Marriage

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 the one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly tow in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also the spirit.

-Tertullian, Ad uxorem (To A Wife), 207 A.D.

Christoph Cardinal Schönborn writes:

Marriage is, so to speak, “the most natural thing in the world,” and, at the same time, between Christians, it is a sacrament. “The intimate community of life and love,” which is what marriage means, is as old as mankind. It is not human culture’s discovery but its presupposition. Of course, in many respects, it has changed over the course of the centuries, and yet essentially it has remained the same…Marriage is part of the order of creation. It is willed by God. That is what the very first chapter of the Bible tells us: God created man in his image, man and woman he created the (Gen. 1:27). God blessed their union and made it fruitful (Gen. 1:28).

This same passage conveys a crucial message about marriage: “God saw that it was good.” Marriage is not a makeshift arrangement, a concession to human weakness, but the very “image and likeness of God.” “Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man” (CCC §1604). But that also means that marriage and the family, in their essential form, must not be subjected to the whims of the state, at the free disposal of society. They are the foundation and presupposition of every flourishing community. “Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security and fraternity within society” (CCC §2207).

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 (CCC §1660).

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 (CCC §1662).

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 (CCC §1663).

Cathedral Guidelines for the Celebration of Marriage

Are you married now? Or just thinking about it? Either way, the Catholic Church can provide you with information, skills, and resources. Whether you are dating, engaged, newlywed, or a mature couple, For Your Marriage can be of help and is brought to you by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

 If you are interested in preparing for Marriage, please contact the parish priest at least SIX (6) MONTHS prior to the date you wish to be married: (907) 474-9032