Describe the Catholic Ideal of the Sacrament of Marriage, Outlining How Catholic Couples are Prepared for Sacrament

Authors Avatar

Describe the Catholic Ideal of the Sacrament of Marriage, Outlining How Catholic Couples are Prepared for Sacrament

        In the Catholic view, marriage is that it is sacramental. This means that marriage is a covenant relationship between the man and woman involved and hence it is voluntary and boundless. Its clear purpose is the begetting of children and mutual companionship and help. Virginity however, is the preferred state in Catholic belief. The primary purpose of marriage is to fulfill a vocation in the nature of man and woman, for the procreation and education of children, and to stand as a symbol of the mystical union between Christ and his Church. Fertility is a good, a gift and an end of marriage. By giving life, spouses participate in God's fatherhood.

Marriage demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another. It is not  just a contract made between two persons, and “IF” does not exist in marriage. This is well understood in the vow made by the couple during the ceremony -“Till death do us apart”. Marriage is wielded by commitment and not established by a contract, so does love. When we talk about love, we always consider it unconditional, either failure or success. And so does commitment, a solemn binding promise to do and a guarantee to each partner. If we ask an engaged couple why they want to get married, the answer would be “because we love each other”, and when they get married, a commitment is made. Marriage is molded by love and commitment, the elements that guarantees an intact relationship, and this relationship cannot be considered as a contract. Moreover only in a ‘covenant relationship’ can we consider two couples as “one flesh”.

Join now!

        Marriage was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:18-24). “God created man in his image… It is not good that man should be alone. I will give you a helpmate, who will be your companion. This at last is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. She shall be called woman because she had been made from man. And this is why it is said that man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and they shall become one flesh.”  It was part of God’s original plan that was hindered by ...

This is a preview of the whole essay