The Sacrament of Matrimony

Helping Each Other Grow in Love

God established marriage for:

UNITYPROCREATION

The focus of Matrimony for those who receive this sacrament is on others, not themselves.

Ultimately, the purpose of marriage is to help couples and through them, and their children, attain eternal life.

An Intimate Communion

Man and woman have been created as one, to

be one.

Original Sin ruptured this original communion.

Man and woman pledge to love each other in

Christ.

Scriptures read during the Ceremony begin

with the creation of man and woman and end

with the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Understanding the Sacrament of Matrimony

“It is not good for the man to be alone.”

The Chosen People longed for the unity and indissolubility of marriage.

Old Testament speaks of the sacredness of marriage in Ruth, Tobit, and Song of Songs.

The history of marriage is affected by human sinfulness.

Marriage in the New Covenant

Christ taught that marriage was originally meant to be indissoluble.

Moses allowed divorce because of the “hardness of hearts” of the people. Polygamy was considered a form of adultery.

St Paul: relationship between a husband and wife takes on the same intimate relationship that Christ has with the Church – mutual gift of self.

Aquinas and Scotus: bride and groom are the ministers of the sacrament.

Council of Trent: marriage confers grace. The Protestant reformers did not accept marriage as a

sacrament. The Church does not accept divorce but can declare a

marriage null or grant an annulment – it’s a declaration that what appeared to be a valid and binding marriage was not in fact one because there was a defect in the vows.

The Sacrament of Marriage Today

Vatican II: only marriage between

baptized Christians can be a sacrament

Christian marriage is to help both spouses

grow in spiritual perfection

It is the means through which the couple serves the

Church and society

Celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony

Rite for Celebrating Marriage During Mass

Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside Mass

Rite for Celebrating Between a Catholic and an Unbaptized Person

The Church strongly recommends and often

requires engaged couples to attend a

marriage program before getting married.

Celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony: Marriage Consent and Vows

Free Consent

Have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?

Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?

Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?

I, N., take you, N., to be my wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Exchange of Vows

Celebrating the Sacrament

of Matrimony

Blessing and Exchange of

Rings Nuptial Blessing Holy

Communion Blessing at

the End of Mass

The Graces of the Sacrament of MatrimonyThe loving and faithful relationship between a husband and

wife is now the visible sign of the loving and faithful relationship between Christ and his Church.

The graces of the sacrament help the spouses grow in love and holiness as they meet the challenges of daily life.

Communion between Spouses

In marriage, man and woman

become one.

True communion between spouses is always fruitful.

If sexual intimacy is to image God, it

must always be faithful.

Communion in Christ

Christian spouses share in the life of the Blessed Trinity so that

they may be transformed by

holiness and become more divine.

Marriage becomes a way of discipleship.

Family CommunionMatrimony helps Christian families mirror the love

between Christ and his Church so completely that the family actually becomes a domestic church.

The Graces of the Sacrament of Matrimony

Christian families can promote faith and evangelization, both at home and with others.

Christians families can help serve the needs of the parish.

Husbands and wives participate in the development of society by educating their children.

Christian families participate in politics, especially with a view to promoting and safeguarding family values in society.

Christian families work to build a more just and peaceful society.

Christian Marriage: A Sign of God’s Eternal Covenant with

Humanity

Matrimony is “a covenant by which a man and a

woman establish between themselves a partnership

of their whole life.”

“What God has joined together, no human being

must separate.”

Openness to New Life

Both husband and wife are open to the fertility that

can result from their sexual

union.

Natural Family Planning: a

Church-sanctioned method for

spacing pregnancy.

The Unity of Marriage

In marriage the physical intimacy of

the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion.

Sacramental marriage is an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence.

Sacramental marriage is a sign of the future union between God

and humanity.