MATRIMONY (MARRIAGE)

Grade 7 Religion

WHAT IS MATRIMONY?

Matrimony is the sacrament that gives a couple the grace to love each other as Christ loves the

Church and helps them to be one and to be holy.

MATRIMONY

Weddings are a joyful celebration! At the time of Jesus, Jewish weddings could last a week! Throughout history and in all cultures, people have married. A couple is bound together by a legal contract, but Jesus raised marriage to new dignity. He made it the sacrament we call Matrimony. Along with Holy Orders, Matrimony is a sacrament of SERVICE. Together, a married man and woman help each other be holy, to welcome and raise children, and to build up the Church and society.

MARRIAGE: GOD’S IDEA When God created Adam and Eve, he intended man and woman to love each other. Their lives were to be united “so they are no longer two but one.” (Matthew 19:6)This unity can be compared to the flames of two candles joined to make one new flame. The love of a married couple is intended to be an image of the love among the three Persons of the Trinity that makes them One. By giving birth to children, couples are co-creators with God. God told Adam and Eve, our first parents “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)

BTW

Wedding rings are a sign of everlasting love.

DID YOU KNOW?

St. Paul calls the Church the Bride of Christ. Jesus loves the Church and gave his life for her. He spoke of heaven as a wedding feast where we will be untied with him forever.

A COVENANT Marriage is a covenant, a solemn agreement, in which a man and a woman vow before God and witnesses to love each other and on one else with a special love that will give life and last until death. This love mirrors the unending love that Jesus has for his Church. For this reason, most Catholic marriage take place during the celebration of the Eucharist, when Christ shows his love for us and unites himself to us. The bride and groom give the sacrament to each other by pronouncing vows. They give a gift of themselves to one another. A priest or deacon receives their vows in the name of the Church and gives them the Church’s blessing.

STRENGTH IN DIFFICULTY Loving someone faithfully for a lifetime can be very difficult. That is why the sacrament of Matrimony provides grace to strengthen couples.

A Christian marriage is like a triangle. It involves not only a man and woman, but also God. Because original sin has left us weak and sinful, sometimes a couple can no longer live together. They may be separated for a time.

Although a couple may file for a legal divorce, this does not end their marriage. The Church continues to believe the teaching of Jesus: “What God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:6)

Persons whose marriage partners who are still alive, many no marry someone else. Sometimes the Church grants an annulment if there is proof that the marriage was not a true marriage. Only after an annulment may the man and woman marry again.

FAMILIES Children are the special gift of marriage.

They are a living sign of their parents’ love and union. Children often have characteristics of both parents.

Children enrich the lives of their parents and add to the family of God. All married couples are called to be open to raising children. Those who are unable to have children of their own are encouraged to adopt or foster children.

Parents are the first teachers of their children. In particular, they are mean to teach their children how to live a Christian life, how to love.

SCRIPTURE LINK

Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)Jesus worked his first miracle at a wedding in Cana where he, his mother, and the apostles were guests. Noticing that the wine had run out, Mary mentioned it to Jesus. He asked, “Woman, what is that to you and me?” Still, Mary told the servants to do whatever he said. Jesus had the servants fill six large jars with water and then take some to the headwaiter. When this man tasted it, the water had turned to wine. He said to the bridegroom, “Everyone serves the good wine first, but you have kept the best wine until now.” The presence of Jesus at this wedding and his miracle show the goodness of marriage and God’s care for married persons.

THINK ABOUT THIS

Do movies and television shows do a good or not so good job of presenting a marriage and/or family?