Matrimony
Matrimony (better known as marriage) is all about covenant.
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While most people think of marriage today as a contract
(it’s often referred to civilly as the “marriage contract”), the
Church views it as a covenant. Here’s the difference: a contract is an
exchange for goods or services. You do this for me and I’ll remunerate
you with this. On the other hand, a covenant is an exchange of persons,
fully and completely. I give myself to you and you give yourself to me.
We see a perfect example of this in Scripture. “You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.” (Jeremiah 30:22)
The beginning of the Catechism’s section on Matrimony bears this out.
“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.” (CCC 1601)
A marriage is meant to mirror the love of Christ for His Church. The
Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with
the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament
thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indis-
Finally, St. Paul gives a treatise on marriage in Ephesians 5. “Be subordinate
to one another out of reverence for Christ…Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ loved the Church…This is a great mystery, but I
speak in reference to Christ and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:21,25,32)
For further study:
CCC 1601-1666
Ephesians 5:21-33