Marriage

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Ephesians 5:15

At its most basic level, marriage is a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation and mutual love and support.

In the Catholic Church, marriage is considered to be more than a natural institution. It was elevated by Christ Himself, in His participation in the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), to be one of the seven Sacraments. A marriage between two Christians, therefore, has a supernatural element as well as a natural one.

The ministers of the Sacrament of Marriage are the spouses themselves, because the mark - the external sign - of the Sacrament is not the wedding Mass, but the marriage contract itself. This does not mean the wedding license that the couple receives, but the vows that each spouse makes to the other. As long as each spouse intends to contract a true marriage, the Sacrament is performed.

The effect of the Sacrament is an increase in sanctifying grace for the spouses, a participation in the divine life of God Himself.

Published on Jul 26, 2011

Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Bishop Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit http://www.wordonfire.org/

Published on Jul 13, 2017

Recently, I had the great good pleasure of presiding at the wedding of my niece, Bryna and her now husband, Nelson. While we rejoice in their love for each other, the fact that they have now become living symbols of Christ the Bridegroom’s ecstatic love for his Bride, the Church is reason, in the very deepest sense, to give thanks.

Published on Nov 10, 2011

BustedHalo.com's fantastic introduction to the Sacraments series: Why do we have to have a Catholic wedding? Why does it take so long to get married in the Church? Why does the Church insist we have children?

These questions and more are answered in this edition of "Sacraments 101," a web video series geared for those who'd like an introduction or refresher course on these important, tangible Catholic experiences of God.

Published on Mar 31, 2014

BustedHalo.com's introduction to the Sacraments series continues when Fr. Steven Bell, CSP, answers more questions about getting married in the Catholic Church: Can we have a destination wedding? What kind of music can we use? What if we're already living together? What if we're divorced?

These questions and more are answered in this edition of "Sacraments 201," a web video series geared for those who'd like an introduction or refresher course on these important, tangible Catholic experiences of God.