Matrimony is a holy sacrament, officiated by a priest, of uniting a man to a woman. Through this holy sacrament, the man and woman become one, for as the Lord Jesus said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate”
(Matthew 19:5,6).
St. Paul expressed the sanctity of the Sacrament of Christian Matrimony, saying, “This is a great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32), and, “Marriage is honourable among all and the bed undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4).
1. Cooperation between man and woman
The Lord God said: “It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18), “Woman was created for the man” (Corinthians 11:9), ‘Comparable to him’ meaning similar to him and equal to him, helping him and supporting him in all things
2. Procreation
To preserve humankind from extinction. Bearing children makes the couple rejoice, and fills the house with joy and strengthens the marital relationship. David says in the Psalm, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them” (Psalm 127:3-5), and, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine, in the very heart of your house, behold thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord” (Psalm 128:3-6).
3. Protection against adultery and fornication
St. Paul mentioned: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman, not to marry. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality let each man have his own wife, and let each woman has her own husband ... For it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7). Marriage is the remedy for human weakness, for keeping oneself virtuous, and preventing sexual immorality, which God detests.
Christian Marriage elevates the bodily union to become a spiritual union, through the Holy Spirit,The Holy Spirit works in the couple during the marital ceremony, through prayers and faith to unite them in the Lord.
Through the commitments made by the bride and groom in fulfilling the commandments of marriage, and the work of the Holy Spirit, the two partners become one.
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