The Sacramental Nature of Marriage and Family
For Christians, in the light of Revelation, marriage and family are not only a secular reality, but are of divine origin, realizing God's essential plan. “In creating man and woman, God instituted the human family and endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Its members are persons equal in dignity.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2203). God's plan for marriage and family was "falsified" by original sin, which introduced disharmony and disorder into the welfare of marriage and family. In the Old Covenant, monogamous marriage was a sign of God's love for mankind - an image of Yahweh's covenant with Israel. With Christ's coming into the world, the full truth about marriage and family was revealed again (John Paul II, Letter to Families, No. 18).
Christ taught about the "beginning" of marriage in God's plan, confirming its essential qualities: unity and indissolubility, against the then prevailing practices of polygamy, adultery and divorce. Moreover, Christ raised the natural relationship of man and woman to the dignity of a sacrament, thus reaffirming its great value and mystery. From the time of Christ, marriage is a sacrament - a sign of communion - of man's covenant with God. The spousal love of spouses is compared to Christ's love for the Church, for which he gave his life. In this way, the mystery of the sacrament of marriage is emphasized in the Church (John Paul II, Letter to Families, No. 19).
Marriage instituted by God from "the beginning" and then confirmed and sanctified by Christ is highly venerated by the Church, which from the very beginning of her history felt the need to make Christian marriage a special sanctification and celebration. The marriage of Christians will be a sacrament subject to the Church's own authority, which, apart from natural obstacles, establishes and enforces church obstacles. The sacramental nature of the marriage covenant gives rise to moral obligations. Living a marriage and family according to God's plan is not easy, but that does not mean that it is not possible. Certain consequences are associated with the sacrament of marriage: the marriage bond and sacramental grace (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1638-1642).
The marriage bond is unbreakable. “By virtue of the sacramentality of their marriage, spouses are bound to one another in the most profoundly indissoluble manner. Their belonging to each other is the real representation, by means of the sacramental sign, of the very relationship of Christ with the Church.” (John Paul II, Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, no. 13). Thanks to the bond, conjugal love is incorporated into God's love, which heals, perfects and exalts it. In turn, the grace of the sacrament of marriage increases sanctifying grace and gives it a special grace in order to fulfill the mission proper to marriage and to overcome "lusts".
The sacramentality of marriage also points to its specific spirituality. This close union of the spouses with Christ should be their strength and source of hope. That is why John Paul encouraged them to trust the Divine Bridegroom and to take advantage of the spiritual gifts brought by the sacraments, writing in his Letter to families: “Do not be afraid of the risks! God's strength is always far more powerful than your difficulties! Immeasurably greater than the evil at work in the world is the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which the Fathers of the Church rightly called a "second Baptism". Much more influential than the corruption present in the world is the divine power of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which brings Baptism to its maturity. And incomparably greater than all is the power of the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is truly a wondrous sacrament. In it Christ has given us himself as food and drink, as a source of saving power. He has left himself to us that we might have life and have it in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10): the life which is in him and which he has shared with us by the gift of the Spirit in rising from the dead on the third day. The life that comes from Christ is a life for us. It is for you, dear husbands and wives, parents and families! Did Jesus not institute the Eucharist in a family-like setting during the Last Supper? When you meet for meals and are together in harmony, Christ is close to you. And he is Emmanuel, God with us, in an even greater way whenever you approach the table of the Eucharist. It can happen, as it did at Emmaus, that he is recognized only in "the breaking of the bread" (cf. Lk 24:35). It may well be that he is knocking at the door for a long time, waiting for it to be opened so that he can enter and eat with us (cf. Rev 3:20). The Last Supper and the words he spoke there contain all the power and wisdom of the sacrifice of the Cross. No other power and wisdom exist by which we can be saved and through which we can help to save others. There is no other power and no other wisdom by which you, parents, can educate both your children and yourselves. The educational power of the Eucharist has been proved down the generations and centuries.” (nr 18).
Finally, the sacramentality of marriage and its spirituality means that Christian families built on this sacrament were called from the very beginning "ecclesia domestica" - the domestic Church, the little Church. Which is also a special mark and task of Christian families in the modern world.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george
Prayer for Family
Father, thank you for my family. Thank you for the laughter, the learning, the tears, and the triumphs that fill this home. It is my desire that my family would seek you, Lord. Jesus, I invite you into this house. Teach us. Root us in your word. We belong to you, God. May we honor you with our actions and our words. May we build each other up according to your principles. May we extend forgiveness when there is hurt. May we glorify you in our victories! In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.