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The Sacrament of Marriage 

Matrimony is a sacrament and as such it is a sign to the world of the invisible God living in our midst - the living God who bears fruit in the lives of two people.

A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible reality. Matrimony is a sacrament and as such it is a sign to the world of the invisible God living in our midst - the living God who bears fruit in the lives of two people. They are a continual sign of His Power in the world. There is special grace and power within every couple God has joined together. Everything they do singly or together, is a living out of their sacrament. Simple things like washing dishes, running a sweeper, driving to work, struggling to make a living, budgeting a small salary to meet big expenses - yes, these and all the other facets of life together, have power hidden within them to make them holy. Married life is the ground of holiness, love is the seed planted by God. Life together with its agonies and joys, pain and sacrifices, frustrations and tensions, moments of exultation and despair, all act as the rain and sun, thunder and lightning on a young sprout. 

Family life is the backbone of mankind and that life is dependent upon mutual giving, sharing and receiving from each other. It entails the proper use of each other's successes and failures for mutual up building. The brick and mortar stage of any building is not beautiful, but without it no permanent building is possible. Pieces of wood and boxes of nails are a far cry from a beautiful finished cabinet, but those pieces of wood are the cabinet - those loose bricks, bonded together, are the building. So it is with a married couple: everyday frustrations - grinding faults, worries and tensions, success and failure all make up and build that beautiful edifice of family life and living. Though all seems fruitless and without purpose; though day to day endurance succeeds in tying us down to hum-drum living; though boredom takes hold of our hearts with an icy hand; God's providence counts every tear, picks up every scrap and washes away every failure. We may think all is lost, or we have failed, but if we could see ourselves In His Eyes we would see the wisdom of His Will. If we would cooperate with Him and try to bring good out of every evil, we would be more aware of our soul changing, our faith growing stronger, our hope more secure and our love deepening. We would see the Spirit working in every facet of life, be it ever so painful.

There should be in the life of every married couple a continual building of the Sacrament. Since a sacrament brings God's Presence to us in a special way, this Presence in their Sacrament should be an ongoing living experience. They should daily place themselves in this awesome Presence by placing themselves before God in a daily encounter of love and need. If a married couple would begin their day hand in hand and silently place themselves before His Presence, become aware of that Presence around them and within them, absorb the beautiful qualities of God that they feel in need of, ask His blessing on their new day and then make the sign of the cross on each other's forehead as a sign of anointing - that day would begin in His Love, and that love, stronger than death, would hold them up no matter what happened. 

In every Sacrament there is the Presence of God. This Living Sacrament of Matrimony must find its source in the fountain of Living Water, the Divine Presence, if it is to manifest that Presence to the world. A couple, in Jesus, is a real witness of the power of God in our midst. It is a concrete example of the life of the Trinity 

We can see that since God has designed matrimony as a Sacrament, those who are joined together possess unique, personal qualities that each should share and help transform to supernatural levels in each other. That invisible Presence that binds them together must become visible by their love for each other, their family life, their growth in holiness, their concern for the needs of others, their faithfulness and their perseverance in daily good. 

In the Evangelical Catholic Church's commitment to help couples called to the vocation of marriage is unconditional.  In this journey towards to the sacrament of matrimony, the Church sets aside time to spend with each couple as they prepare themselves to receive this sacrament.  These six sessions of sacramental preparations are indeed sacred times for grace and reflection. 

If you and your loved one feel called to enter into the vocation of marriage, please permit us the opportunity of sharing this journey with you.

 

Matters Related to the Sacrament of Marriage:

Grants of Marital Dissolution and Remarriage 

Marriage of Couples of Other Catholic Traditions 

Marriage of Couples from Outside of the Catholic Tradition 

Marriage of Gender Common Couples

 

National Church Office
Post Office Box 170336  Chicago Illinois  60617-0336
(T)  773-721-5383   (F)  773-721-2581

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