A Short Presentation Of The Theory And Practice In The Course Of Human History

Complementary of relationship is basic element of human life. Shared the life of man and woman in
marriage appears at the very dawn of humanity as an expression of the basic constituent element of
human life. Cultures and societies have provided a multiplicity of ways in which this phenomenon has
been explained.We shall try to understand some of them. This will  enable us to situate our Christian
understanding of marriage in a correct perspective.


Marriage as an secular reality.Marriage is basically a secular reality, although throughout
history it has been surrounded by religious rites and ceremonies.Vatican II express the secular character of
marriage in this terms: " The intimate partnership of life and love which constitutes the married state has been
established by the creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws...All of this have a very important
bearing on the continuation of the human race, on the personal development and eternal destiny of every
member of the family and of the whole human race". We can distinguish the following elements in order to
highlight the secular character of marriage.


It is rooted in the creative act of God. The image of God in the human person is reflected in the partnership of love which constitutes marriage. The divine is made visible in the human at creation through the partnership of love lived in complementary.

In marriage human sexuality becomes a dynamic symbol of divine creative power.The divine becomes human persons in the loving self-gift of the human persons to each other. "This  is a far cry from mere erotic attraction which is pursued in selfishness and soon fades away into wretchedness ".


Through marriage the creative love of God becomes permanently active in human society.The growth of human society which God wants to effect takes place through human cooperation.The continuation of humanity is dependant on  the exercise of the participation of human beings in the creative act of God through the exercise of their sexual complementary. "Humanity as such does not exist. It exist only as man and woman. It is only in togetherness that human existence can be fulfilled in the fully human sense.


Marriage is the natural sacraments of divine love.Despite the fact that the Bible raises human sexuality and the relationship between man and woman to such a high level , it never deifies sex or erotic love in the way that it was deified in other religions of the ancient Near East. The finite and limited love between man and woman is rather the image of an unconditional limitless love which God has for human beings. We may say that marriage is an earthly reality which prepares human beings to enter into that perfect communion with God. " It is therefore possible to speak, in this sense,of a natural sacrament of marriage, as indeed the Church's tradition does.

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Marriage in the Old Testament

Here we deal with the practice and understanding of marriage in the life of Israelites beginning with Abraham.

Types of marriage.The marriage practice of the Israelites was very much influenced by the neighboring peoples. There are four types of marriage in ancient Israel: Polygamy (David and Solomon)
which seems to have been the privilege  of  the rich,bigamy (Leah and Rachel for Jacob) concubines
(Abraham,Sara and Hagar), which involved  a legal wife and a concubine, and monogamy which received
more existence mainly in the post exilic period.


Marriage celebration.  Marriage was a family affair which required actually no public or religiuos
ceremonies. It became effective by the mere act of bringing the bride into the house of the bridegroom.Though
as an institution it was never in the hands of the priest. It was still celebrated with some religious elements for it was  considered to be sacred.

Theology of Marriage. From the account of the creation it is clear that the essence of complementarity and equity is the way that God intended the relationship between man and woman to be from the beginning (Gen. 1,27). But the story of the fall clearly shows that the inequality of the sexes in the life of the Israelites was a punishment that resulted from the fall and was not intended by God from the very beginning. Obviously marriage was presented as God's plan to increase the human race (Gen. 1,28).
There is a deep sense of complementarity, sense of bonding, sense of unity in the narrative of the creation of Eve. This is manifested in marriage as is evident from Gen. 1,20-24. The genesis account clearly shows that God  intended marriage in terms of monogamy. The other trends entered into marriage practice through the influence of the people in the midst of whom the Israelites lived.In the later periods of the history of Israel,the
concept of fidelity to the covenant between God and Israel becomes a model for marital relationship (Is. 54, 6-70). Marriage  is relationship that should not be taken lightly. In the book of Deuteronomy the indissoluble character of marriage is presented with some exceptions which Jesus would explain as a concession for  human weakness (Deut. 24, 1-4)... But prophet Malachi speaks of a significant change in the matter of indissolubility: "For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel" (Mal. 2, 15-16).

Marriage in the New Testament

Jesus' attitude towards marriage. This is expected most clearly in Mark 10:2-9,  in a controversy with
the Pharisees. Jesus is confronted with the question of divorce. Jesus did not enter into the casuistry,
but raises the whole matter to a higher level. And points to the original order of God's creation. His
conclusion is " what God has joined together,let no man put asunder". It would be wrong to under-
stand the pronouncement of Jesus about marriage as a legal statement.It is above all a prophetic
and messianic proclamation, an affirmation of salvation and grace. In Jesus' proclamation, marriage
 is seen both as part of the original order of creation and as an aspect of the order of salvation of God
in his kingdom of love and faithfulness in future.

The Christological understanding of marriage.There is a change in the
understanding of marriage with the coming of Christ. Marriage which is closely linked to humanity,
as we have seen earlier,will have to be understand in a new way.Paul expresses it by saying that Christians
should marry "in the LORD" (1Cor.7,39). Through Baptism an ontological change or a deep personal transformation takes place in the Christians.They are united with Christ not merely on an ideological plane,
but on a personal level.In marriage the relationship between husband and wife is grafted into the personal
relationship between Christ and the Church established by Christ (Eph.5,25). When Christians enter into marriage relationship the following take place:

The key to unity between husband and wife is in the fact that both are integrated into the self-gift of Christ.
The subjection of the wife to husband should not be understood in a juridical sense,but in a personal and organic sense; in the same way the self-gift of husband to the wife should also be understood. their roles as
husband and wife acquire a mystical dimension through Christian marriage.There is no superiority or inferiority,but only only complementary of function. This expressed very beautifully in 1 Cor. 7,4. "For the
wife does not have authority over her own body,but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have
authority over his own body,but the wife has". thus a new kind of marriage takes place when Christian enter into marriage in Christ. It is not merely a marriage of creation, but a marriage of the new creation which integrates them into the self-giving of Christ.

Marriage in Christian tradition

In the Patristic Period. The early Christian took great care to see that the Christians entered into marriage by choosing partners who were members of the faith community because of the deep meaning that they gave to to Christian understanding of marriage in Christ which we have explained above.Apart from that there were no Christian marriage rituals.They simply got married according to the civil customs and ceremonies of the day.There was little involvement of the clergy and their presence was not required for validity.The only active role of the clergy was the blessing of the spouses, a custom that become widespread without becoming obligatory and without a prescribed formula. In some cases there was a Eucharistic celebration at which the newly wed participated and received the blessing. We have evidence of a nuptial Mass in the Roman Sacraments from 6th century onwards.


In the Middle Ages. From 11th century onwards, due to instability and weakening of civil authority, the Church took over the civil regulations of marriage. Marriage is now conducted in facie ecclesiae
(in the presence of the Church)and the social elements peculiar to earlier secular form were now incorporated
into the marriage liturgy, which had become a liturgical rite conducted by the priest. It is at this time that the Church decides that consent (the Roman juridical element)and the consummation ( the Franco-Germanic personal element) enter  as the constitutive elements of marriage.It is Pope Alexander III who declared consent as the essence of the bond of marriage and that the bond is indissoluble only after consummation.
Hence the concept of marriage ratum et consummatum.


The Council of Trent.The council of Trent in the polemic against the Reformers stressed the sacramental nature of marriage and the power of the Church to regulate marriage. It also sought to combat the evil of clandestene  marriage.It declared that in future the only valid form of marriage for Catholics would be consent declared before a priest and two witnesses. The rite itself become juridical in nature with the focus on consent and ratification of consent by the priest. This form of the rite continued until very recent times.

The teaching of Vatican II.

This represents a change of perspective.Some of the major points are:

There is a shift from the juridical to the more personalistic concept of marriage 'Contract' gives way
to the more biblical 'covenant'. " the intimate partnership (foedus = covenant) of life and the love
which constitutes the married state is rooted in their irrevocable personal consent".

Conjugal love is the concrete essence of Christian marriage,  
 reflecting as it does the covenant love of Christ for his church. " He abides with them in order that by their mutual self-giving spouses will love each other with enduring fidelity, as he loved the Church and delivered
himself for it ".


The terminology of primary and secondary ends is abandoned and the
values of marriage are listed without any hierarchical preference.

The sacramentality of marriage is not something added to the marriage union established through human love. : " Authentic married 
love is taken up into divine love and is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and
the salvific action of the Church ".

There is an emphasis on the necessity of faith commitment for the
sacramental of marriage.Marriage is not just between baptized Christians, but between 
Christifideles , faithful Christians.All these elements are reflected in the Introduction to the New Rite of 
Marriage. 

Elements For A Correct Undrestanding Of Christian Marriage. Today

Marriage as part of God's plan.

The religious basis of marriage.. Christian speak of marriage being instituted by God as part of an overall plan
 or design for creation. They are implying that there are some givens which cannot be changed according to human whims of real intention. A religious sense of reality in general insists that people need to be guided in their decisions by the realization of something greater that is present at the heart of the world.They must draw upon the fundamental rhythm of God's creation to keep their sensitivities alive. The human agenda is not the dominant one.


The social basis of marriage.The sense of being part of a greater living whole,the society, is really the background for the Christian insistence that marriage in the Church is not simply an agreement laid down by the mutual consent of the parties involved. The couple chooses to marry in the midst of the community because it is an event that affects the rest of the community as well as their relationship with that community.


The ecclesial basis of marriage. St Paul speaks of Christian marriage as a union between man and woman in Christ. Those who live in Christ through the sacrament of Baptism constitute the Church. Christian social life has its foundation in Baptism. Christian marriage is a special expression of this new life received at Baptism, a sacrament of the Baptismal reality. The self-gift of Christ in his death and resurrection which is sacramentalized in Baptism becomes visible, public and permanent in a personal way in the lives of those who enter into marriage bond. Therefore Christian marry not only in Christ, but in the Church.


Marriage as an authentic expression of love. The underlying principal that becomes permanently operative in every manifestation of Christian life is love. Christians will be known as such by, their love for one another. Christian life consist in translating Divine love into human love. It is necessary to distinguish love from liking.The former is other centered,while the latter is self centered.Since human beings are made according to the image of God, they are complete in their being only when they are related to one another in love by which they reproduce the core of divine life,a life of communion in the diversity of the Three Divine Persons.Every Christian is called to live in communion. Each one responds to his call according to the contribution which they have to make for building up of the kingdom of God.Understood in this  sense marriage is a vocation.The natural attraction which the couples feel towards one another has to be transformed into a response of love. For this it is necessary to free the natural attraction of its  selfish content. Here we have the difference between love and lust.Love is life-giving,while lust is destructive of life. We can distinguish three qualities of love:

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Personal Love.

The book of Genesis clearly expresses the fact that human beings find their true identity
only in relationship with other human beings. "The man gave names to all cattle,and to
the birds of the air,and to every animal of the field ; but for man there was not found
a helper as his partner" (Gen. 2, 20). In relationship people are recognized and accepted
as persons. This is what happens in personal love. This is an essential requirement for
Christian marriage.The following can be considered as the characteristics of this
personal love:


Free to personal and independent existence. An essential aspect of the dialectics of
love is that it joins two persons together in the most intimate way and by doing so at
the same time sets them to be themselves. Only in this way can there be full comple-
mentary in there relationship.

Inter subjective communication mediated through sexuality. It is here that marriage
becomes fully operative. Sexuality expresses and mediates intersubjective communication.
Sexual union is a deep act of personal communication in which the whole person , body
and soul are involved.Just as in God the Three Persons are distinct and yet united in love,
in human communion, of which sexual relationship is one of the best images,there is perfect
personal distinction and freedom and yet a perfect oneness in love.It is only to the extent
that this distinction and communion are integrated into personal bonds that human sexuality
can be realized in the human sense. If these personal bonds are lacking, human sexuality can
only result in the disintegration and loss of dignity of the human person.

It manifest itself as constant growth in personal relationship. The most all-embracing form of
personal bond between man and human is marriage.More than any other forms of human
relationship,marriage embraces the whole person of both partners in all dimensions.This is
the reason why a couple that have lived their marriage union in all its integrity become closer
and closer to one another as they grow older. The permanence of marriage is also the result
of this integral personal relationship which the couples have been practicing throughout their
married life.

This personal character of love includes justice. This personal character of love  also demands
that at least a minimum of physical health, social and economic requirements are needed if a
marriage is to be successful. This means that they give each his or her due and thus restore
equality in the relationship between the persons.

It is love that demands self-denial and sacrifice. The most important service which the Church
has to render is that of making young people capable of loving on the basis of Christian faith.
It is necessary that we bring home to people the fact that the success of marriage consist in
successfully living a life of love which is not possible without self-denial and sacrifice.
The fundamental law of the Gospel animated life is very much valid here: " He who losses his
life will find it" (Mt.10,39). One of the essential elements that should be included in our catechesis
of preparation for marriage is that deep personal relationship is not possible without denying self.
Although this maybe correctly called an ascetical attitude and practice in our traditional language,
this an aesthetic attitude and practice in as much the sacrificial element is given a positive meaning.
It lays  the foundation for a life of complementarity in which the differences are not only accepted
and tolerated, but appreciated and fostered.This will truly bring out the meaning of those words
which we find often in commercial advertisements: "Made for each other"

FRUITFUL LOVE

One of the essential aspects of love is that it does not stay with itself, but tends to be fruitful. In the post fruitfulness of love was explained in a purely biological sense using the Genesis text: "God created humankind
in his image, In the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.God blessed them,and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (Gen.1, 27-28). This proved to be quite unsaticfactory explanation in contrast to the sexuality of animals, human sexuality displayed certain distinctive features which showed that its function was not restricted to the preservation of the species.In what way,then
can we express the specificity of the fruitfulness of Christian marriage?



i)Love is impelled to realization,objectification and embodiment in a shared third party.
The child is not a mere biological product; he or she the embodiment of the communion in love between the parents; he or she objectifies the self gift of the parents to one another. The two partners normally find themselves in a new way in their child and the latter can thrive only as human beings if they are secure in the mutual love of the parents.

ii)Love is fruitful also through growth in mutual love of the couple.Every childless marriage is not a fruitless
marriage unless there is a conscious exclusion and deliberate closing in on itself for egoistic reasons;then it    becomes a perversion.Even if the immediate reason for physical union of the partners is not to beget further
descendants,but to deepen and enrich their own experience of mutual love, this is of indirect benefit to the
descendants who are already in the family.

iii) Love of the partners in marriage is fruitful also from a sociological and cultural point of view.Marriage and
and family cannot be regarded by Christians as a merely private matter.

Faithfulness in love.The shared responsibility of the partners for their children is one of the convincing arguments in favour of the indissolubility of marriage. However, this third good of marriage,faithfulness,
can be more directly attributed to the essential meaning of love itself.

i)According to Gabriel Marcel,loving another person means telling him or her: You will not die. The bond that is established through love is not a mere legal bond; it affects our whole person; it sets in motion the whole of
one's being towards the other. If marriage is founded on love and not on likes and dislikes,not on legal contracts alone, but a personal act of self-gift, it cannot be terminated because that will be going against the
very nature of love.

ii) Faithfulness does not impede the exercise of human freedom. Freedom is different from arbitrariness.
The former is the capacity to relate oneself to all; it sets in motion a movement which cannot be stopped.
The latter is to be guided entirely by self,whether it be one's mood.liking or ideology; it sets in motion towards oneself, just the opposite of the movement of freedom.

iii)The love with which we love the other and commit ourselves to the other is love that is participated from God. The definitive bond of faithfulness in marriage has an essential religious dimension,namely it is a participation in the divine love,in the Trinitarian love. Just as God's love is always faithful; so also the love
of those who participate in it will also be definitive.

iv)In the Christian marriage man and woman are able to find their definitive status in this faithfulness.They
become one flesh or one in mind body ( Gen. 2, 14; Mk 19,8; Eph 5, 31); in other words they become a
'we' person.The marital bond of faithfulness creates something that transcends the single person and binds
the history of the two people definitively and at the deepest level together.

INDISSOLUBILITY OF MARRIAGE

Indissolubility of Marriage is a distinct characteristic of Christian marriage. In fact this Christian position is questioned by some religions and many governments and members of civil society today.Although we have   
indirectly mentioned this problem in the previous paragraph dealing with the faithfulness in love as a
characteristic of Christian marriage , we need to clarify certain issues connected with it.


a)The basis of the definitiveness of the marriage bond is founded on the order of creation itself: "Then the man said; this at last is bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman, for out of man this one was taken. therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife,and they become one flesh"
(Gen. 2, 23-24). From this it is clear that the strength of is resting on the existential complementary of both.


b)Later on the Old Testament the fidelity between the husband and wife is compared to the fidelity of Yahweh
to his people which is irrevocable. Jesus makes this clear in his discussion with Jews that indissolubility of marriage was its original character.( Mk. 10, 2-12 and Mt. 19, 3-9). Marriage bond, in this sense should be
understood as a covenant rather than as a contract . See also  Lk. 16,18.


c) Indissolubility is not based merely on a law of the Church,or on a moral norm, but rooted in the sacramentality of marriage itself. The divine element enters into this bond.


d)The principal of indissolubility is solidly based on Scripture. But in the course of time,as in the case of
O.T, at times there have been some cases of leniency, But these are exceptions and not violation of the
law; but in modern times such exceptions are never entertained.


e) In this context, there is the question of Pauline privilege ( 1Cor. 7, 12ff which cannot be termed divorce
because for us Christian divorce is strictly applied to the breaking of the sacramental bond.In the case of
Pauline Privilege, the sacramental bond is not fully realized; hence there cannot be divorce in the strict sense.


f) The indissolubility of marriage is unambiguously taught by the Council of Trent. Marriage bond cannot 
be dissolved for any reason whatsoever. The only thing that the Church can do is to declare a marriage
null and void, by which she states that the marriage never took place for want of free consent or due to
the presence of certain impediments which invalidate the marriage.


g)A non-consummated marriage can be dissolved by the Roman pontiff for a just cause ( Can.1142).
The just cause can be discord without hope of reconciliation, civil marriage by one party, probable
impotence, incurable disease contacted after marriage,defect of consent. Religious profession invalid-
dating marriage is not mentioned in the present code.

SACRAMENTALITY OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is one of the seven sacraments or symbolic actions of the Church by which Christ continues to accomplish the mystery of redemption. In Christian sacramental system Eucharist has its centrality. All the other sacraments are oriented to the Eucharist.
 Matrimony has a special role in this Eucharist centred sacramental system in as much it prepares the community that celebrates the Eucharist. Sacramentality is not something super-added to the human reality of marriage, but is rather its intrinsic elavation and sanctification through the baptism which the couple has received.
"Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is governed
and enriched by Christ's redeeming power and the saving power of the Church....For this reason,Christian spouses have a special sacrament by which they are fortified and receive a kind of consecration in the duties and dignity of their state. By virtue of this sacrament, as spouses, they fulfill their conjugal and family and family obligations;they are penetrated by the Spirit of God.This Spirit suffuses their whole lives with faith ,hope and charity" (GS n.48). We shall now analyze and see the various elements that constitute the sacramental process of Christian marriage.

a) Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace.

Sacraments are instituted by Christ.They are efficacious signs of grace.Grace is nothing but the love of God.This is present in the world always; when it is expressed through a sign it becomes experiential. In the sacrament of
of matrimony the couple experience the love of God manifested in Christ's love for the Church,both physically and spiritually.Christ is the one  who acts in the sacraments.The Church is the minister of Christ who makes the
the effects of the sacraments visible. Being a sign of salvation, sacraments also have an eschatological significance,that  is,they are  the prognostic expressions of  the kingdom to come when human love will be permanently taken up and made experiential in the risen body of he saved.

b) Marriage,instituted by Christ as sacrament.

The sacramental nature of marriage cannot be proved by using individual words of institution, It is based on the fact that the marriage bond is related to the saving work of Christ.In the letter to the Ephesians the covenant
between man and wife in marriage is seen as the image of the covenant between Christ and the Church. "Just
as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her,in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the
washing of water by the word,so as to present the church to himself in splendour , without a spot or wrinkle
or anything of the kind-just so that she may be holy and without blemish.In the same way husbands should
love their wives as they do their own bodies....This is a great mystery (sacrament)" (Eph. 5, 25-32). Besides,
there are also the New Testament statements regarding 'marriage in the Lord' which we have already explained.

c) The sign of the sacrament of marriage is the human bond ot love which characterizes every marriage.s

When the baptized enter into this bond,it becomes the sign of Christ's self-gift to the Church by which God's
grace, divine life enters into the life of couple.In order to make this sign authentic, it must be purified of all
selfishness. The love and faithfulness that Christian husbands and wives have for each other are the effective
sign, the fulfilled symbol and the real epiphany of the love of God that has appeared in Jesus Christ. If marriage
represents a special form of being human in Christ that is based on baptism,it is also a special form of sharing
in the death and resurrection of Christ. If marital love is seen as existing under the sign of Christ's cross. It must
also be seen as being sustained by giving and being given

d) Marriage is the sacrament of the Church.

Just as baptism is the ecclesial expression of the faith of the believer in Christ, sacrament of marriage is an ecclesial expression of love that is given and received by the couples which symbolizes Christ's love for the Church. The Church plays an important role in the celebration as well as in living the sacrament of marriage.
That is why Vatican II calls the family a ' domestic Church'. Although it is the bride and bridegroom who give
the sacrament to each other,sacramental marriage is a covenantal act-public and legal-concerning the whole
community of believers.This is the reason why the validity of marriages requires that the marriage be celebrated
in the Church and before the ministers of the Church.

e) Marriage in an eschatological sign.

The festive mood at a wedding is a symbol of the joy and the fulfillment of human hope that will be present at the end of time (Mark 2,19ff, Mt. 22, 1-14; 25,1-13). The means used by God for the growth of the children of God is the sacrament of marriage. Besides,the growth towards the fullness of human life,which is an eschatological goal, will be normally realized through the family where this love is already active.

LITURGY OF MARRIAGE CELEBRATION.

Like other sacramental rites, marriage now takes place within the Mass. Since it is a sign of the covenant between God and humanity and since the Eucharist is supremely the renewal of the covenant,the appropriateness of this arrangement is obvious. Besides it is very meaningful to integrate the mutual self-gift of the couple into the self-gift of Christ to the Church. A mixed marriage with the baptized person is normally celebrated outside Mass,although it could be celebrated during Mass with the permission of the local ordinary.


Marriage being a sacrament of the church it is celebrated in facie ecclesiae, that is , in the presence of the official minister of the Church. In the Latin Church, it is ordinarily understood that the spouses,as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church. Therefore the couples are the ministers of the sacrament of Matrimony in the Western Church. In the Eastern liturgies the minister of this sacrament is the priest or the Bishop who, after receiving the mutual consent of the spouses,successively crowns the bridegroom and the bride as a sign of the marriage covenant.

The presence of the official minister of the church is necessary for the validity of the marriage. We can distinguish four aspects of the reality of Christian marriage as it is presented in the Rite of marriage of the Roman Rite:

'

a) Marriage is a celebration of the Church.

The introductory rites put in evidence the fact that the relationship between the couple is, through the sacramental celebration, entering into the wider relationship of which the Church is constituted.. The Parish community rejoices on this happy occasion because through the celebration of marriage the love relationship that exist in the community is going to be expressed by two individuals in terms of their self-gift.The introductory dialogue expresses the content of their mutual dedication and their commitment to fulfill the conditions of marriage: freedom,indissolubility, fecundity and to take up their responsibility as spouses and parents.

b) Marriage is a covenant act.

The consent which they exchange after the liturgy of the Word is not a mere legal contract , but a covenantal act
by which both of them enter into into each other's gamut of relationship. It is an expression of their total and unconditional belonging to one another.The terms of this covenant is there human love purified by selfishness and satisfied in self-gift. Grounded in Christ's mystery this intimate community is made holy by the presence and action of the Holy Spirit. The word of God which they have listened to will be the interpreter of their lives henceforward and not their ideology or their likes or dislikes.

c) Marriage as an act of consecration

The nuptial blessing that is imparted to the newly wed after the doxology is an act of consecration. The covenant
is ratified by God  by the action of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the Church. The reality of marriage is fully inserted into the history of salvation .It recalls to mind the first blessing pronounced by God on Adam and
 Eve ; all the other blessings that are pronounced on the couples in the course of time are a renewal of that blessing. Henceforward,the relationship between the newly wed people will be regulated and actualized in the spirit of this ratification effected by the Holy Spirit.

d) Marriage as a fruitful union

This is the content of the final blessing given by the priest.The exchange of consent made fruitful by the blessing has now to become a reality in their daily lives.This fruitfulness has the following expressions: they give life to new members in the Church, they themselves grow in selflessness and those bear witness to redemptive union of Christ with the Church; they build up Christian families which are the domestic Church units which constitute the Church in a locality.Thus the newly wed go into the wold to live their alliance ratified before the altar. They become witness of the union of Christ with his Church.

The new rite of marriage translate into ritual the basic theological elements of the sacrament of matrimony. Through its celebration they receive the grace to live their commitment throughout their life.Marriage becomes
not so much their initiative as a response to the call which the Lord has made to them in his Church.

SPIRITUALITY OF CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE.

Spirituality  is the living of an adequate response which the human persons are expected to give to the
call of God moved and led by the Spirit of God. Seen in this light spirituality of married life has the
following characteristic:

It is a daily call and response.

a)While all the beings in this world are created by God with a specific
pattern of behavior called natural law, the human beings are called
into existence personally by God. Life is, therefore, a call and response.
This is given at every moment and hence every moment ought to be a
response. In the case  of persons this call is specific to each one and
it manifest itself in different ways.In marriage it is the call of God given
to a man and woman mediated by each other. The life of the married
people will therefore be conditioned by each other. They respond to God
through their mutual love. They make their life meaningful by this mutual
daily response.

b)The human love becomes the sacrament of the love of God.They manifest
their response to God by their love for one another. By the sacrament of
matrimony each becomes a grace to the other. Their human conjugal love
becomes consecrated love. This will not  take place automatically.
Since they carry with them their belonging to sinful Adam and Eve, they
have to be constantly struggling to keep their love for one another free
from selfishness. It is asceticism of self-denial which makes their human
love become the symbol of divine love.

The acceptance of the cross as an expression of their covenantal love.

The married couple will have to accept the differences  of each. This is the integral part of true love.
This will be the cross that they have to experience daily.This does not characterize each one as the cross
of the other.The cross is in the effort to relate to the other. But if they dedicatedly accept this cross and
live it in fidelity, their relationship will result in an experienced of the resurrection,giving them a lasting joy
and happiness.

The spirituality of sexual union.

Sexual union of married couple is an expression of their love for one
another in its highest form.If this is done in a spirit of genuine love and
not in a hedonistic spirit it will become the sacrament of the creative love
of God. It will build up their communion in such a way that it will grow
into genuine personal relationship lasting even unto death ,continually
experienced even when physical sexual pleasure becomes diminished.
The presence of the Spirit of God who is the real source of happy life
is fully operative in the lives of such couples.

Mutual forgiveness.

An integral part of marital sexuality. We all belong to a sinful world, a world
in which vengeance grows seven fold. But Christ has  introduced us into a world
in which forgiveness grows without  limit. Living together with our differences which
at times manifest itself as alienation, we tend to offend or hurt one another.If it is the
love of Christ that has united the couple in the married life, the element of mutual
forgiveness must be an integral part of their life together. God has forgive us all; it now
remains for us to forgive one another in order to complete the redemptive work of Christ.
The redeemed Christian family will be one in which this horizontal forgiveness and recon-
ciliation is constantly cooperative.

Building up a community of love.

The love of a couple should overflow into their children, But care
should be taken to  make sure that it is a shared love.The selfless
love which bound the couple together now makes itself felt in the
family through the selfless love towards their children and the
selfless love of children towards one another.

Love nourished by prayer.

Communion with Christ who initiated the couple into the Trinitarian family
must be nourished by a life of prayer which should characterize their life
together. An atmosphere of love nourished by daily prayer which keeps
alive the divine presence in their midst is a very important means to build
up a Christian family.

Conclusion

Christian marriage is located within the great mystery of the union of Christ with the Church (Eph.5:32).
The sacredness of marriage comes from this fact. The content and dynamics of this Mystery is God's
love translated into human love. The heart of matrimony is precisely here.

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The Truth that sets us Free

"Preach the word,be urgent and out of season,convince,rebuke,and

     exhort,be unfailing in patience and in teaching."(2 Timothy 4-2)

 

God wills the salvation of everyone through knowledge of the truth,which is why the Good

News is proclaimed to every generation and to all the corners of the earth.Following in

the  Apostles' footsteps,Bishops have received the mission to proclaim boldly mystery of

salvation in its entirety, and to guide everyone in their search and understanding of it.

 

We implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgen Mary, to intercede for us and to

accompany us on our journey of faith.May she help us to respond with her courage

and openness to the Word, and to the will of God.As Catholics we can respond by

studying our faith at a deep and profound level so that we may have the ways and

thoughts of God and the heart and mind of Jesus Christ, and thus live the truth in

joy and freedom. As we work towards our salvation by the grace of God,may he

bless our efforts and bring to fulfillment every plan he has for us!

 

                          " How is it, then, that i seek you Lord?

                      Since in seeking you, my God. i seek a happy life,

                         let me seek you so that my soul may live,

                           for my body draws life from my soul

                             and my soul draws life from you."

                                   (St. Augustine)

 

 

Prayer Is Powerful

Sometimes parents themselves rebel against God and the Church
or what the Churches teaches.This is the moment Satan takes hold of your family.
What is the result? Discord between the spouses and rebellion on the part of the
children! BUT,where there is God there is peace!You and your family must be
faithful to God and the teachings of the church and the regular reception of the
sacraments:Mass and Confession.Daily prayer together can help families experience
more of God's grace,peace and love. In your prayer,thank God for every member of
your family. Take all your disappointments,problems and anxieties to the Lord.
Read the Word of God daily!Sincere prayer such as the family Rosary,has never
been found to fail.Jesus said: "For where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am in the midst of them."(Mt.18:20).The holy family of Jesus,Mary and Joseph shows us what it means to be a family.Put Jesus in the center of your family
and the message of Christ in its entire richness will find a home with you!

1 The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quite waters,

3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil.
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.


God loves you!

Saint of the Month

St. Valentine--February 14

Beyond the roses,chocolates and gifts,we need to find the real meaning of Valentine's Day.It is true love that compelled a young Christian to give up his life rather than stop sharing his faith.
He is the Patron Saint affianced couples,bee keepers,engaged couples,epilepsy,greetings,fainting,happy marriages,love,lovers,plague,travelers,and young people.

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Something to Think About

Never change your originality for the sake of others,because no one can play your role better than you.
So be yourself,because whatever you are,you are the best.

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