The Sacrament in

which a baptized man

and a baptized woman
make a lifelong
commitment of
themselves to each
other as husband and
wife and through
which they are given
the grace to live out
the commitment.
Matrimony
The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman
make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as
husband and wife and through which they are given the grace
to live out the commitment.

Sacraments are:
1
Efficacious signs of Efficacious: having the
grace power to produce a desired
effect
The visible rites by which the
sacraments are celebrated signify and
God’s life in us! make present the graces proper to each
sacrament. They bear fruit in those who
receive them with the required
dispositions*. CCC 1131
 The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman
make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as
husband and wife and through which they are given the grace
to live out the commitment.

2 GOD himself created marriage!

Efficacious signs of “Man and woman are “made
grace, instituted by for each other”. The Lord
Christ and entrusted to God said: “It is not good
for the man to be alone, I
the Church will make a suitable partner
for him” (Gn 2:19-20)

“That is why a man leaves his father and

mother and clings to his wife, and the two
become one body” (Gn 2:24)
 Theology of the Body
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.

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.'” CCC 1604
Christ began his public life and mission by changing
the water into wine during a wedding at Cana! (Jn 2)

Because of the Paschal mystery,

marriage is now a Sacrament!

Christ entrusted the Church

to Peter and through
Apostolic Succession, the
Holy Spirit has guided the
Church to the present day.

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. This grace
of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ’s cross, the source of all
Christian life. CCC 1615
The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman
make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as
husband and wife and through which they are given the grace
to live out the commitment.

3 The visible rites by

Efficacious signs of
grace, instituted by
Christ and entrusted to
the Church by which
divine life is dispensed
to us
Grace = God’s life in us
which the sacraments
are celebrated signify
and make present the
graces proper to each
sacrament. They bear
fruit in those who
receive them with the
required dispositions*.
CCC 1131
*It is appropriate for the
bride and groom to
prepare for the
celebration of their
marriage by receiving the
sacrament of penance.
 The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman
make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as husband
and wife and through which they are given the grace to live out
the commitment.

Natural Vs Supernatural

Eros Agape

Philia
 Celebration of the Sacrament
Marriage is public act
which requires a
liturgical celebration

For couples where

one member is not
Catholic, the
Sacrament is
generally
celebrated within
Both Catholic = During the Mass the Liturgy of the
Word
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.

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.
Minister of the Sacrament
The bride and groom in the presence of
the Church’s representative
Requirements for Reception

Able and willing to give free consent

No prior bond or
other impediments
 Essential Elements
1) Free consent of the couple

2) Promise to live in an exclusive life-long

faithful commitment to each other

3) Openness to the gift of children from God.

4) Consent given in the

presence of the Church’s
minister and two
witnesses
 Effects of the Sacrament
1. Grace to love each other unselfishly, as
Christ has loved us.

2. Grace to strengthen the unending nature of

their union.
3. The man and woman who marry are both given
the help to raise their children in faith and love.

The Domestic Church

4. The witness of married

couples strengthens the
community of the Church
and the fabric of society.

Family is the basic

unit of society!
 Teachings about Divorce and
Remarriage
The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman
make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as
husband and wife and through which they are given the grace
to live out the commitment.

“What God has joined together, no

human being must separate”
Mt 19:6
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. 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.” CCC 1614

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. 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. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of
Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life. CCC 1615
 “ Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ loved the Church and handed
himself over for her to sanctify her…”
Eph 5:25-26

Jesus comes into the life of married baptized Christians

through the Sacrament of Matrimony. The fruits of the
sacrament remain; Jesus remains present with the couple
through their entire marriage. In the same way he loves
the Church and handed himself over to the Church in his
life, Death and Resurrection, husbands and wives love
each other with faithfulness that does not end until death,
through the daily giving of themselves to the other.
 Able and willing to give free consent

The Church holds the exchange of consent

between the spouses to be the indispensable
element that "makes the marriage.” If
consent is lacking there is no marriage.**
CCC 1626

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.".” This consent that binds the spouses to
each other finds its fulfillment in the two
"becoming one flesh”. CCC 1627

No prior bond or other impediments

 What is an annulment?

The consent must be an act of the will of each of the contracting

parties, free of coercion or grave external fear. No human power
can substitute for this consent. If this freedom is lacking the
marriage is invalid. CCC 1628

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. In
this case the contracting parties are free to marry,
provided the natural obligations of a previous union
are discharged. CCC 1629
 CONTRACT MARRIAGE
Terms based upon the compliance of the other
person. Example: I will love you if you love me. I
will be faithful if you will be faithful.
Failure to comply releases the other party from
the agreement. Example: Since you don't love me,
I don't love you. Since you haven't been faithful to
me, I don't have to be faithful to you.
Contract marriage is over when promises are
completed or broken. Example: Since you did not
fulfill your end of the deal, our contract is broken.
You are released from your contract.
Contract marriage maintains separate
belongings. Example: This is my car, this is money.
He is your son.
Witnessed by the state. Example: getting married
in front of a justice of the peace.
Is an exchange of goods and services. Example: I
will mow the grass and you will do the cooking.
Typically ratified by a signature. Example: I
signed a contract with CapitalOne to pay off my
car loan.
Examples:
1. prostitution vs.
2. indentured servitude vs.
3. babysitting vs.
COVENANT MARRIAGE
Terms based upon a promise given to comply.
Example: I will love you. I will be faithful.
Your failure to comply does not change my
promise to comply. Example: Even though you
don't love me, I still love you. Even if you're not
faithful, I will remain faithful.
A covenant marriage is over when the one
making the promise dies. Example: The duration
of our covenant is "until death".
All belongings are held in common by both
covenant partners. Example: This is our money,
my step-son is now our son.
Witnessed by God. Example: getting married in a
Church before God and the community
Is an exchange of people. Example: I am yours
and you are mine.
Typically ratified through “cutting a covenant.”
In ancient times, those entering into an agreement
with each other would slay an animal and cut the
parts of it in half. They would lay the halves along
a path, then walk in the midst of the path to cement
the agreement. This was symbolic of the fact that
the success of the covenant was contingent upon
each performing his part of the bargain.
Examples:
 marriage
 kinship
 parenting