MEETING JESUS IN

THE SACRAMENTS
CHAPTER 9
THE SACRAMENT OF
MATRIMONY

Helping Each Other

Grow in Love
God established marriage for:

UNITY
PROCREATION
The focus of Matrimony for those who receive
this sacrament is on others, not themselves.

An Intimate
Communion
Man and woman have
been created as one, to
be one.
Original Sin ruptured
this original
communion.
Man and woman pledge
to love each other in
Christ.
Scriptures read during
the Ceremony begin
with the creation of man
and woman and end
with the wedding feast
of the Lamb.

Understanding the
Sacrament of Matrimony
It is not good for the man to be alone.
The Chosen People longed for the unity and
indissolubility of marriage.
Old Testament speaks of the sacredness of
marriage in Ruth, Tobit, and Song of Songs.
The history of marriage is affected by human
sinfulness.

Marriage in the
New Covenant
Christ taught that marriage was originally
meant to be indissoluble.
St Paul: relationship between a husband
and wife takes on the same intimate
relationship that Christ has with the
Church.
Aquinas and Scotus: bride and groom are
the ministers of the sacrament.
Council of Trent: marriage confers grace.

The
Sacrament of
Marriage
Today

Vatican II: only

marriage between
baptized Christians
can be a sacrament
Christian marriage is
to help both spouses
grow in spiritual
perfection
It is the means
through which the
couple serves the
Church and society

Celebrating the Sacrament

of Matrimony
Rite for Celebrating Marriage During Mass
Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside Mass
Rite for Celebrating Between a Catholic and an Unbaptized Person

The Church strongly recommends and often

requires engaged couples to attend a marriage
program before getting married.

Celebrating the Sacrament

of Matrimony

Free Consent

Exchange of Vows

Have you come here freely

and without reservation to
give yourselves to each
other in marriage?
Will you honor each other
as man and wife for the rest
of your lives?
Will you accept children
lovingly from God, and bring
them up according to the
law of Christ and his
Church?

I, N., take you, N., 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.

Celebrating the
Sacrament
of Matrimony

Blessing and
Exchange of
Rings
Nuptial
Blessing
Holy
Communion
Blessing at
the End of
Mass

The Graces of the

Sacrament of Matrimony
The loving and faithful relationship between a husband and
wife is now the visible sign of the loving and faithful
relationship between Christ and his Church.

The graces of the sacrament help the spouses grow in love

and holiness as they meet the challenges of daily life.

Communion
between
Spouses
In marriage, man
and woman
become one.
True communion
between spouses
is always fruitful.
If sexual intimacy
is to image God, it
must always be
faithful.

Communion in Christ
Christian spouses
share in the life of the
Blessed Trinity so that
they may be
transformed by
holiness and become
more divine.
Marriage becomes a
way of discipleship.

Family Communion
Matrimony helps Christian families mirror the love
between Christ and his Church so completely that the
family actually becomes a domestic church.

The Graces of the

Sacrament of Matrimony
Christian families can
promote faith and
evangelization, both at
home and with others.
Christians families can help
serve the needs of the
parish.

Husbands and wives

participate in the development
of society by educating their
children.
Christian families participate in
politics, especially with a view
to promoting and safeguarding
family values in society.
Christian families work to build
a more just and peaceful
society.

Christian Marriage: A Sign of

Gods Eternal Covenant with
Humanity
Matrimony is a covenant by which a man
and a woman establish between themselves
a partnership of their whole life.

What God has joined together, no human

being must separate.

Openness to
New Life
Both husband and
wife are open to
the fertility that
can result from
their sexual
union.
Natural Family
Planning: a
Churchsanctioned
method for
spacing
pregnancy.

The Unity of
Marriage
In marriage the
physical intimacy of
the spouses becomes
a sign and pledge of
spiritual communion.
Sacramental marriage
is an efficacious sign
of Christs presence.
Sacramental marriage
is a sign of the future
union between God
and humanity.

Margaret of Scotland
An outstanding
example of a wife and
mother who
understood that
marriage is a
Sacrament at the
Service of
Communion.