Matrimony
MATRIMONY
QUICKLINKS
"And He answered and said, 'Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." - Mt. 19:4-6"
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
unites one man and one woman into union bounded by love to be a reflection of God's love for the entire Church and a means of preserving the human race. Through Holy Matrimony, a bride and groom ( the ministers of the sacrament) give of themselves freely to each other before the Church in love and fidelity in the same way that Christ gave of Himself to His bride, the Church, emptying Himself and being faithful to her, as St. Paul tells us, to the point of death.
The bond of Marriage is rooted in the conjugal love between spouses and between them alone. This love serves the purposes of bringing children lovingly into this world as well as renewing the vows made before God through the Rite of Marriage. Through this love and commitment, the man and woman play a very integral role with God, Who is the Creator and Center fo this sacrament, and His plan for mankind through procreation and the raising of Christian children. This very vocation is the manifestation of Christ to the world in that this love is unitive between the spouses, shared with the children which come from the love of this marriage, and possess the loving cooperation of each member of the family which are essential to the building of the Kingdom of God.
The overall preparation for marriage is about a minimum of six months. This is to ensure that all necessary arrangements are complete.
