what are the elements of the sacrament of matrimony?

2. . Yet there are some situations in which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice. This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church. 1628 The consent must be an act of the will of each of the contracting parties, free of coercion or grave external fear.130 No human power can substitute for this consent.131 If this freedom is lacking the marriage is invalid. It is also necessary for the Catholic party to accept the obligation, of which the non-Catholic party has been advised, to persevere in the faith and to assure the baptism and Catholic education of their children. 170 LG 10. And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it. 121 Cf. 1647 The deepest reason is found in the fidelity of God to his covenant, in that of Christ to his Church. The Church is nothing other than "the family of God." 1057 § 1. 169 LG 11. 118 Cf. "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. 1650 Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new civil unions. Other sins include the deliberate refusal of one’s procreative potential which deprives conjugal love of the gift of children and divorce which goes against the indissolubility of marriage. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY, 1638 "From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament. 1055 § 1; cf. Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit. 1656 In our own time, in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as centers of living, radiant faith. "145, 1640 Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. 1634 Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ.109 This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life. 95 Mt 19:6. However, God in his infinite mercy gives to man and woman the grace to bring the union of their lives into accord with the original divine plan. What is the sacrament of Matrimony? 84 CIC, can. Tradition has always seen in the Song of Solomon a unique expression of human love, insofar as it is a reflection of God's love - a love "strong as death" that "many waters cannot quench. 138 Cf. The punishments consequent upon sin, "pain in childbearing" and toil "in the sweat of your brow,"100 also embody remedies that limit the damaging effects of sin. As Fr. The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. God who is love and who created man and woman for love has called them to love. The role of pastors and of the Christian community as the "family of God" is indispensable for the transmission of the human and Christian values of marriage and family,135 and much more so in our era when many young people experience broken homes which no longer sufficiently assure this initiation: 1633 In many countries the situation of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) often arises. Marriage. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. For this reason the family home is rightly called "the domestic church," a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity. DS 1800; CIC, Can. FC 13. And the sacrament of marriage is, in a very particular sense, the sacrament of society. It is deepened by lives of the common faith and by the Eucharist received together. 1630 The priest (or deacon) who assists at the celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the name of the Church and gives the blessing of the Church. 125 Cf. 1637 In marriages with disparity of cult the Catholic spouse has a particular task: "For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY, SECTION TWO CIC, can. There are a couple of important historical notes to make about the Catholic Rite of Marriage before I include the text and rubrics of the rite. . Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. 104 Rev 19:7,9; cf. Lk 14:26; Mk 10:28-31. THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION, 1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament. The promise made between a man and a woman before God and the Church, which forms a binding bond unto death as a couple committed to each other Who administers the sacrament of Matrimony? After the fall, marriage helps to overcome self-absorption, egoism, pursuit of one's own pleasure, and to open oneself to the other, to mutual aid and to self-giving. Many remain without a human family often due to conditions of poverty. 1616 This is what the Apostle Paul makes clear when he says: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her," adding at once: "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. 1644 The love of the spouses requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses' community of persons, which embraces their entire life: "so they are no longer two, but one flesh. CIC, can. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. Mk 12:25; 1 Cor 7:31. It is a lifelong union, ending only with the death of one spouse. 1664 Unity, indissolubility, and openness to fertility are essential to marriage. 1610 Moral conscience concerning the unity and indissolubility of marriage developed under the pedagogy of the old law. According to the original divine plan this conjugal union is indissoluble, as Jesus Christ affirmed: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Mark 10:9). Eph 5:32. CIC, can. . Mt 19:3-12. The doors of homes, the "domestic churches," and of the great family which is the Church must be open to all of them. “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” (Mark 10:11-12). In our present rite, several elements recall that early stage of the celebration of marriage: the ceremony of the "Crowning" starts, as does the Liturgy, with the exclamation "Blessed is the Kingdom," and the rite itself includes such elements as the singing of the "Our Father" followed by the couple's participation in a common cup of wine. . Gen 1:26-27. 105 Cf. If the non-Catholic was baptized in a non-Catholic church, she needs documentation verifying Baptism. The spouses are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage because the mark—the external sign—of the sacrament is not the wedding Mass or anything the priest might do but the marriage contract itself. 126 Cf. GS 47 § 2. 1103. FC 21. 168 LG 11; cf. 1621 In the Latin Rite the celebration of marriage between two … Its lifelong nature and exclusiveness are guaranteed by contract. John Hardon explains in his Pocket Catholic Dictionary, there are four elements common to natural marriage throughout history: It is a union of opposite sexes. CIC, cann. The example and teaching given by parents and families remain the special form of this preparation. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.146, 1641 "By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God. They become a sign of the absolute supremacy of Christ’s love and of the ardent expectation of his glorious return. In this difficult situation, the best solution would be, if possible, reconciliation. PART TWO . The sacrament of matrimony consist of the marriage contract, so that for Christians the contract and the sacrament are inseparable. 1 Cor 7:16. "154 This human communion is confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in Jesus Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony. Their union has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation. 1609 In his mercy God has not forsaken sinful man. 117 Cf. 1623 According to Latin tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church. This disorder can manifest itself more or less acutely, and can be more or less overcome according to the circumstances of cultures, eras, and individuals, but it does seem to have a universal character. 116 Cf. God said to them in blessing “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). CCEO, can. The seven sacraments are as follows: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Holy Orders.... Of all the sacraments, the sacrament of marriage is the most controversial because it was not included in the original sacraments. Christ himself elevated the natural institution of marriage to the dignity of a sacrament during his public ministry. Acts 16:31; Acts 11:14. Polygamy is incompatible with the unity of marriage; divorce separates what God has joined together; the refusal of fertility turns married life away from its "supreme gift," the child (GS 50 § 1). Through the sacrament, the indissolubility of marriage receives a new and deeper meaning. Anyone besides the priest, pope, arch bishops can marry as long as they can be happy together forever. LG 42; PC 12; OT 10. 132 Cf. 1660 The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. 141 Cf. 2,8,6-7:PL 1,1412-1413; cf. 1095-1107. 1125. . 101 Cf. "171 Here one learns endurance and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous - even repeated - forgiveness, and above all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH, CHAPTER THREE "152, The unity and indissolubility of marriage. 99 Cf. This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:25, 32). Matrimony being a sacrament in which the contracting parties themselves are the ministers, it is plain that its essential forms must be expressed not in Latin but in the vernacular, and this fact alone at once introduces a certain element of divergence. 1657 It is here that the father of the family, the mother, children, and all members of the family exercise the priesthood of the baptized in a privileged way "by the reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and self-denial and active charity. Matrimonial consent is given when a man and a woman manifest the will to give themselves to each other irrevocably in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love. 102 Cf. 156 Cf. 124 Cf. It excludes a union with … 86 1 Cor 7:39; cf. 1 Cor 10:17. 94 Gen 2:24. According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the, Through ecumenical dialogue Christian communities in many regions have been able to put into effect a, In marriages with disparity of cult the Catholic spouse has a particular task: "For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband.". So, even at a natural level, a lack of commitment to these four elements means that no marriage has taken place. Gen 2:24. The sacrament of marriage is thus in a sense a deifying of the conjugal union, a means of translating into action the unity and the divine character which God imposes in the sacrament. FC 28. 161 FC 84. The Church permits the physical separation of spouses when for serious reasons their living together becomes practically impossible, even though there may be hope for their reconciliation. "84, 1602 Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb. 1627 The consent consists in a "human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each other": "I take you to be my wife" - "I take you to be my husband. GS 22. 157 GS 48 § 1. The grace that is poured out in that sacrament, allowing one each of those very different creatures, men and women, to cleave to each other and make a new little world, is grace aimed at forming a society. 154 FC 19. 145 GS 48 § 2. 107 Mt 19:6. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. John Hardon explains in his Pocket Catholic Dictionary, there are four elements common to natural marriage throughout history: 1. It is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated in the public liturgy of the Church; - Marriage introduces one into an ecclesial order, and creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children; - Since marriage is a state of life in the Church, certainty about it is necessary (hence the obligation to have witnesses); - The public character of the consent protects the "I do" once given and helps the spouses remain faithful to it. The Church, since she is faithful to her Lord, cannot recognize the union of people who are civilly divorced and remarried. Hos 1-3; Isa 54; 62; Jer 2-3; 31; Ezek 16; 23; Mal 2:13-17. It is imperative to give suitable and timely instruction to young people, above all in the heart of their own families, about the dignity of married love, its role and its exercise, so that, having learned the value of chastity, they will be able at a suitable age to engage in honorable courtship and enter upon a marriage of their own.136. Mk 10:9. 1620 Both the sacrament of Matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself. Matrimony, or Marriage, is another sacrament that consecrates for a particular mission in building up the Church, and that provides grace for accomplishing that mission. The marital union of man and woman, which is founded and endowed with its own proper laws by the Creator, is by its very nature ordered to the communion and good of the couple and to the generation and education of children. 142 Cf. 1632 So that the "I do" of the spouses may be a free and responsible act and so that the marriage covenant may have solid and lasting human and Christian foundations, preparation for marriage is of prime importance. Pope Paul VI wrote: “By it [the Sacrament of Matrimony] husband and wife are strengthened and…consecrated for the faithful accomplishment of their proper duties, for the carrying out of their proper vocation even to perfection, and the Christian witness which is proper to them before the whole world” (Humanae Vitae, n. 25). 1063. Several reasons converge to explain this requirement:134. 135 Cf. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia domestica.168 It is in the bosom of the family that parents are "by word and example . LG 6. Toward Christians who live in this situation, and who often keep the faith and desire to bring up their children in a Christian manner, priests and the whole community must manifest an attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider themselves separated from the Church, in whose life they can and must participate as baptized persons: Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. 1666 The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. Eph 5:31-32. . GS 48 § 1). Since it signifies and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the New Covenant..112. 1635 According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.137 In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage.138 This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.139. GE 3. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Spouses who with God's grace give this witness, often in very difficult conditions, deserve the gratitude and support of the ecclesial community.158, 1649 Yet there are some situations in which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons. For this reason (or for other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed. These renounce the great good of Matrimony to concentrate on the things of the Lord and seek to please him. Gen 3:21. They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's grace.161, 1652 "By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory. IV. Eph 5:26-27. 162 GS 48 § 1; 50. Through the sacrament of Matrimony the spouses are enabled to represent this fidelity and witness to it. For a valid marriage the consent must have as its object true Matrimony, and be a human act which is conscious and free and not determined by duress or coercion. What are the chief duties of husband and wife in the married state? 167 Cf. The chief duties of husband and … 113 Cf. 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