Marriage as a Vocation and Covenant
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Marriage as a Vocation and Covenant

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Questions and Answers

What is the nature of marriage according to the text?

  • A social institution defined by government policies
  • A covenant between a baptized man and woman (correct)
  • A legal contract without spiritual significance
  • A temporary agreement between two people

    • How is marriage viewed as a vocation?

  • It is a response to a call from God to enter into a union. (correct)
  • It is a societal expectation that must be fulfilled.
  • It is an individual choice made without divine influence.
  • It is merely a legal obligation between two parties.

    • What role does divine grace play in marriage?

  • It complicates the relationship unnecessarily.
  • It is irrelevant to the union.
  • It assists in creating a lifelong partnership. (correct)
  • It is only for the benefit of children.

    • What does Pope Francis state about marriage?

    <p>It is an imperfect sign of the love between Christ and the Church.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the ultimate goal of marriage as described in the text?

    <p>To foster a partnership for the good of spouses and raise children</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What challenges does modern society pose to marriage?

    <p>Forces that weaken the marital bond</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the vocation to marriage challenge couples to do?

    <p>Express God’s truth and love in the world</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what way is marriage characterized beyond the wedding celebration?

    <p>As a deep union with spiritual significance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary purpose of marriage according to the concept of sanctification?

    <p>To help each other attain heaven</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is meant by the term 'covenantal love' in the context of marriage?

    <p>A steadfast and unconditional love initiated by God</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what way did God’s covenant with the Israelites relate to the concept of marriage?

    <p>It signifies a partnership that mirrors marital commitment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does the New Testament fulfill the concept of covenant in connection with marriage?

    <p>Through Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does St. Paul teach about marriage in relation to Christ's covenant with his people?

    <p>Marriage is a direct representation of the covenant with Christ</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of marriage is emphasized as foundational to human reality?

    <p>A life-long commitment of total intimacy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does it mean for marriage to be described as a 'partnership of the whole life'?

    <p>It encompasses mutual acceptance and sharing of all life aspects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the creation account, why was it deemed not good for man to be alone?

    <p>He needed a suitable partner for intimacy and companionship</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following attributes are considered essential characteristics of marriage?

    <p>Sacred, permanent, and fruitful</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of spouses pledging 'until death do us part'?

    <p>It represents a commitment to lifelong partnership</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'one body' in marriage signify?

    <p>An intimate partnership of life and love within the couple</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the role of God in the institution of marriage as described in the content?

    <p>To call man and woman to love one another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does the text describe the relationship between man and woman?

    <p>A suitable partnership that enriches both partners</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one purpose of marriage mentioned in the content?

    <p>To achieve mutual love, support, and unity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does creating man in 'God’s image and likeness' imply about marriage?

    <p>Marriage reflects God's love and calls for unconditional love between couples</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What three levels of unity are expressed in a marriage according to the content?

    <p>Physical, psychological, and spiritual</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'one body' symbolize in the context of marriage?

    <p>The emotional and spiritual integration of two lives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is required for the process of 'becoming one body' in a marriage?

    <p>Equality between man and woman</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What significant event does Jesus’ presence at the Wedding at Cana symbolize?

    <p>The sanctification and dignity of marriage</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the teachings presented, what is the primary emphasis of fidelity in marriage?

    <p>Exclusively reserving love for one another</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the quality of indissolubility in marriage signify?

    <p>The marriage bond remains until death</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the first described quality of marriage according to Jesus' teachings?

    <p>Unity between partners</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What passage from the Bible reflects Jesus' view on the permanence of marriage?

    <p>Matthew 19: 3-6</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best captures the essence of how marriage was transformed by Christ?

    <p>It was elevated to a sacrament</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept does marriage as a sacrament primarily express?

    <p>The unbreakable bond of love between Christ and his people</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What begins the sacramental celebration of marriage?

    <p>The public declaration of commitment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is marriage described in the context of ongoing married life?

    <p>A process involving growth and journey together</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do the vows in the sacrament of marriage signify?

    <p>A binding commitment before God and community</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does grace play in a sacramental marriage?

    <p>It provides spiritual support for faithfulness and parenting</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what way can a couple's life become sacramental?

    <p>By cooperating with God's action in their lives</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the essential characteristics of sacramental marriage?

    <p>The exclusive and permanent love relationship</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the grace of the sacrament enable married couples to do?

    <p>Serve others beyond their immediate family</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Marriage as a Vocation

    • Marriage is not simply a social or legal institution; it's a Christian vocation: a call from God to build a lifelong, intimate, and sacramental partnership.
    • The decision to marry is a process of vocational discernment, a response to a call to experience conjugal love as a sign of Christ's love for the Church.
    • The vocation to marriage is a call to holiness and service within the couple's relationship and family.
    • It challenges a couple to live their marriage in a way that expresses God's truth and love in the world.
    • This vocation primarily calls spouses to help lead each other and their children to attain heaven.
    • The "work" of marriage is sanctification and pursuing holiness, assisting each other and their children in their journey to salvation.

    Marriage as a Covenant

    • Marriage is a covenant, a solemn commitment initiated by God.
    • God's unconditional and steadfast love for his people is the model for the loving union of husband and wife.
    • The unconditional love in marriage is described as "covenantal love."
    • Covenantal love in marriage can be traced back to the Old Testament, where God made covenants with Abraham, Moses, and the Israelites.
    • In the New Testament, Christ fulfills God's covenant.
    • St. Paul taught that marriage is a pre-eminent symbol (or sacrament) of the covenant that Christ has with his people.
    • Marriage is a commitment by which spouses pledge to each other all aspects of their lives “until death do us part,” just as God is faithful to his commitment of love to his chosen people.
    • Marriage is a “partnership of the whole life” in which spouses “mutually hand over and accept each other.”
    • Marriage is a covenant because it's:
      • A foundational human reality built into the nature of man and woman.
      • A lifelong commitment of total conjugal intimacy and self-giving.
      • Patterned after God's unconditional love calling us to a covenant of loving one another and sharing God's love.

    Marriage in God's Plan

    • The story of creation reveals God's intention for man and woman to live in a communion of life and love.  
    • God created man and woman in His image and likeness, calling them into existence out of love and calling them to love.
    • God instituted marriage in Genesis when he brought the woman to the man. The man recognized her as his complementary "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."
    • This passage highlights the naturalness of the communion of man and woman, the love and relationship that should bind them.
    • The creation account emphasizes the suitability between male and female in a union blessed by God.
    • God's search for a suitable partner for man: "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him."
    • The creation of woman from the man's rib signifies her unique role as his complement, completing his creation.
    • The account emphasizes that the creation of man is made complete only by the creation of a woman.
    • This creation account expresses the personal purpose of marriage: the unitive purpose of mutual love, support, and unity.

    One Body

    • The phrase "one flesh" signifies the physical and intimate unity of man and woman, the sharing of life and love.
    • In marriage, the husband and wife are united at all levels: physical, psychological, and spiritual.
    • There is a complete sharing of life where their thoughts, ideals, hopes, and destinies become intertwined.

    Become

    • Wedding day is the start of the lifelong process of "becoming one body," a gradual transformation from "I" and "You" to "We."
    • Equality between man and woman is the basic condition of this process.

    Marriage in the New Testament

    • Christ elevated marriage to a sacrament.
    • Jesus' presence at the Wedding at Cana affirms the significance of marriage in human life.
    • Jesus' first public act sanctions marriage, reaffirms its dignity, and sanctifies the natural love of man for woman.
    • Jesus worked a miracle at Cana, making marriage a vehicle of divine grace.
    • Jesus' teaching on divorce in Matthew 19:3-6 clearly affirms the indissolubility of the marital bond.
    • Jesus forbids divorce and remarriage.

    Qualities of Marriage in the New Testament

    • Unity: One man is united to one woman, acting as one in times of both joy and crises.
    • Fidelity: The married couple reserve their love entirely and exclusively for each other. It involves not simply avoiding adultery but actively growing in trust and love.
    • Indissolubility - The marriage bond is not broken until the death of one person.

    Marriage as a Sacrament

    • The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament because the couple's relationship expresses the unbreakable bond of love between Christ and his people.
    • Marriage becomes a sign or symbol that reveals Jesus and communicates his divine life and love.

    Sacramental Celebration of Marriage

    • The sacrament of marriage begins when a man and a woman stand before God and the community and declare their commitment to love each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
    • Through these words, the marrying partners enter a binding commitment before God and the Church community.
    • This public declaration, vowing their exclusive and permanent love relationship, makes marriage a sacrament— an efficacious sign of Christ's redemptive love for the marrying partners, their expected offspring, and the community.

    Ongoing Married Life

    • Marriage is a process, not a state, a beginning, not an end.
    • It is a commitment between a man and a woman to love each other and journey to God together, growing in love and attaining salvation together.
    • In the Sacrament of Marriage, God gives couples the grace of holiness to achieve their commitment.
    • In a sacramental marriage, God's love becomes present to the spouses in their total union and also flows through them to their family and community.
    • Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple cooperates with God's action in their life and sees themselves as living "in Christ" and Christ living and acting in their relationship, attitudes and actions.
    • The grace of the sacrament helps spouses to be faithful and to be good parents.
    • It helps a couple to serve others beyond their immediate family and to show the community that a loving and lasting marriage is both desirable and possible.

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    Description

    Explore the profound understanding of marriage as both a vocation and a covenant initiated by God. This quiz discusses the sanctifying journey of a married couple and their role in leading each other towards holiness and salvation, reflecting God's love in their relationship. Delve into the significance of marriage in the Christian faith.

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