The Family and the “Kerygma” The heart of the Gospel message that must resound is: “God loves us; Jesus offers us his self-giving love on the cross; he now walks with us in the Spirit in our daily lives, and we are also called to walk with one another in love.” (AL #58)

“Our teaching on marriage and the family cannot fail to be inspired and transformed by this message of love and tenderness; otherwise it becomes nothing more than the defense of a dry and lifeless doctrine. The mystery of the Christian family can be fully understood only in the light of the Father’s infinite love revealed in Jesus.” (AL #59)

The Church’s Teaching on Marriage and the Family “Jesus looked upon the men and women whom he met with great love and tenderness, accompanying their steps in truth, patience and mercy as he proclaimed the demands of the kingdom of God.” (AL #60) “Marriage is a gift from the Lord. (1 Cor 7:7) It is precisely because of this understanding that the New Testament strongly emphasizes the need to safeguard God’s gift.” ( AL #61)

Jesus Restores and Fulfills God’s Plan “Jesus, in speaking of God’s original plan for man and woman, reaffirmed the indissoluble union between them, even stating that ‘it was for your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” (Mt 19:8)

on marriage and the family the grace necessary The indissolubility of marriage should not be viewed as a ‘yoke’ imposed on human beings, but as a ‘gift’ granted to those who are joined in marriage.” (AL #62) “The spousal covenant, originating in creation takes on its full meaning in Christ and his Church. Through the Church, Christ bestows on marriage and the family the grace necessary to bear witness to the love of God and to live the life of communion.” (AL #63)

Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus shared in everyday moments of friendship and family. He worked a miracle at a wedding feast, shared meals, showed compassion to grieving parents, blessed the children brought to him by their mothers, was merciful to sinners and restored their dignity… (cf. AL #64) The Incarnation of the Son of God in a human family, in Nazareth, by its newness, changed the history of the world… The covenant of love and fidelity lived by the Holy Family of Nazareth illuminates the principle that gives shape to every family and enables is to better face the events of life and of history (cf. AL #65-66)

In the Pastoral Constitution,“Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council defined marriage as ‘a community of life and love’. (GS #48) Christ himself makes himself present to the Christian spouses in the sacrament of marriage and remains with them. (cf. GS #48-49) “St. JPII devoted special attention to the family in his catechesis on love. He described how spouses, in their mutual love, receive the gift of the Spirit of Christ and live their call to holiness.” (cf. AL # 67-69)

“Marriage, based on an exclusive and definitive love, becomes an icon “Pope Benedict XVI, in his Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, returned to the topic of the love of man and woman, which is fully illuminated only in the love of Christ.” (AL #70) “Marriage, based on an exclusive and definitive love, becomes an icon of the relationship between God and his people. God’s way of loving becomes the measure of human love.” (DCE #11)

Three Ways of Loving “Today the term “love” has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words, a word to which we attach quite different meanings.” (DCE #2) In his first encyclical letter, Pope Benedict XVI explains the three types of love: Eros: attraction, desire, often called “romantic love” Philia: love of friendship, love of humanity Agape: the term used in the New Testament for Christian love – it does not negate, but incorporates the other two forms of love and gives them a deeper meaning. Agape has the characteristics of God’s love: gratuitous, unconditional, and faithful

The Nature of Christian Marriage Jesus confirmed the goodness of marriage making it an actual source of God’s grace Jesus made marriage a sign of God’s faithfulness Marriage takes form of a covenant Relationship of mutual self-giving Characterized by fidelity and permanence

The Sacrament of Matrimony In a sacramental marriage, God’s love becomes present to the spouses in their total union and also flows through them to their family and community. By their permanent, faithful and exclusive giving to each other, the couple reveals something of God’s unconditional love. The sacrament of Christian marriage involves their entire life as they journey together through the ups and downs of marriage and become more able to give to and receive from each other. Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple cooperates with God’s action in their lives and see themselves as living “in Christ” and Christ living and acting in their relationship, attitudes and actions. (USCCB)

merely the outward sign The sacrament of marriage is not a social convention, an empty ritual or merely the outward sign of a commitment. In accepting each other, and with Christ’s grace, the couple promise each other total self-giving, faithfulness and openness to new life. The Sacrament is not a “thing” or a “power”, for in it Christ himself “now encounters Christian spouses …he dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burdens.” (CCC, 1642) (cf. AL #71-73)

The Catholic wedding rite is a powerful tool to teach & experience what the Church believes about marriage: ◗ in the active role taken by the couple who, in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, are the “ministers” of the sacrament; ◗ in the fact that the wedding takes place in a church, signifying it is a sacred action; ◗ in the Scriptural readings that speak of God’s plan for marriage and his presence to the couple; ◗ in the homily given by the priest or deacon addressing the couple and their guests about the meaning of marriage as well as its joys and challenges;

◗ in the vows and exchange of rings in which the couple express their freely given consent, promising to create a loving and lifelong union of permanence, fidelity and openness to children; ◗ in the various prayers & blessings through which the Church supports the journey on which the couple is embarking. Vatican II renewed and revised the Rite in 1969. This Rite has again been revised in 2016 (2nd Edition) – to be used in the United States beginning on Dec. 30, 2016, Feast of the Holy Family. (Parishes could choose to begin using it on September 8th, 2016)