Matrimony The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as husband and wife and through which they are given the grace to live out the commitment.

Efficacious signs of grace Sacraments are: Efficacious: having the power to produce a desired effect The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions*. CCC 1131 God’s life in us! 1

Efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as husband and wife and through which they are given the grace to live out the commitment. GOD himself created marriage! “Man and woman are “made for each other”. The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a suitable partner for him” (Gn 2:19-20) “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two become one body” (Gn 2:24) 2

God who created man out of love also calls him to love -- the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator's eyes. And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.'” CCC 1604 Theology of the Body

Christ began his public life and mission by changing the water into wine during a wedding at Cana! (Jn 2) Christ entrusted the Church to Peter and through Apostolic Succession, the Holy Spirit has guided the Church to the present day. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to “receive” the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ’s cross, the source of all Christian life. CCC 1615 Because of the Paschal mystery, marriage is now a Sacrament!

Efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church by which divine life is dispensed to us The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as husband and wife and through which they are given the grace to live out the commitment. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions*. CCC 1131 Grace = God’s life in us 3

*It is appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare for the celebration of their marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance.

The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as husband and wife and through which they are given the grace to live out the commitment. Natural Vs Supernatural Eros Philia Agape

Celebration of the Sacrament For couples where one member is not Catholic, the Sacrament is generally celebrated within the Liturgy of the Word Both Catholic = During the Mass Marriage is public act which requires a liturgical celebration

In the Eucharist the memorial of the New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself for ever to the Church, his beloved bride for whom he gave himself up. It is therefore fitting that the spouses should seal their consent to give themselves to each other through the offering of their own lives by uniting it to the offering of Christ for his Church made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by receiving the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same Body and the same Blood of Christ, they may form but "one body" in Christ.

Minister of the Sacrament The bride and groom in the presence of the Church’s representative

Requirements for Reception Able and willing to give free consent No prior bond or other impediments

Essential Elements 4) Consent given in the presence of the Church’s minister and two witnesses 1) Free consent of the couple 2) Promise to live in an exclusive life-long faithful commitment to each other 3) Openness to the gift of children from God.

Effects of the Sacrament 1. Grace to love each other unselfishly, as Christ has loved us. 2. Grace to strengthen the unending nature of their union.

3. The man and woman who marry are both given the help to raise their children in faith and love. 4. The witness of married couples strengthens the community of the Church and the fabric of society. The Domestic Church Family is the basic unit of society!

Teachings about Divorce and Remarriage The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman make a lifelong commitment of themselves to each other as husband and wife and through which they are given the grace to live out the commitment. “What God has joined together, no human being must separate” Mt 19:6

In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from the beginning. Permission given by Moses to divorce one's wife was a concession to the hardness of hearts. The matrimonial union of man and woman is indissoluble: God himself has determined it "what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” CCC 1614 This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy - heavier than the Law of Moses. By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life. CCC 1615

“ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her…” Eph 5:25-26 Jesus comes into the life of married baptized Christians through the Sacrament of Matrimony. The fruits of the sacrament remain; Jesus remains present with the couple through their entire marriage. In the same way he loves the Church and handed himself over to the Church in his life, Death and Resurrection, husbands and wives love each other with faithfulness that does not end until death, through the daily giving of themselves to the other.

Able and willing to give free consent No prior bond or other impediments The consent consists in a "human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each other": "I take you to be my wife" - "I take you to be my husband.".” This consent that binds the spouses to each other finds its fulfillment in the two "becoming one flesh”. CCC 1627 The Church holds the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element that "makes the marriage.” If consent is lacking there is no marriage.** CCC 1626

What is an annulment? For this reason (or for other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed. In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged. CCC 1629 The consent must be an act of the will of each of the contracting parties, free of coercion or grave external fear. No human power can substitute for this consent. If this freedom is lacking the marriage is invalid. CCC 1628