Matrimony

“Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds

them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family – a domestic church.” (Pope John

Paul II)

Read pg 362 from the textbook – a reflection from

Pope Benedict XVI on The Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth

Answer the following questions: According to Pope Benedict XVI, what is the vocation

of the family? How did the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph help

Christ along the path that God the Father had prepared for Him?

How can the members of every family help each other along the path God has chosen for each person?

With a Partner

A Sacrament at the Service of Communion Matrimony is a vocation to a state of life that

joins a baptized man and baptized woman in a lifelong covenant of love for the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. Man & Woman Covenant Unitive & procreative

Sacrament of Matrimony

Genesis 2 “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Man recognizes he is alone among creatures Woman and man are made for one another Destined for union with one another

Revelation 19 “Wedding-feast of the Lamb” Church brought to union with Christ

The union of a woman and a man in matrimony is a sign of the union of the Church with Christ. Ephesians 5:21-33 – subordinate to one another…

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her…

“Made for Each Other”

God encounters His people through covenants of

love and fidelity Through the external signs of Matrimony – in

particular, the exchange of vows – Christ brings about a covenant sealed in His own love. “[The marriage bond], which results from the free

human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God’s fidelity.” (CCC 1640)

The Covenant of Marriage

Unitive

Wife and husband are bound together, fulfilling their vocations by giving themselves to one another.

“No longer two, but one flesh.” Marriage demands unity, indissolubility, and complete fidelity

Procreative Through the self-giving love of husband and wife, they bear life

into the world. There must be openness to this fertility. Co-creators with God. First Commandment in Scripture

The family is called the Domestic Church These are also described as the two dimensions of the marital

act. These must both be upheld in the marital act itself, because they are the ends of matrimony as a whole.

The Two Ends of Matrimony

Recipient

Baptized, Christian man and woman Must be adult, consenting, and heterosexual

Matter (2 views)1. Public consent of the man and the woman2. Consummation of the marriage in the marital act

Form The exchange of vows

Ministers Ordinary: the bride and bridegroom themselves Extraordinary: none

Outward Sign…

Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12)

Water into Wine “Confirmation of the goodness of marriage

and proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence.” (CCC 1613)

Conversation about Divorce (Matt 19:1-9) “They are no longer two, but one flesh.

Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

…Instituted By Christ…

As a Sacrament of Vocation, one receives the

grace to fulfill one’s vocation – overcoming effects of sin to fulfill it perfectly.

Husband and wife are united until death Graces needed to sanctify sharing of self and

to live lovingly each day. To take up crosses and follow, to forgive, to bear

one another’s burdens, to be subject to one another

Grace to raise and educate children

… to Give Grace

Ideal form, in Mass in Catholic church Special Entrance Rite Liturgy of the Word Consent (including Exchange of Vows) Blessing and Exchange of Rings Liturgy of the Eucharist

Special prayers in Eucharistic Prayer After Lord’s Prayer, Nuptial Blessing, followed

by Rite of Peace Final greeting and solemn blessing

Rite of Marriage during Mass

Pre-Marital Sex https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmXLq1EZ-2w Gay Marriage https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=crfAsWacA-w

Difficult Topics Today

Story Time

In the early Church, matrimony happened in the

Church no differently than in civil society; however, it was viewed as a significant moment of grace Tertullian describes the sacrament as receiving

the protection of Divine grace St. Augustine describes marriage as a

sacrament, which God Himself establishes as an indissoluble bond, comparing it to Holy Orders and Baptism. St. Ambrose describes it as sanctified by Christ

History

St. Thomas Aquinas defines 3 significant

aspects of marriage: the uniting of spouses, the raising of children, and the action of grace as a sacrament

Peter Lombard is first to comprehensively list the 7 sacraments, including Matrimony (AD 1150)

The Council of Verona in 1184 officially approves his list

History (cont.)