1. Chapter 6 Called to Married Life

2. Marriage and Family at the Service of Communion Pope John Paul II wrote that marriage and family are at the service of communion by: forming a community of persons serving life participating in the development of society sharing in the life and mission of the Church.

3. Married Couples as Witnesses to God’s Faithful Love By their witness of faithful love, married couples are actually witnesses to God’s faithful love. Married couples do this in so many ways: through their communication and respect for each other by the sacrifices they are willing to make for their spouses by their willingness to grow in their understanding of themselves and the other

4. Witnesses to God’s Faithful Love by the priorities they place on the welfare, happiness, and health of their spouse by the value they give to family – extended and immediate.

5. Married Couples Share Faith With Children Those married couples blessed with the gift of children are called to share their faith with their children by: creating special times or rituals of prayer in the home teaching their children the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong modeling choices made based upon Christian values making participation in the Mass a priority observing Church seasons and feasts in the home and parish creating an environment of trust and hope.

6. Quick Check What does it mean that God is relational?

7. Quick Check What does it mean that God is relational? The nature of our God is relational for he is a communion of three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The members of the Trinity model for us how to love and live in relationship with others.

8. Quick Check Why is how you love important?

9. Quick Check Why is how you love important? True happiness and meaning come from the daily choices we make to love ourselves, others, and God.

10. Quick Check What did Pope John Paul II say about marriage being a sacrament at the service of communion?

11. Quick Check What did Pope John Paul II say about marriage being a sacrament at the service of communion? Pope John Paul II called the family a “ school of deeper humanity ” and all members have the responsibility of building, day by day, the communion of persons. Marriage is a sacrament of communion by forming a community of persons, serving life, participating in the development of society, and sharing in the life and mission of the Church.

12. Quick Check How do married couples witness God ’ s faithful love?

13. Quick Check How do married couples witness God ’ s faithful love? Married couples witness God ’ s faithful love through their commitment and respect for each other, by the sacrifices they are willing to make for their spouse, by their willingness to grow in understanding of themselves and others, by the priorities they place on each other ’ s welfare, and by the value they place on family. Married couples with children are also called to share their faith with their children.

14. The Core Meaning of Marriage Marriage is a solemn promise, a sacred covenant like the one God has made with us. It is a bond of unity between one man and one woman, a bond that is of God from the very beginning of creation, a bond that should never be broken. It is mutual promise of a lifetime of faithful love, a shared commitment.

15. Quick Check What do the creation accounts reveal about men and women and their relationship to each other?

16. Quick Check What do the creation accounts reveal about men and women and their relationship to each other? The creation accounts reveal that we have been created in God ’ s image with the same human dignity, and different from each other, male and female. They indicate the close bond between men and women, who are different from other creatures.

17. Quick Check What were the societal and religious understandings of marriage in the time of Jesus, and how did Jesus’ teachings counter those understandings?

18. Quick Check What were the societal and religious understandings of marriage in the time of Jesus, and how did Jesus ’ teachings counter those understandings? In Jesus ’ time, marriage was a vehicle for ensuring the birth and care of children, and transferring of property to the next generation. Divorce and living together outside of marriage were common. A husband could divorce his wife, but a wife needed her husband ’ s consent to obtain a divorce. Fidelity was supposed to characterize a marriage, which represented God ’ s sacred union with his people. (see next slide)

19. Quick Check Jesus said that what God has joined together, no one should separate. Jesus taught about love and respect for women, and stood in defense of the adulterous woman and Samaritan woman at the well. At the Wedding at Cana, both Mary and Jesus violated social taboos in order to demonstrate charity towards a neighbor. In the kingdom Jesus came to establish, women and men were seen as equals.

20. Quick Check Why is the image of Christ as the bridegroom important to a Christian perspective of marriage?

21. Quick Check Why is the image of Christ as the bridegroom important to a Christian perspective of marriage? The image of Christ as the bridegroom is important because it identifies the depth of faithful, giving love between husband and wife and it stresses the unity and sacred bond that the two of them share.

22. Quick Check Why is marriage a sacred covenant?

23. Quick Check Why is marriage a sacred covenant? Marriage is a sacred covenant because it reflects the lasting, faithful, and complete way God loves each of us and wants us to love one another.

24. What Makes a Marriage Valid For a marriage to be valid, the man and woman must: both freely give their consent to be married to the other person intend to remain married for life be open to having and raising children.

25. Sacramental Grace of Marriage The sacramental grace of marriage: perfects their human love strengthens their indissoluble bond sanctifies them on their journey to heaven provides help so that they may carry out their privileges and responsibilities as spouses and parents.

27. Quick Check What is required for a marriage to be valid in the Church?

28. Quick Check What is required for a marriage to be valid in the Church? For a marriage to be valid, the man and woman must both freely give their consent to be married to the other person, intend to remain married for life, and be open to having and raising children. They must also be free to marry (not married to someone else), be at least the minimum age required by the diocese and the state, and not be a close relative.

29. Quick Check Why is it necessary for both parties to be baptized in order for marriage to be a sacrament?

30. Quick Check Why is it necessary for both parties to be baptized in order for marriage to be a sacrament? Christian marriage is a sign of the couple ’ s love for each other and for Christ and his Church; it is also a sign of Christ ’ s union with his Bride, the Church.

31. Quick Check What is the sacramental grace of marriage?

32. Quick Check What is the sacramental grace of marriage? The sacramental grace of marriage is the gift from God that perfects the couple ’ s human love, strengthens their indissoluble bond, sanctifies them, and provides them with the help they need to carry out their privileges and responsibilities as spouses and parents.

33. Quick Check What does the Church teach about marriage between Catholics and non-Catholics?

34. Quick Check What does the Church teach about marriage between Catholics and non-Catholics? Marriage between Catholics and non-Catholic Christians is a celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage. When a Catholic marries a non-Christian in a Catholic wedding ceremony, or they are married in another ceremony with the Catholic Church ’ s permission, their marriage is blessed by the Church and considered valid and indissoluble. They do not receive the Sacrament of Marriage, however.

35. Quick Check How do couples live out the Sacrament of Marriage in their daily lives?

36. Quick Check How do couples live out the Sacrament of Marriage in their daily lives? Couples live out the Sacrament of Marriage in every unselfish, loving thing they do and say to each other. They sacrifice, care, and are faithful to each other, and Christ is present in their loving thoughts, words, and actions.

37. Quick Check What is fidelity in marriage?

38. Quick Check What is fidelity in marriage? Fidelity is being loyal and keeping promises, it is not going back on one ’ s word, and being faithful.

39. Quick Check How does marriage serve life?

40. Quick Check How does marriage serve life? Marriages serve life by being open to the gift of children, caring for and loving children, showing affection and fostering positive relationships in the home, being forgiving and reconciling, affirming the dignity of all family members, and in many other ways as well.

41. Quick Check What is the Church ’ s teaching on divorce, remarriage, and annulments?

42. Quick Check What is the Church ’ s teaching on divorce, remarriage, and annulments? A couple who gets a civil divorce is still married in the eyes of the Church. Divorced Catholics are not permitted to marry anyone else because they are still in a sacramental marriage, but they may remain active in the Church. When a divorced Catholic remarries in a civil marriage, he or she remains Catholic but can no longer receive the Eucharist. An annulment is a declaration of nullity, and is possible when one or more of the requirements for a valid sacramental marriage is found to have not existed.