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Explain the principles that Christians believe should guide their personal relationships…

Christians have four main principles that help to guide them through marriage. These are Sacrament, Permanency, Exclusivity and Life-giving. These sacraments are bestowed upon a man and woman when they are joined together in holy matrimony. This is the union between husband, wife and God. No-one else should be a part of this marriage. God should be involved in the marriage at all times, and he will therefore influence the decisions made in it.

God created man and woman together and in marriage the two will become one, (Genesis, 2:24) “This is now the bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called “woman” because she was taken out of man”

This proves that in marriage the man and the woman become one and their relationship revolves around God. To confirm this, the Bible states “For this reason man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and they will become one flesh.” Marriage is a vocation and the Roman Catholic Church believes that a marriage is only a sacred ceremony if it takes place in a church in the face of God and before a congregation. It also states in the Catechism that marriage is one of the seven sacraments. It is a blessing which draws us closer to God. The sacrament is a “visible sign of an invisible grace.”

It also says in the Catechism that God is the author of marriage… marriage is not a purely human institution. This means that God is within the marriage and that it is holy and divine. Therefore, making it one of the seven sacraments that enhance our human life.

The second belief is permanence which is the principle that marriage is for life. This means that love should be forever and you should not give up on it when times are difficult but pray to God for strength and guidance. This is supported by a part of Marks’s gospel which states “Therefore, what God has joined together let man not separate.”

In the Roman Catholic Church marriage is only permanent when it has been consummated.

There are symbols of this permanency during the wedding ceremony. For example, the vows that the couple have to take, state “Until death do us part” and the wedding rings themselves symbolize the everlasting love of the couple, just like the never-ending circle of the rings. During the service the priest actually asks the couple if they will love each other forever. Before the marriage the couple has preparation talks with the priest to help them to emotionally prepare for a life time devoted to each other with God at the centre of that relationship. It also states in Mark 10:11-12 that “Whoever divorces his wife and marries, commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another she commits adultery against him.”

The third belief is that the marriage is exclusive. This means that the sacrament is given to the husband and wife – no-one else. When there are difficult times in marriage the couple should turn only to God and not outsiders. The church encourages you to use certain organizations or your priest/minister for help, but simply giving up on the relationship and getting a third party involved, merely as a distraction is out of the question. There is nothing wrong with speaking to others as long as the intention and motive is always to repair the marriage and not to use others to move away from it.

In a letter to the Corinthians this idea of exclusivity is explained perfectly. It states… “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.”

During the wedding ceremony the couple makes their vows “For better or for worse, in sickness and in health…” This is an agreement between them and God that they will look after one another and their marriage come what may. The ring and the words are also a symbol of them giving themselves to each other and no-one else. “Take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.”

A really clear message from the bible is “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.”

Adultery is one of the worst sins that you could commit. Leading up to the ceremony there are talks with the priest to make sure that you are confident in wanting to spend the rest of your life with this person. The time that you spend with your partner during your engagement should prepare you for marriage and this should therefore determine in your heart that you have found your soul mate and partner for life. Once you have made that decision you should not be so cruel and weak as to commit adultery. During the ceremony the priest asks “Have you come to give yourself freely without reservation?”

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There is an interesting passage in John’s gospel where a woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought before Jesus. The disciples reminded him that Moses commanded them to throw stones at such women. When Jesus was asked what he thought he answered “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”…

When they heard this they all went away. I think that this passage is very important because it shows Jesus’ understanding just like it should be between two people in a marriage. It says in the ...

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