1. Marriage A vocation Chapter 12 p. 256

2. The Gift of the Magi p.258

3. What does getting married involve for us?

4. United States Wedding Culture

5. Wedding Money: What Does the Average Wedding Cost? Q. What is the cost of an average wedding today? I've heard it's around $20,000. Is this off base? A. Though it depends on where you live, that figure's really not that far off -- it's actually a little low. In a recent survey conducted by The Knot, it was revealed that the average wedding is now about $27,800. However, bear in mind that weddings cost more in large urban areas. This figure also includes those lucky brides and grooms who get $40,000- and-up weddings thrown for them, so that does slightly bring up the average.

6. What does the sacrament of marriage celebrate? 1.Mutual Self Giving 2.Faithfulness 3.Becoming one’s real self 4.Creativity

7. Mutual Self Giving p.261 God is revealed GOD is revealed in human love and friendship God is the source of all love and this is evident specifically in marriage Jesus’ sacrifice of his life heals, transforms and nurtures human existence.

8. Marriage is a gift of self…freely bestowed.. WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE MUCH TO OFFER ANOTHER PERSON AND DESERVE THAT PERSON’S RESPECT IN RETURN It is not about the ring, the dress, the status, This continues to our children..we are trapped in a consumerism mindset The Christian version of marriage is focused on the gift of self Sexual intercourse is only for marriage because it is done within the total commitment framework of marriage

9. Covenant Is a solemn promise between 2 parties

10. # 2 The Faithfulness of a Covenant Christ and his Church are the models Sexual Fidelity Permanence Constancy Loving Confrontation Lived Values

11. # 3 Becoming One’s Real Self Married partners become persons they neer would have become if they were not married to each other God has “given” them to each other to fulfill their own destiny

12. # 4 Creativity Sharing love and selves with others so not to become stagnate and self absorbed Children are a blessing and are central to the meaning of a Catholic marriage Where faith is nurtured IN THE FAMILY A spirit of welcoming and hospitality to making God’s love and peace a reality in the world.

13. The Ritual: Symbolic Actions and Words The couple is the PRIMARY symbol..they are the MINISTERS of the sacrament! Not the priest. Sexual Relationship is the most powerful ritual which brings children into your life The community of people is a symbol of the support and presence of the community

14. The Ritual is Adaptable Mass or no Mass Location When would it be a good idea not to have a wedding mass?

15. Common elements  Liturgy of the word  Consent (without free consent the marriage DOES NOT EXIST)  Blessing and Exchange of the rings  Nuptial blessings  Final Blessing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Sgdy60MpI

16. Customs and Traditions  Personalize the wedding, music, readings, etc.  Cultural variations …read 276  Ancient roots

17. Matrimony’s History From the beginning Christians viewed marriage as sacred. Marriages took place as part of your particular culture Couples asked Bishops to bless their marriage 7 th to 11 th Centuries—church becomes more involved….why?

18. History continued… By the 13 th century marriage was viewed as a sacrament Although marriage was sacred in the early church a man was allowed to divorce his wife if she was unfatihfull… but not visa versa…WHATTTTT??????? TG Sts. Augustine and Ambrose set things straight in the 4 th century

19. Annulment and Divorce The Church recognizes that sometimes a marriage is not a “valid” sacrament.  Dishonesty  Mental or psychological issues The church will “annul” the marriage because the marriage never existed “sacramentally”

20. Divorce A divorce dissolves a marriage that existed. It is granted by civil authorities. The Catholic Church maintains that a valid sacramental marriage cannot be DISOLVED or ANNULLED.