God is love and being created in his image, we are all called to love. This we all share, despite whether we are called to marriage, religious life or the single life. God created us male and female so that we could become an image of his absolute and unfailing love (cf. CCC 1604).
The mutual love between spouses is very good in God’s eyes, blessed by him and is intended to be fruitful. Marriage was not always a Sacrament. Indeed, marriage was a contract, a covenant in a parallel way to which God had a covenant with Israel. However, when Jesus came to give us a new covenant, one forged by his death, he elevated the matrimonial covenant to a Sacrament. ‘On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first sign – at his mother’s request – during a wedding feast. The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence.’ (CCC 1613)
The Sacrament of Matrimony, unlike those sacraments we have already dealt with, and indeed, those yet to come, is not administered by a priest. It is not correct for us to say for instance, that Jane and Matt were married by Father Tim. In this Sacrament it is the bride and groom who administer the Sacrament of Matrimony to each other, in the presence of the priest. Therefore, a more apt description of the Sacrament would be that Jane and Matt married each other in the presence of Father Tim.
Those who enter into the Sacrament of Matrimony freely consent to marriage, that is, they are making the decision out of their own will, that no one is forcing them to do so and that they are not impeded by any law, ecclesial or natural. Their consent is received by the priest, who then blesses the couple. After this, the couple exchange their vows and administer the Sacrament to each other, however their marital bond is not complete until they have consummated their marriage. From this point onward their marriage is a reality and is henceforth irrevocable (cf. CCC 1640).
In the same way as the Sacraments of Baptism, Confession and Confirmation, the Sacrament of Matrimony gives grace, both sanctifying and sacramental. The special sacramental grace conferred upon those who receive the Sacrament of Matrimony perfects the natural love between spouses, elevating it to a supernatural level and bestows upon marital love a sanctifying quality that makes it an instrument for growth in holiness, a path to sainthood.
‘The Sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life.’ (CCC 1661)
Thus, this sacrament is not just about our own personal sanctification. Indeed, marriage is a call to help our spouse along his or her way to sanctification, to sainthood. It is through the way in which we love and help our spouse that we too receive graces and get closer to our heavenly reward.
Originally posted 2015-01-13 22:21:58.