Marriage was created by God and is a gift from God.
The practice of love and sacrifice within marriage prepares individuals for the
sacred, permanent, self-giving union they will have with Jesus in heaven. The
joy that comes from a self-giving marriage foreshadows the infinite joy that
will come from union with God in heaven.
How devoted should one be to one’s spouse?
Believe it or not, a person should prefer to die
than to lead his or her spouse into sin.
A person must love and protect a spouse’s soul at all cost.
Why is marriage considered
so holy and sacred?
God created male and female to complement His own
inner unity. (Gen 1:27)
Then Christ came and raised marriage to an even
higher level. He made it a sacrament. He elevated it from a natural bond to a
supernatural bond. The bond is life-long for the good of the spouses, the
children, and the whole of society.
Christ compares His own unbreakable relationship to
His bride, the Church, to the relationship of a husband to a wife.
The husband and wife become “one flesh” (Mt. 19:6, Gen
2:24).
When the saints in heaven look down on married
couples who are baptized, they actually see one flesh.
There are supernatural things actually happening
when two baptized people get married.
Since marriage is a sacrament, Christ is actually
made present at the event. He pours his graces out on the couple, enough to
help them prevail in any future challenges, if both sincerely seek Christ.
If one spouse isn’t living up to his or her end of
the bargain, the other is not off the hook. Instead, this is a call to
increased prayer and increased trust in God. Just as Christ loves us through
our sin and disordered behaviors, a spouse must continue to be Christ to the
other spouse. Christ’s love will always win but persistence is necessary. It is
your job to get your spouse into heaven, and this job doesn’t end until then.
Even
if the other is in the wrong, in the end, for the spiritual sake of both, and
the happiness of both, the best solution is forgiveness and mercy. We are
supposed to live and act on a supernatural level – which is only possible with
Christ’s grace in us – and not to live and act on a natural level, which is the
way of the world. This is how we prepare ourselves for eternal life with Jesus.
A
spouse must resort to all options available, even if it means moving or switching
jobs or even more difficult things, to save a marriage. All options, except for
sin, must be considered. The more one sacrifices, the more one will be rewarded
in heaven.
A
spouse who exits places the spouse left behind at risk of remarrying, which the
Bible says is adultery.
The Church does permit the separation of spouses in
grave situations such as physical abuse or persistent cheating. Remarriage,
however, is always contrary to Christ’s law (assuming the marriage was valid in
the first place and the spouse is still alive).
The abandoned spouse must recognize that the
indissoluble bond of marriage still exists after the separation. The difficult
task of praying for the spouse and praying for the strength to not date people
during this separation is the supernatural way of living that prepares both
souls for heaven. The only purpose of life here is to prepare for our true life
in heaven.
"Let no man separate what God has joined"
(Mk10:9).
Why live for this life, when one could have eternal life?
Serious preparation for marriage is necessary. Preparation includes the disciplines of chastity, prayer, and attending church. Patience is a necessary part of every marriage and must be cultivated before an engagement.
BEFORE
DATING, every Catholic should read what the Catechism says on marriage,
as well as: Chapters 32 and 33 (marriage chapters) of the book “This is the
Faith” by Canon Francis Ripley, and the books:
Other suggested readings
include “The Good News About Sex and Marriage” and
“Theology of the Body Explained” by Christopher West (http://www.christopherwest.com/nowavailable.htm)
DON’T
GET MARRIED unless you are going to care for your spouse more than for
your own self. Your life-long vow is valid even if one spouse becomes
physically or mentally disabled the day after the wedding, even if one spouse
loses all his or her money and ability to work, even if you are forced to move
to Antarctica, even if your spouse’s personality totally changes. Don’t get married unless you have the ability
to respond to a rude remark with a loving remark, and to respond to a selfish,
thoughtless deed with an extra nice act of kindness.
REMEMBER:
By getting married, a person promises not only to merely stay with the person,
but to show them love, kindness and respect each and every day, even if the
other does not reciprocate. Remember, your spouse could have done anything they
wanted with their life, but decided to take the chance of making you his or her
entire life and entire world. You are everything they have in life. Don’t let
them down.
The pope has encouraged all families and couples to attend daily Mass, saying it will forge greater bonds of love and unity.
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER is an organization which
holds weekends for married Catholic couples are offered once a month in
cities across the United States and world. Their web site reads: “Rediscover the spark that was there on your wedding
day! Rediscover the best friend you
had when you were first married! Join the millions of couples worldwide
who have learned how to keep their marriage vibrant and alive!
www.wwme.org (Worldwide Marriage Encounter)
************************************************************************************************
Back to www.StillCatholic.com
http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/98ws/ws980806.htm
(Straight Answers: The Marriage Covenant)
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c3a7.htm#1638
(Catechism on Marriage: To be valid, a marriage must be open to children) http://geocities.com/jpnoronha/catholic/annulments.html
(Divorce & Annulment Information)
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/divorce_remarriage.html
(Divorce & Remarriage in the Bible)
http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/annulments.htm
(answer to annulment questions)
http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/divorce.asp
(divorce & annulment)
http://www.catholic-pages.com/marriage/sacrament.asp
(Matrimony article)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09707a.htm
(Catholic Encyclopedia on Marriage and its history)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html
(Pope’s Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth)
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap060700.htm
(Matrimony in the Bible)
http://www.legallibraries.com/Annulment_Do_You_Have_a_Case_0818906677.html
(Books on Annulment)
http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/marry.htm
(Matrimony: Early Church Quotes)
http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m6/modmrg.html
(Christ and the Church: A Model for Marriage)
************************************************************************************
“A man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to
his wife; and they shall be two in one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24)
"Let no man separate what God has joined"
(Mk10:9).
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries
another, she commits adultery" (Mk 10:11).
"Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning
made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For
this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife; and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 "Consequently
they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." 7 They *said to
Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and
send her away?" 8 He *said to them,
"Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your
wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for
immorality, and marries another woman commits
adultery." 10 The disciples *said to Him, "If the relationship
of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." (Mt 19:
3-10)
“So
[also] husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his
wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and
cherishes it, eve as Christ does the church, because we are members of his
body.
For
this reason a man shall leave [his] father and [his] mother and be joined to
his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
This
is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any
case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should
respect her husband.” (Eph 5:28-33)
“Let
marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God
will judge the immoral and adulterers.” (Heb 13:4)
“But
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits
adultery.” (Mt 5:32)
“Thus
a married woman is bound by law to her living husband; but if her husband dies,
she is released from the law in respect to her husband. Consequently, while her
husband is alive she will be called an adulteress if she consorts with another
man. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and she is not an
adulteress if she consorts with another man.” (Rom 7: 2-3)
“To the married, however, I give this instruction (not I,
but the Lord): A wife should not separate from her husband – and if she does
separate she must either remain single or become reconciled to her husband –
and a husband should not divorce his wife.” (1 Cor
7:10-11)
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman
divorced from the husband commits adultery.” (Lk 16:18)
“And you say, “Why is it?” –
Because the Lord is witness between you and the wife of
your youth, With whom you have broken faith though she
is your companion, your betrothed wife.
Did he not make one being, with flesh and spirit: and
what does that one require but godly offspring? You must then safeguard life
that is your own, and not break faith with the wife of your youth. For I hate
divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel.” And covering one’s garments with
injustice, says the Lord of hosts; You must then
safeguard life that is your own, and not break faith.” (Malachi 2:14-16)
***********************************************************************************************************************************
ARTICLE 7
THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman
establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its
nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education
of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ
the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."84
I. MARRIAGE IN GOD'S PLAN
1602
Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and
likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the
Lamb."85 Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its
"mystery," its institution and the meaning God has given it, its
origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of
salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal "in the
Lord" in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church.86
Marriage in the order of creation
1603
"The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married
state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own
proper laws. . . . God himself is the author of marriage."87
The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they
came from the hand of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution
despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in
different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. These
differences should not cause us to forget its common and permanent
characteristics. Although the dignity of this institution is not transparent
everywhere with the same clarity,88 some
sense of the greatness of the matrimonial union exists in all cultures.
"The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian
society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family
life."89
1604
God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate
vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of
God who is himself love.90 Since God created him man and woman,
their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with
which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator's eyes. And this
love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the
common work of watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said
to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.'"91
1605
Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another:
"It is not good that the man should be alone."92 The
woman, "flesh of his flesh," his equal, his nearest in all things, is
given to him by God as a "helpmate"; she thus represents God from
whom comes our help.93 "Therefore a man leaves his father and
his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh."94
The Lord himself shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their two
lives by recalling what the plan of the Creator had been "in the
beginning": "So they are no longer two, but one flesh."95
Marriage under the regime of sin
1606 Every man experiences evil around him and within himself.
This experience makes itself felt in the relationships between man and woman.
Their union has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination,
infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and
separation. This disorder can manifest itself more or less acutely, and can be
more or less overcome according to the circumstances of cultures, eras, and
individuals, but it does seem to have a universal character.
1607 According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not
stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the nature of their
relations, but from sin. As a break with God, the first sin had for its
first consequence the rupture of the original communion between man and woman.
Their relations were distorted by mutual recriminations;96 their
mutual attraction, the Creator's own gift, changed into a relationship of
domination and lust;97 and the beautiful vocation of man and woman
to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth was burdened by the pain of
childbirth and the toil of work.98
1608
Nevertheless, the order of creation persists, though seriously disturbed. To
heal the wounds of sin, man and woman need the help of the grace that God in
his infinite mercy never refuses them.99 Without
his help man and woman cannot achieve the union of their lives for which God
created them "in the beginning."
Marriage under the pedagogy of the Law
1609
In his mercy God has not forsaken sinful man. The punishments consequent upon
sin, "pain in childbearing" and toil "in the sweat of your
brow,"100 also embody remedies that limit the damaging effects of
sin. After the fall, marriage helps to overcome self-absorption, egoism,
pursuit of one's own pleasure, and to open oneself to the other, to mutual aid
and to self-giving.
1610
Moral conscience concerning the unity and indissolubility of marriage developed
under the pedagogy of the old law. In the Old Testament the polygamy of
patriarchs and kings is not yet explicitly rejected. Nevertheless, the law
given to Moses aims at protecting the wife from arbitrary domination by the
husband, even though according to the Lord's words it still carries traces of
man's "hardness of heart" which was the reason Moses permitted men to
divorce their wives.101
1611
Seeing God's covenant with Israel in the image of exclusive and faithful
married love, the prophets prepared the Chosen People's conscience for a
deepened understanding of the unity and indissolubility of marriage.102
The books of Ruth and Tobit bear moving
witness to an elevated sense of marriage and to the fidelity and tenderness of
spouses. Tradition has always seen in the Song of Solomon a unique
expression of human love, insofar as it is a reflection of God's love - a love
"strong as death" that "many waters cannot quench."103
Marriage in the Lord
1612
The nuptial covenant between God and his people Israel had prepared the way for
the new and everlasting covenant in which the Son of God, by becoming incarnate
and giving his life, has united to himself in a certain way all mankind saved
by him, thus preparing for "the wedding-feast of the Lamb."104
1613 On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first
sign - at his mother's request - during a wedding feast.105 The
Church attaches great importance to Jesus' presence at the wedding at Cana. She
sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation
that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence.
1614
In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union
of man and woman as the Creator willed it from the beginning permission given
by Moses to divorce one's wife was a concession to the hardness of hearts.106
The matrimonial union of man and woman is indissoluble: God himself has
determined it "what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder."107
1615
This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may
have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize.
However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too
heavy - heavier than the Law of Moses.108 By coming to restore the
original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and
grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by
following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up
their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original
meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ.109 This
grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all
Christian life.
1616 This is what the Apostle Paul makes clear when he says:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her, that he might sanctify her," adding at once: "'For this
reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two shall become one. This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to
Christ and the Church."110
1617
The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the
Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial
mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath.111 which precedes the
wedding feast, the Eucharist. Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious
sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it
signifies and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true
sacrament of the New Covenant..112
Virginity for the sake of the Kingdom
1618
Christ is the center of all Christian life. The bond with him takes precedence
over all other bonds, familial or social.113 From the very beginning
of the Church there have been men and women who have renounced the great good
of marriage to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, to be intent on the things of
the Lord, to seek to please him, and to go out to meet the Bridegroom who is
coming.114 Christ himself has invited certain persons to follow him
in this way of life, of which he remains the model:
"For there are eunuchs
who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs
by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this,
let him receive it."115
1619 Virginity for the
sake of the kingdom of heaven is an unfolding of baptismal grace, a powerful
sign of the supremacy of the bond with Christ and of the ardent expectation of
his return, a sign which also recalls that marriage is a reality of this
present age which is passing away.116
1620 Both the sacrament
of Matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself.
It is he who gives them meaning and grants them the grace which is
indispensable for living them out in conformity with his will.117
Esteem of virginity for the sake of the kingdom118 and the Christian
understanding of marriage are inseparable, and they reinforce each other:
Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory
of virginity. Whoever praises it makes virginity more admirable and
resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would not be truly good.
The most excellent good is something even better than what is admitted to be
good.119
II. THE CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE
1621 In the Latin Rite the
celebration of marriage between two Catholic faithful normally takes place
during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the sacraments with the
Paschal mystery of Christ.120 In the Eucharist the memorial of the
New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself
for ever to the Church, his beloved bride for whom he gave himself up.121
It is therefore fitting that the spouses should seal their consent to give
themselves to each other through the offering of their own lives by uniting it
to the offering of Christ for his Church made present in the Eucharistic
sacrifice, and by receiving the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same
Body and the same Blood of Christ, they may form but "one body" in
Christ.122
1622 "Inasmuch as
it is a sacramental action of sanctification, the liturgical celebration of marriage . . . must be, per se, valid, worthy, and
fruitful."123 It is therefore appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare themselves for the celebration of their
marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance.
1623 According to Latin
tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each
other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church.
In the tradition of the Eastern Churches, the priests (bishops or presbyters)
are witnesses to the mutual consent given by the spouses,124
but for the validity of the sacrament their blessing is also necessary.125
1624 The various
liturgies abound in prayers of blessing and epiclesis asking God's grace and
blessing on the new couple, especially the bride. In the epiclesis of this
sacrament the spouses receive the Holy Spirit as the communion of love of
Christ and the Church.126 The Holy Spirit
is the seal of their covenant, the ever available source of their love and the
strength to renew their fidelity.
III. MATRIMONIAL CONSENT
1625 The parties to a
marriage covenant are a baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage, who freely express their consent; "to be
free" means:
- not
being under constraint;
- not
impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law.
1626 The Church holds
the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element
that "makes the marriage."127 If consent is lacking there
is no marriage.
1627 The consent consists in a
"human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each
other": "I take you to be my wife" - "I take you to be my
husband."128 This consent that binds the spouses to each other
finds its fulfillment in the two "becoming one flesh."129
1628 The consent must
be an act of the will of each of the contracting parties, free of coercion or
grave external fear.130 No human power can substitute for this
consent.131 If this freedom is lacking the
marriage is invalid.
1629 For this reason (or for other
reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an
examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can
declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed.132
In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural
obligations of a previous union are discharged.133
1630 The priest (or deacon) who
assists at the celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in
the name of the Church and gives the blessing of the Church. The presence of
the Church's minister (and also of the witnesses) visibly expresses the fact
that marriage is an ecclesial reality.
1631 This is the reason
why the Church normally requires that the faithful contract marriage according
to the ecclesiastical form. Several reasons converge to explain this
requirement:134
- Sacramental marriage is a
liturgical act. It is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated in the
public liturgy of the Church;
- Marriage introduces one into an
ecclesial order, and creates rights and duties in the Church between the
spouses and towards their children;
- Since marriage is a state of life
in the Church, certainty about it is necessary (hence the obligation to have
witnesses);
- The public character of the
consent protects the "I do" once given and helps the spouses remain
faithful to it.
1632 So that the
"I do" of the spouses may be a free and responsible act and so that
the marriage covenant may have solid and lasting human and Christian
foundations, preparation for marriage is of prime importance.
The example and teaching given by parents and families
remain the special form of this preparation.
The role of pastors and of the Christian community as the "family of God" is indispensable for the transmission of the human and Christian values of marriage and family,135 and much more so in our era when many young people experience broken homes which no longer sufficiently assure this initiation:
It is imperative to give suitable
and timely instruction to young people, above all in the heart of their own
families, about the dignity of married love, its role and its exercise, so
that, having learned the value of chastity, they will be able at a suitable age
to engage in honorable courtship and enter upon a marriage of their own.136
Mixed marriages and disparity of
cult
1633 In many countries the situation
of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized
non-Catholic) often arises. It requires particular attention on the part of
couples and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult
(between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater
circumspection.
1634 Difference of confession between
the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when
they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective
communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity
to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated.
They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been
overcome. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of
Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. Disparity of
cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences about faith and the
very notion of marriage, but also different religious mentalities, can become
sources of tension in marriage, especially as regards the education of
children. The temptation to religious indifference can then arise.
1635 According to the law in force in
the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity
the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.137 In
case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment
is required for the validity of the marriage.138 This permission or
dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the
essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic
party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic
party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and
education of the children in the Catholic Church.139
1636 Through ecumenical dialogue
Christian communities in many regions have been able to put into effect a common
pastoral practice for mixed marriages. Its task is to help such couples
live out their particular situation in the light of faith, overcome the
tensions between the couple's obligations to each other and towards their
ecclesial communities, and encourage the flowering of what is common to them in
faith and respect for what separates them.
1637 In marriages with disparity of
cult the Catholic spouse has a particular task: "For the unbelieving
husband is consecrated through his wife, and the
unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband."140 It is
a great joy for the Christian spouse and for the Church if this
"consecration" should lead to the free conversion of the other spouse
to the Christian faith.141 Sincere married
love, the humble and patient practice of the family virtues, and perseverance
in prayer can prepare the non-believing spouse to accept the grace of
conversion.
IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT
OF MATRIMONY
1638 "From a valid marriage
arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual
and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are
strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of
their state by a special sacrament."142
The marriage bond
1639 The consent by which the
spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself.143
From their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of society."144
The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man:
"Authentic married love is caught up into divine love."145
1640 Thus the
marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a
marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be
dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and
their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and
gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. The Church does not have
the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.146
The grace of the sacrament of
Matrimony
1641 "By reason of their
state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special
gifts in the People of God."147 This grace proper to the
sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to
strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another
to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children."148
1642 Christ is the
source of this grace. "Just as of old God encountered his people with
a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now
encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony."149
Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and
so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to
bear one another's burdens, to "be subject to one another out of reverence
for Christ,"150 and to love one another with supernatural,
tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives
them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb:
How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage
joined by the Church, strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing,
announced by angels, and ratified by the Father? . . . How wonderful
the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in
discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one Father and
servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly two in one
flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit.151
V. THE GOODS AND REQUIREMENTS OF
CONJUGAL LOVE
1643 "Conjugal
love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter -
appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration
of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that,
beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility
and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility.
In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural
conjugal love, but with a new significance which not only purifies and
strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression
of specifically Christian values."152
The unity and indissolubility of
marriage
1644 The love of the spouses
requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses'
community of persons, which embraces their entire life: "so they are no
longer two, but one flesh."153 They "are called to grow
continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage
promise of total mutual self-giving."154 This human communion
is confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in Jesus Christ, given
through the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened by lives of the common faith
and by the Eucharist received together.
1645 "The unity of
marriage, distinctly recognized by our Lord, is made clear in the equal
personal dignity which must be accorded to man and wife in mutual and
unreserved affection."155 Polygamy is contrary to
conjugal love which is undivided and exclusive.156
* The fidelity of
conjugal love
1646 By its very nature conjugal
love requires the inviolable fidelity of the spouses. This is the consequence
of the gift of themselves which they make to each other. Love seeks to be
definitive; it cannot be an arrangement "until further notice." The
"intimate union of marriage, as a mutual giving of two persons, and the
good of the children, demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an
unbreakable union between them."157
1647 The deepest reason is found
in the fidelity of God to his covenant, in that of Christ to his Church.
Through the sacrament of Matrimony the spouses are enabled to represent this
fidelity and witness to it. Through the sacrament, the indissolubility of
marriage receives a new and deeper meaning.
1648 It can seem difficult, even
impossible, to bind oneself for life to another human being. This makes it all
the more important to proclaim the Good News that God loves us with a
definitive and irrevocable love, that married couples share in this love, that
it supports and sustains them, and that by their own faithfulness they can be
witnesses to God's faithful love. Spouses who with
God's grace give this witness, often in very difficult conditions, deserve the
gratitude and support of the ecclesial community.158
1649 Yet there are some situations in
which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons.
In such cases the Church permits the physical separation of the couple
and their living apart. The spouses do not cease to be husband and wife before
God and so are not free to contract a new union. In this difficult situation,
the best solution would be, if possible, reconciliation. The Christian
community is called to help these persons live out their situation in a
Christian manner and in fidelity to their marriage bond which remains
indissoluble.159
1650
Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse
to civil divorce and contract new civil unions. In fidelity to the words
of Jesus Christ - "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits
adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she
commits adultery"160 the Church maintains that a new union
cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If the divorced are
remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively
contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion
as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise
certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of
Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the
sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living
in complete continence.
1651 Toward Christians
who live in this situation, and who often keep the faith and desire to bring up
their children in a Christian manner, priests and the whole community must
manifest an attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider themselves
separated from the Church, in whose life they can and must participate as
baptized persons:
They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's grace.161
* The openness to
fertility
1652 "By its very
nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the
procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its
crowning glory."162
Children are the supreme gift of marriage and
contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said:
"It is not good that man should be alone," and "from the beginning
[he] made them male and female"; wishing to associate them in a special
way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words:
"Be fruitful and multiply." Hence, true married love and the whole
structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the
other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate
valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will
increase and enrich his family from day to day.163
1653 The fruitfulness
of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and
supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education. Parents
are the principal and first educators of their children.164 In this sense the fundamental task of marriage and family is
to be at the service of life.165
1654 Spouses to whom God has not
granted children can nevertheless have a conjugal life full of meaning, in both
human and Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of
charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice.
VI. THE DOMESTIC CHURCH
1655 Christ chose to be
born and grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The Church
is nothing other than "the family of God." From the beginning, the
core of the Church was often constituted by those who had become believers
"together with all [their] household."166
When they were converted, they desired that "their whole household"
should also be saved.167 These families who
became believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world.
1656 In our own time,
in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of
primary importance as centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the
Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia
domestica.168 It is in the bosom of the family that parents are
"by word and example . . . the first
heralds of the faith with regard to their children. They should encourage them
in the vocation which is proper to each child, fostering with special care any
religious vocation."169
1657 It is here that
the father of the family, the mother, children, and all members of the family
exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way "by the
reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy
life, and self-denial and active charity."170 Thus the home is
the first school of Christian life and "a school for human
enrichment."171 Here one learns endurance and the joy of work,
fraternal love, generous - even repeated - forgiveness, and above all divine
worship in prayer and the offering of one's life.
1658 We must also
remember the great number of single persons who, because of the
particular circumstances in which they have to live - often not of their
choosing - are especially close to Jesus' heart and therefore deserve the
special affection and active solicitude of the Church, especially of pastors.
Many remain without a human family often due to conditions of poverty.
Some live their situation in the spirit of the Beatitudes, serving God and
neighbor in exemplary fashion. The doors of homes, the "domestic
churches," and of the great family which is the Church must be open to all
of them. "No one is without a family in this world: the Church is a home
and family for everyone, especially those who 'labor and are heavy
laden.'"172
IN BRIEF
1659 St. Paul said:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church. . . .
This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church"
(Eph 5:25, 32).
1660 The marriage covenant, by
which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and
love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By
its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the
generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between
the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament (cf. CIC, can. 1055 § 1; cf. GS
48 § 1).
1661 The sacrament of Matrimony
signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to
love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace
of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their
indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (cf. Council
of Trent: DS 1799).
1662 Marriage is based on the
consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves,
each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of
faithful and fruitful love.
1663 Since marriage establishes
the couple in a public state of life in the Church, it is fitting that its
celebration be public, in the framework of a liturgical celebration, before the
priest (or a witness authorized by the Church), the witnesses, and the assembly
of the faithful.
1664 Unity, indissolubility, and
openness to fertility are essential to marriage. Polygamy is incompatible with
the unity of marriage; divorce separates what God has joined together; the
refusal of fertility turns married life away from its "supreme gift,"
the child (GS 50 § 1).
1665 The remarriage of persons
divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as
taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot
receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by
educating their children in the faith.
1666 The Christian home is the place
where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the
family home is rightly called "the domestic church," a community of
grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
The various forms of chastity
2348 All the baptized are called to chastity. The Christian has
"put on Christ,"135 the model for all chastity. All
Christ's faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their
particular states of life. At the moment of his Baptism, the Christian is
pledged to lead his affective life in chastity.
2349
"People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their
state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables
them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable
manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether
they are married or single."136 Married people are called to
live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence:
There are three forms of the virtue of chastity: the
first is that of spouses, the second that of widows,
and the third that of virgins. We do not praise any one of them to the
exclusion of the others. . . . This is what makes for the richness of
the discipline of the Church.137
2350 Those who are engaged
to marry are called to live chastity in continence. They should see in this
time of testing a discovery of mutual respect, an apprenticeship in fidelity,
and the hope of receiving one another from God. They should reserve for
marriage the expressions of affection that belong to married love. They will
help each other grow in chastity
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