Roman Catholic Marriage

There are four main aspects of Roman Catholic marriage : Marriage is a sign to the world, Marriage is permanent, Marriage is exclusive and Marriage is life-giving. To find out all the teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage we must look at bible references, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, other Church teachings and the words from the marriage ceremony.

Marriage is one of seven sacraments, which are powerful signs. In free churches such as Methodist, marriage is not a sacrament and is not such a solemn event. When a couple are married, they are showing the world their love and commitment for each other. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that it reflects Jesus' love for us and the Church and that we can follow Jesus' example in our love for our partner by getting married to them and staying with them for the rest of our lives. In marriage we are asked to love each other in a permanent way and the closeness of the union should be a sign of Christ's closeness to the Church. It is an everlasting partnership and can not be broken. In Ephesians 5:23-33, St Paul says,

'For a man to love his wife is for him to love himself'

This shows a man must love his wife as much as he loves himself and must be prepared to love and stand by her for the rest of their lives. They must be willing to support each other through good and bad times and they must always be there for each other. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1638 says,

'In a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament'

Through marriage, the relationship is 'sealed and strengthened' and they are united for the rest of their lives. The couple has Christ's and the Church's blessing and support and he is always there to help them in times of need. The sacrament of Matrimony,

'gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved the church'. (Catechism of the Catholic Church para. 1661)

In a Catholic marriage the couple always have the support of God and the church, the blessing during the ceremony asks that the couple may be 'living examples of Christian life', to show others their love for each other. Marriage is also a public affair. It needs the couple to sign the register, so they are officially married and to confirm they have not been forced into it. It needs witnesses to witness the vows exchanged and friends and families of the wedded are invited so they can see the couples love for each other.

Then Roman Catholic Church believes that marriage is for life. Once the couple have said their vows they can not leave each and are married for life. In Mark 10:9, Mark says,

'the two will become one'

This means that the couple are now joined together in a very special way and have an unbreakable bond. It is everlasting. In Corinthians 7:10-11, St Paul says,

'For married people I have a command which is not my own but the Lord's: a wife must not leave her husband; but if she does, she must remain single or else be reconciled to her husband: and a husband must not divorce his wife. '

This is saying that Christ says, a wife can never leave her husband and if she does, she can never get married again. The Catechism of the Catholic Church para. 1640 says,

'The marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptised persons can never be dissolved.'
Join now!


This is saying that even if the couple seek a divorce outside the Church, in the eyes of the Church they are still married. In the wedding vows, the couple say,

'for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.'

Here they promise that they will love and care for each other, no matter what happens and they will stay together till they die. It is their duty to do so. Divorce in the Catholic Church is not recognised. Jesus said,

...

This is a preview of the whole essay