Marriage as part of God's plan.
i) The religious basis of marriage. Christians speaks 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 or 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 of the heart of the world. They must drew upon the fundamental rhythm of God's creation to keep their sensitivities alive.. The human agenda is not the domonant one.
ii) 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 communituy as well as their relationship with that community.
iii) 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 the new life received at Baptism, a sacrament of the Baptism 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 Christians marry not only in Christ, but in the Church.
