A01: What do Roman Catholic Christians believe about marriage?

The first 200 words of this essay...

A01: What do Roman Catholic Christians believe about marriage?

Marriage is a spiritual union made before God, between a man and woman. This union is made to reflect Jesus' love for His church and cannot be separated by man. A couple do this by living out their life-long love for each other. In the Roman Catholic Church marriage is seen to consist of four elements. It is permanent, life- giving, exclusive and is a sacrament. Marriage is one of the most important decisions in a person's life as its consequences last forever.

Marriage can be best described as a covenant as it asks for 100% effort by both partners. A marriage should not be thought of as a contract because in a contract a person gives in order to receive. If one partner does not give the 50% for one reason or another, the relationship rests on a weak basis and is more likely to fail. The word covenant goes back to Old Testament times when God made promises to people like Abraham and Moses. "I will be your God and you will be my people." God was faithful to his promise of love even though the