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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …