the priest or the bishop who confers it, in the case of marriage it is the man and the woman who grant it, by giving their consent in the presence of God and the Community.
The priest and the other guests are really only witnesses of the acceptance of the couple's vocation, of their mutual self-giving and of their commitment to love and respect each other every day, to accept the children that God will give them and to raise them in the Catholic faith.
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5 ideas about Catholic Marriage
1. It is a vocation. Marriage is a vocation, a call from God, in which the spouses mutually love each other, give themselves to each other, commit themselves and help each other throughout their lives. As St. John Paul II said in the General Audience of August 18, 1982: "Marriage corresponds to the vocation of Christians only when it reflects the love which Christ the Bridegroom gives to the Church, his Bride, and with which the Church (in the likeness of the "submitted" woman, therefore fully given) tries to correspond to Christ".
2. From love, it is the basis of the family. Marriage is based on love and becomes the creative space of the Christian family, where children are received as part of that gift and that call to give life.
3. It is indissoluble. Jesus, in instituting it, does so as a lifelong commitment. Catholic marriage cannot be dissolved. In fact, when a marriage is annulled, it is because there never has been such a sacrament.
4. It confers on the spouses the power of the Holy Spirit. Although society increasingly insists that it is the same not to marry or civil marriage, this is not true. The Sacrament of Matrimony confers on the spouses, through the Holy Spirit, a special strength.
5. Rings are not indispensable. Although they are not an indispensable part of the Catholic marriage rite, they are a symbol of the spouses' commitment, and a distinguishing sign in front of others.