Introduction
Holy Matrimony, also known as Christian Marriage is seen as one of the most important milestones a person can experience. The act of saying “I do” is something that many spend their life dreaming of. In some ways, there is a fantasized idea around the word marriage. Marriage is an institution established by God when, after the creation of Adam, He formed one wife for him, Eve, as a companion and helper and blessed their union, saying to them: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:28) As such, God manifests his will that spouses should be different in sex, one man and one woman, and thus apt to generate offspring and propagate the Human Race. Moreover, since the nurturing of children takes many years, God also willed that husband and wife should be in a faithful and stable union. And so he decreed that A man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24). Jesus adds later, What God has joined together must never be divided. (Matt 19:6).
This stable and lasting union is what is best and just for children and is also a means of holiness for the married couple. The idea behind Holy Matrimony is simply a picture of our relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, the whole Bible is a revelation of how God wants to ‘marry us’, to be united with us forever. If God is preparing His Bride, the Church, then clearly He expects us to prepare individually for the Holy Matrimony; and this preparation should start at an early age. It should be part of every Christian Education Program. Holy Matrimony is intended to be the most stable institution in every society. For some, it is the most glorious and fulfilling relationship in their lives. Sadly, for others, it can leave deep wounds and hurt.
The concept of Holy Matrimony
Holy Matrimony as earlier mentioned is the same as Christian Marriage. It is a solemn and public Covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God, intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture. Marriage can also be seen as the conjugal union of man and woman, contracted between two qualified persons, which oblige them to live together throughout life” (Catechism of the Council of Trent). The nature of the union inherently involves only one man and one woman. It’s a requirement that they have an appropriate relationship grounded by the complementarity gifted them by their Creator. There is a mutual agreement between the man and woman to become one flesh, monogamous and faithful, “for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, until death do [they] part.
” This is the nature of the commitment a man and woman agree to for an authentic marriage to occur. In the Catechism of Trent, it’s explained that “matrimony is to be considered from two points of view, either as a natural union, since it was not invented by man but instituted by nature; or as a Sacrament, the efficacy of which transcends the order of nature.” Marriage can only be properly understood in these two ways, either as a divine sacrament or as a natural institution. Both are the same in character and the only two options for marriages in a healthy society. St. Augustine provided the most coherent and influential synthesis of the emerging Christian understanding of marriage. He identified a threefold goodness in marriage:
• the good of fidelity (bonum fidei),
• the good of children (bonum prolis),
• and the good of the sacrament or permanence (bonum sacramenti). According to him, Fidelity means that one avoids all sexual activity apart from one’s marriage. Offspring on the other hand means that the child is accepted in love, is nurtured in affection and is brought up in religion, while the sacrament means that the marriage is not severed nor the spouse abandoned. This is a kind of rule set for marriage, by which nature’s fruitfulness is honored.
Brief history of Holy Matrimony
Marriage is a primary theme throughout the Holy Scriptures. It’s the symbol and sign of God’s sacred covenant with His people, first appearing in the beginning of the Book of Genesis, and last appearing in Revelation 19:9 (“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb”). From the beginning we are instructed in marriage and in the end we are all invited to the wedding feast. As Catholics we cannot abandon God’s truth concerning the concept, origin and nature of marriage. Marriage is created by God and is a thing of nature with a divine origin. In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” With divine purpose and intention God made Eve of Adam’s rib and Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23) It’s revealed further, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (v. 24). “Male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27) and He instilled in them the desire to reproduce, to “be fruitful and multiply” (v. 28). God’s plan for man from the beginning was to be joined to woman in holy matrimony to be fruitful.
Since marriage has always been the state of life, indeed the vocation, of the vast majority of the Christian faithful, it has been a central theme of the Church’s teaching and the canonical discipline rooted in that teaching. From the beginning, the Church’s approach to marriage has been anchored in a few texts from the New Testament, ranging from Christ’ condemnation of divorce as a distortion of the original intention for marriage and a concession to human hardness of heart (Mt 19:3–12; Mk 10:2–12; Mt 5:31–32; Lk 16:18); Paul’s response to questions from feuding members of the church in Corinth about marriage, divorce, and virginity (1 Cor. 7); and also, the reflection by the author of the epistle to the Ephesians on the analogy between the relationship of husband and wife and that between Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:22–33).
Basic requirements for a Holy Matrimony In order to be married in the Catholic Church, a man and a woman who present themselves for Holy Matrimony must meet the following requirements: 1. Must be at least 18 2. Never Married before, or if previously married, their spouse is now deceased. Introduction Holy Matrimony, also known as Christian Marriage is seen as one of the most important milestones a person can experience. The act of saying “I do” is something that many spend their life dreaming of. In some ways, there is a fantasized idea around the word marriage. Marriage is an institution established by God when, after the creation of Adam, He formed one wife for him, Eve, as a companion and helper and blessed their union, saying to them: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:28) As such, God manifests his will that spouses should be different in sex, one man and one woman, and thus apt to generate offspring and propagate the Human Race. Moreover, since the nurturing of children takes many years, God also willed that husband and wife should be in a faithful and stable union. And so he decreed that A man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24). Jesus adds later, What God has joined together must never be divided. (Matt 19:6). This stable and lasting union is what is best and just for children and is also a means of holiness for the married
Continues NEXT WEEK
