from my bone and flesh from my flesh… united with his wife, and
they become one”
-Genesis 2:23,24
This quote proves the fact that marriage was so important that he put it in the centre of the creation story.
In Marks gospel Jesus told the Pharisees that they should not divorce, because God created male and female to marry and become one rather than two, and that they have been taught wrong about Christianity, because divorce is a way of committing adultery. It was a way of committing adultery because if you see someone else after you marry then you are not being faithful. Jesus teaching law was stricter because he wasn’t interested in playing legal games. He dismissed Moses law because people were sinful. A sign he was very strict!
Mark 10:6-9 says:
“… From the beginning of creations God made them male and female,
This is why a man must leave father and mother and the two become one body. They are no longer two therefore but one body. So then, what God
has united, man must not divide”
This verse is similar to the teachings of genesis.
Gods special purpose for humanity is found in the sacrament of marriage, and by being married. Joining together as one in life long union, Christian couples are therefore living out their vocations.
Marriage is about self-giving and expression, and also the self-giving expression in sexual intercourse. Married love is modelled on the love of Christ for the church.
Roman Catholic teaching is that marriage vowels are to be taken literally. What is most important is the idea of married love and family life should be reflected by the love that God has for the church. Which are we!
I mentioned earlier marriage as a sacrament. This is true; marriage is one of the seven important sacraments. All the sacraments include special signs that signify the giving of grace. These signs tell us about the grace. For example Oil is used in confirmation, and water used in baptisms.
The sign used in marriage is in the form of words. The new rite of marriage refers to it as the ‘declaration of consent’. When they say the words of consent the couple are actually giving the sacrament to each other.
The word used to describe the relationship between God and his people is ‘covenant’. A covenant is a promise between two parties, just like in marriage. The couple join hands, give each other rings, and are declared married.
A covenant is a way of saying that the couple does not just give 50/50, but as they are a loving couple, and will remain so, they must love 100% each!
The principles, which Christians believe should guide a married relationship are rooted in their faith. The words in scripture and the church teaching should become a lived reality for the couple, as they daily receive the sacrament of marriage from one another. The couples lives should grow in happiness as they follow Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the light
