The Sacrament of Matrimony

The Sacraments

Document #: TX002184

What Is Marriage?
Marriage is an exclusive, permanent, and lifelong contract between a man and a woman. In marriage, they commit themselves to care for each other and to procreate and raise children.

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Is a Lifetime Commitment Possible?

Jesus said that with Gods help, and with the grace and strength of the Sacrament of Marriage, faithfulness to one person for life is possible. Marriage in Christ, in the New Covenant, is not trouble free, but for those who follow Christ, it is not only possible but also loving and joyful.

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Weddings: A Private Event?

If you said that it is a private event, you missed the mark. The Sacrament of Marriage is a public vocation and it is celebrated in a public ceremony, and always in a church. The fact is, very few people are likely to be wedding crashers; however, from the Churchs perspective, any member of the community should be welcome to attend the wedding.

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Who Is the Minister?

If you said the priest is the minister of the Sacrament of Marriage, you again missed the mark. If and when you are married, you and your future spouse will confer the Sacrament on each other. You, in essence, become the Sacrament of Matrimony for the remainder of your lives. In the Eastern Church, in which the priest is the minister of the Sacrament, the married couple is then a sacramental sign throughout their lives, as in the Roman Catholic Church.

Liturgy of the Word / Wedding Mass

Marriage is a visible sign of unity in the Church that witnesses to the love of Christ for the Church. The Church has been called the bride of Christ.
Therefore, in the wedding ceremony, every sign of unity should be sought. If two Catholics marry, a Mass is normally celebrated, which signifies that they share their union as members of the Body of Christ who are sustained by the Eucharist. If one spouse is not Catholic, a Liturgy of the Word without the Eucharist is celebrated. This is preferred for so-called mixed marriages, so that one spouse who is unable to receive Communion will not appear to be a sign of disunity in the marriage.

Witnesses Required
Three official witnesses to the marriage are required for a Catholic wedding. A priest or deacon is always present, representing the Church. The marriage is an ecclesial reality. Two other witnessesusually the best man and maid of honorare also required to represent the assembly of believers.

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Promises of Marriage
Three Essential Elements
These are the three essential elements promised by a couple who marries in the Catholic Church: 1. 2. 3. They will both be faithful to each other. They will be open to having children. The marriage will endure for as long as they both live.

These three are also called unity, openness to children, and indissolubility.

Catholic Rite of Marriage

There are only two officially sanctioned wedding vows.

The first is the same vow used in civil courts, and the other is a specifically Catholic wedding vow. The Catholic vow is the following: I ___ take you ____ to be my wife / husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life (Rite of Marriage, 25). Private wedding vows are not permitted; however, a further statement added to the standard vow may be allowed by some pastors.

Impediments to Valid Marriage

For a marriage to be a Sacrament, the partnership must be entered into freely and without constraint. A constraint can be practically anything that prevents truly free and full consent to a marriage. One reason that the Church requires a longer and more complete preparation period before marriage is to make sure that no such constraints exist. If, however, it later comes to light that there was a real and serious constraint at the time of the wedding, an annulment may be granted.

Annulment
Not the Same as a Civil Divorce
An annulment does not invalidate a legal marriage. What an annulment means is that no sacramental Marriage existed. This does not affect legal issues regarding marriage, nor does it affect the legitimacy of the children. A legal divorce must be obtained before an annulment will be considered by a Catholic marriage tribunal.

What Makes a Wedding Special?

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Love and Commitment on Display

We make weddings a big deal because they symbolize for us some important truths: (1) God loves us with an everlasting love, and the marriage commitment symbolizes not only the love and faithfulness of one man and woman to each other but Gods faithful love for each and every one of us; (2) Gods love is expressed in every wedding, sometimes in an elaborate way (a wedding of royalty can fascinate the entire world) but more often in a simple way that brings family and friends together; and (3) the wedding begins the marriage, a lifetime of commitment, and it is not the lavishness of the ceremony that is important.

What Makes a Wedding Special?

Love and Commitment on Display

Few wedding ceremonies are lavish. In fact, wedding ceremonies should be simple, because the love that exists between a future husband and wife should be the most visible sign in the celebration.

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What Makes a Wedding Special?

Love and Commitment on Display

In the Rite of Marriage, the Word of God is proclaimed, compelling two persons to become witnesses together to Gods love. The priest or deacon instructs the couple in his homily to love and serve each other for as long as they live.

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What Makes a Wedding Special?

Love and Commitment on Display

Then, in response to Gods Word, the couple exchanges vowswords of promise and hope. After the couple is united in Marriage, they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist (unless one partner is not Catholic).

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What Makes a Wedding Special?

Love and Commitment on Display

The future now belongs to them in this liminal moment; it is up to this new husband and wife to live in a manner that bears witness to Christ, to become a true symbol of Gods love and faithfulness to each one of us.

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Nuptial Blessing
In happiness may they praise you, O Lord, in sorrow may they seek you out; may they have the joy of your presence to assist them in their toil, and know that you are near to comfort them in their need; let them pray to you in the holy assembly and bear witness to you in the world, and after a happy old age, together with the circle of friends that surrounds them, may they come to the Kingdom of Heaven. (Roman Missal, Nuptial Blessing C)

Questions?