Who instituted marriage?

AFC Team

God Himself instituted marriage and gave it certain purposes, laws and blessings. God instituted marriage at the very beginning of the human race, when He created Adam and Eve, as we read in the book of Genesis: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And …

Who elevated marriage to the dignity of a sacrament?

AFC Team

Jesus Christ elevated the marriage of the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament. Our Lord made sacramental marriage a lifelong, sacred indissoluble union of husband and wife, by which they exclusively give themselves in complete surrender to each other and to Christ. Christ is the third partner in every sacramental marriage. Christian marriage is the union of a man …

Who are the ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony?

AFC Team

The spouses themselves are the ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony, which takes place in a public liturgy of the Church, usually during Holy Mass. In the presence of the assisting bishop, priest, or deacon, and of the witnesses, the spouses express their personal and lasting consent to one another. The sacrament is begun in the mutual promises between husband …

In what ways can we see the dignity of the Sacrament of Matrimony?

AFC Team

We see the dignity of the sacrament in the fact that the spouses (1) share their lives together in Christ’s grace, and (2) imitate the love Christ has for His Church. 1. The spouses share their lives together in Christ’s grace. In the Sacrament of Matrimony, Our Lord comes to live with the spouses, to give them His grace, and …

What do Christian spouses commit themselves to do in the Sacrament of Matrimony?

AFC Team

In this sacrament, Christian spouses consecrate themselves to God in order to: (1) uphold the dignity of marriage and (2) fulfill its duties. 1. In this sacrament, Christian spouses consecrate themselves to God in order to uphold the dignity of marriage. The dignity of sacramental marriage is seen in mutual fulfillment, through sacrificial love for one another, and in the …

Why did God institute marriage?

AFC Team

God instituted marriage in order for spouses to: (1) bring children into the world and educate them in the truths of God’s kingdom, and (2) promote and deepen their love for one another. 1. God instituted marriage in order for spouses to bring children into the world and to educate them in the truths of God’s kingdom. The greatest gift …

How long does the bond of sacramental marriage last?

AFC Team

The bond of sacramental marriage lasts until death, the death of one of the spouses. The marital bond is rooted in the conjugal covenant of personal consent, whereby spouses give themselves to each other and accept one another. A relationship arises which, by God’s will, is a lasting one. This bond no longer depends on human decisions alone. Marriage is …

What is the purpose of conjugal love and family life?

AFC Team

Conjugal love, and the family life which results from it, have this purpose: that the married couple be ready to cooperate generously with the love of the Creator and the Savior, Who through them will increase and enrich His own family day by day. The most complete expression of the unity of the spouses is the sexual act, the fulfillment …

What is every family’s calling?

AFC Team

Every family’s calling is to share their lives with one another, with deep love and respect according to the Will of God. The family, or the domestic church, is the most sacred of all societies. In His love for us, God gives us life and the care we need as children through our parents. Character, beliefs, thoughts, and virtues should …

How does the Church have the power to grant indulgences?

AFC Team

Making use of her power to minister the redemption of Christ, the Church intervenes to dispense the treasure of the superabundant merits of Christ and the saints, to the faithful who are rightly disposed, for the remission of temporal punishment due their sins.