Marriage is a sacred act in the eyes of God. Learn in this article the importance and value of sacrament of marriage for the Catholic Church, a union between man and woman that will be inseparable and eternal.
Index of contents
The value of the Sacrament of Matrimony
In the eyes of the Lord, marriage between two baptized Christians is an act of union that will last a lifetime, based on love and in the face of any adversity. Now, let's first make a better understanding of what this union consists of, before talking about the sacrament of marriage.
Marriage consists of an alliance, carried out between a man and a woman, with the purpose that the spouses form an inseparable team, which aims to help each other, support each other in the face of adversity, procreate, and consequently educate their children.
So that there are no conflicts of any nature in the marriage, the spouses must accept the other as he is, and that both contribute what they have, achieving together their goals and salvation in the eyes of God.
Marriage is based on love between the spouses, a love that in the eyes of God is for all eternity, surrendering body and soul to his love, complementing each other as persons.
Now, there is civil marriage, which is a way of uniting in front of some social and legal authority, giving validity before the state the union of two people who love each other. However, it is a way of joining that is not valid for Catholic Christians.
So what is the sacrament of marriage?
El sacrament of marriage is then, as dictated by the Catholic Church, the union between Jesus Christ and the Church, which gives spouses or contracting parties the grace of being able to love each other in body and soul for eternity; a love such as Christ's for his church.
Thus, marriage becomes indissoluble, giving holiness to himself for his eternal union. About him sacrament of marriage, Pablo says:
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"Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church ... This is a great mystery, I say it with regard to Christ and the Church."
The marriage of baptized Christians, in the eyes of the creator, is elevated to the glory of the sacrament with the grace of Jesus Christ; it is a union that is born with the institution of God.
The aims and purposes of marriage
When a marriage is taking place, the couple must bear in mind that, even if it is an act of union in freedom (because no one forces them to marry), it must be borne in mind that, just as the State grants rights, it also grants obligations.
A person accepts a job of their own free will, but must know that they must have the responsibility to fulfill their work obligations.
In this way, marriage makes the spouses have to not only give themselves body and soul to his love, but also to fulfill God's will, reproduce and raise children born within the conjugal union. After the marriage act, support each other to achieve salvation and their mutual development as people, complying with the commandments stipulated in the bible.
Likewise, fidelity is an obligation in the sacrament of marriage, since it is a bond product of love, which must be faithful like God's love for us. In the eyes of God it is a sacred, indissoluble act, with which fidelity must be total, inviolable, in which both spouses center their lives on the love of Christ for his church.
If you found this post interesting, we invite you to read our article on: Prayer for marriage.
Fatherhood in the sacrament of marriage
In principle, marriage occurs when the couple, in their mutual love, surrender body and soul before Christ, and with total fidelity, so that later, due to the sexual nature of the people, what is known as " conjugal act ”or“ the consummation of the marriage ”; it is God who seals the bond once the marriage is consummated.
Due to the conjugal act, one of the objectives of marriage is fulfilled: procreation. Fatherhood is one of the objectives inherent in the sacrament of marriage.
This gift granted by the Creator, gives the spouses the freedom to decide how many children they will bring into the world, and they will have the obligation to raise them in a Christian home with education and values, as well as a deep love, because children are a blessing given by God.
What if the marriage has difficulties?
There are many reasons why a marriage may face difficulties, but it must be remembered that, in performing this sacred act, the couple committed themselves to «be faithful to you in prosperity and adversity, in health and in sickness »promise that is made before the eyes of God.
It is in this way that the marriage is sealed, then with the consummation, the union is strengthened as an indissoluble sacred act. In this way, if there is any adversity, such as the difficulty to live together healthily, both can go to separation, but without ceasing to be husband and wife before God, with which it is not allowed for either of the two to contract a new union .
Well, when they separate, the couple must live their separation in fidelity, and the Catholic Church exhorts the Christian community to promote the reconciliation of the couple.
Now, depending on the country where the spouses reside, divorce can be carried out, by civil laws, although in God's eyes they are still husband and wife, because the union was sealed as a sacred and unbreakable act.
If one, or both, of the divorced contract a new union, it will not be valid for the Catholic Church, faithful to the word of Christ, who said that:
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«Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.
In the face of adversity, the best way out of it should be prayer, and place Christ at the center of the lives of both parties to the marriage, so that in this way they can solve their problems and achieve reconciliation.
In conclusion
El sacrament of marriage It gives baptized Catholic spouses the ability to love each other with a love, such as Christ's for his Church, that aims to help the couple develop fully as persons.
Likewise, it is a fruitful union, where the couple will obtain the gift of fatherhood; and each of her children is a blessing from God.
If you want to learn even more about the importance, meaning and value of the sacrament of marriage, the following video will answer your questions: