The Catholic Ideal of the Sacrament of Marriage

The Catholic Ideal of the Sacrament of Marriage

In the Catholic view, marriage is that it is sacramental. This means

that marriage is a covenant relationship between the man and woman

involved and hence it is voluntary and boundless. Its clear purpose is

the begetting of children and mutual companionship and help. Virginity

however, is the preferred state in Catholic belief. The primary

purpose of marriage is to fulfill a vocation in the nature of man and

woman, for the procreation and education of children, and to stand as

a symbol of the mystical union between Christ and his Church.

Fertility is a good, a gift and an end of marriage. By giving life,

spouses participate in God's fatherhood.

Marriage demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one

another. It is not just a contract made between two persons, and "IF"

does not exist in marriage. This is well understood in the vow made by

the couple during the ceremony -"Till death do us apart". Marriage is

wielded by commitment and not established by a contract, so does love.

When we talk about love, we always consider it unconditional, either

failure or success. And so does commitment, a solemn binding promise

to do and a guarantee to each partner. If we ask an engaged couple why

they want to get married, the answer would be "because we love each

other", and when they get married, a commitment is made. Marriage is

molded by love and commitment, the elements that guarantees an intact

relationship, and this relationship cannot be considered as a

contract. Moreover only in a 'covenant relationship' can we consider

two couples as "one flesh".

Marriage was instituted in Paradi...

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...ond and give them knowledge to

their responsibilities in married life.

Preparation for marriage leads to married life, through the

celebration of the sacrament, which is the culmination of the journey

of preparation which the spouses have made and the source and origin

of their married life. Therefore, the celebration cannot be reduced

only to a ceremony, the product of culture and sociological

conditioning. Nevertheless, praiseworthy customs that belong to

various peoples or ethnic groups can be brought into the celebration

(cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 77; Familiaris Consortio, 67), provided

that they express above all the coming together of the ecclesial

assembly as a sign of the faith of the Church, which recognises in the

sacrament the presence of the risen Lord uniting the spouses to the

love of the Trinity.