Marriage was created by God and is a gift from God.
It is intended to prepare people for the 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).
This is much more than a metaphor.
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. The wedding vows do NOT read: “For better, for worse, for
richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, unless one starts acting like a
big, selfish pain in the neck.”
Even if the
other is in the wrong, in the end, for the spiritual sake of both, and the
happiness of both, it is better to give in to them, and forgive them. 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.
If a spouse
cuts out, he or she is then putting the spouse who is 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, but remarriage
is always contrary to Christ’s law (assuming the marriage was valid in the
first place and the spouse is still alive).
"Let no man separate what God has joined"
(Mk10:9).
Why live for this life, when one could have eternal
life?
WHILE DATING: If a couple does not prepare properly, through the disciplines of chastity, prayer, attending church, etc., then the couple could be setting themselves up for a big mess. Patience is a necessary part of every marriage. If it is not achieved before the marriage, it is extra hard to achieve a successful life-long marriage.
BEFORE
EVER 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:
After reaching one’s 25th
birthday, one can also read “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. Remember that your vows are a life-long contract with God that
is valid even if your spouse becomes physically or mentally disabled the day
after the wedding, even if your 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, and even if you later meet the most charming,
alluring, glamorous, irresistible individual who you believe is your real “soul
mate.” 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, we have promised not only to merely stay with the person,
but to show them love, kindness and respect each and every day, even if they
don’t do the same. Remember, our 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.
TEMPTED BY THE FRUIT OF ANOTHER?
Adam and Eve had it all in
the Garden of Eden, but fooled themselves into thinking something new,
something seemingly alluring, would make them happy. Despite their knowledge of
God’s wishes, they convinced themselves their disobedience wouldn’t hurt
anyone. Instead, it hurt me and you and every human being, bringing death into
the world, and on themselves. Don’t fool yourselves.
The pope has encouraged all families and couples to attend daily Mass, saying it will forge greater bonds of love and unity.
MARRIAGE
ENCOUNTER 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!
http://216.170.58.5/interfaith/interfaith.htm
(locations)
************************************************************************************************
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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