Marriage is the bond of unity between a man and a woman for the purpose of expressing their love, the acceptance of offsprings, and mutual support. This bond of marriage is instituted by God since the foundation of the world and it is expressed in different cultures of the world. The bond of marriage, therefore, constantly bears the mark of divinity since God wishes it to last forever and its foretaste dwells in the eternal kingdom in heaven. Marriage, however, has been raised to a sacrament by Christ himself. It is a divine union of Christ the bridegroom, with the Church the bride. In the bond of marriage the spouses experience Christ and make him the centre of their home. Marriage as a sacrament implies that it is a covenant and not a contract. Marriage as a covenant “refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God.”
Marriage in its entirety is a journey of love willingly embarked upon by two adults – a male and a female. This journey requires the entire being and presence of each spouse. It becomes a new life lived together. Like every journey, each person must be prepared, ready and willing to take up the duties, tasks, and responsibilities that the married state ordinarily assigns to those in it. This journey of love is not an individual journey, thus it abhors all forms of individualism, whether subtle or pronounced. In simple terms, marriage is a team game which requires the efforts of each ‘player’ for a successful result. But in marriage, the couple should be careful not to look for successes or victories, rather their major concern is to make their marriage work at each moment of the day. It is at this point that I would admonish you to make it a constant and daily decision to always love your spouse.
The uncertain nature of marriage further makes it an imperative for each spouse to be prepared for whatever the future holds. That is why the couple have to receive their child(ren) as gifts from the hands of God and work together to bring up the child(ren) in the fear of God and respect for our common humanity. Other uncertainties can occur in marriage such as sickness and bankruptcy, but these uncertainties should not give any spouse the option to leave because marriage will always be for better or for worse.
Finally, dearly beloved, never allow one person to bear the burden of marriage alone. Together, every marriage can work.
Fr. Ubong Inyang
Parrocchia di San Vittore Martire
Casorate Primo, Italia.
Father Inyang is the brother of one our Pre-Cana team members.
Footnotes
1 Cfr. CCC 1601.
2 Cfr. CCC 1602 – 1603.
3 Cfr. Diocese of Superior, Sacrament of Marriage in https://catholicdos.org/marriage (Assessed 04 Sept. 24).
4. Ivi.
5. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Matrimony in https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/matrimony (Assessed 04 Sept. 24)
6. We should note that today there are men who have transformed themselves to become women and vice versa but the Church does not recognise such persons as legible for marriage as intended by the Creator.
7. These are part of the vows the couple make on the day of marriage.
Pre-Cana Savannah 