The Lord said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him. So the Lord formed various animals and birds and brought them to the man to see what he would name them. The man named them all, but none proved to be suitable as a companion for the man. So then the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man and while the man was asleep he removed one of his ribs, took it and from it he built it up and formed it into a woman. When the Lord brought her to the man, he exclaimed “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. From the beginning of creation God created them male and female. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one body so then what God has united man must not divide.
We may ask ourselves, why did God use a rib, why not a bone from another part of his body? God used a rib bone for a purpose and a reason. He could have used a bone from his foot indicating that mans was superior to woman; he could have used a bone from his skull indicating that woman was superior to man but he chose a bone from his rib. A bone that places her on his side indicating that the woman would be equal to man.
As we see through this Genesis reading, God’s intent for marriage has always been and always will be sacred; however, during Jesus’ time the Jewish world had all but destroyed the institution of marriage. Convenient interpretations of the Mosaic Laws allowed men to divorce their wives for any simple reason. If a woman spoke back to her husband; if she cooked a tasteless meal or if he found someone prettier that was enough justification for Divorce. So Jesus arrived at a time where marriage needed help and He reestablishes the communion between man and God that the original sin had already wrecked. He reaffirms and reestablishes God’s original design for marriage; a marriage as a union of a man and a woman who share equally in the dignity of being created in God’s image. Jesus’ vision of a marriage is that of human love and beauty of the family. He will not settle for anything less than the true giving of selfless love that enables and elevates the institution of marriage to the level of a sacrament. Marriage is so sacred to our Lord and it is with the help of God we as married couples can grow into the fullness of spousal love.
Theologians justified marriage as a sacrament based on St. Paul’s teaching that it was a living sign of Jesus’ covenant with his church. The grace of the covenant was to assist the couple to grow in holiness. The real ministers were the marriage partners themselves; as they conferred the sacrament on each other. CCC 1630 states that the priest or deacon who assists in the celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the name of the church and gives them the blessing of the church. This visibly expresses the fact that marriage is an ecclesial reality that it is a sacramental marriage and a liturgical act. That is why it is appropriate that it should be celebrated in a public liturgy of the church. Marriage is a state of life in the church which requires witnesses to the “I Do” that is given which helps the spouses remain faithful to the sacrament.
” For those of us who are married; we must understand that marriage is a gift given by God. That we must be thankful for our spouse and our marriage, not just today, but we must be thankful for our spouse and our marriage throughout the years to come even on the days that seem ordinary. We must be thankful for our spouse, and the profound gift of our spouse’s self to us. As Dcn. James Keating once stated, “The sharing of hearts is a necessary commitment in both marriage and prayer. If we can learn what the key elements to sharing the heart are, and equally what the key elements to receiving the heart of another are, then we will know the greatest of intimacy in both prayer and marriage.
Through the gratitude for marriage we can see marriage in a light that is forever new. Gratitude for marriage will enable us to live with one another gently, humbly, quietly, light-heartedly. All the familiar pieces of advice and all the proverbs will not seem like so many iron laws, hard to achieve and burdensome, but as opportunities we will want to enter, because we know that there we will meet our partner, and the two of us will meet God. If we know that our marriage is a gift, first and foremost, then we will experience many moments of communication, patience, forgiveness, moments of life made new, moments of grace.
Throughout history the Catholic Church has re-enforced the Gospel and apostolic teaching about fidelity and loyalty in marriage. St. Augustine calls this marital chastity. The key to a successful marriage is how you allow God to help you through your trials; trials are good because they strengthen the marriage just as metal is strengthened by fire. The key to staying together as a couple in a marriage is praying together and working together to resolve the inevitable problems. But more than that, the key to staying together is by coming together to receive our Lord in the Eucharist which will keep us Christ centered. May our Lord Jesus Christ continue blessing the institution of marriage in this time and age where so many challenges are against it, this we ask in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We may ask ourselves, why did God use a rib, why not a bone from another part of his body? God used a rib bone for a purpose and a reason. He could have used a bone from his foot indicating that mans was superior to woman; he could have used a bone from his skull indicating that woman was superior to man but he chose a bone from his rib. A bone that places her on his side indicating that the woman would be equal to man.
As we see through this Genesis reading, God’s intent for marriage has always been and always will be sacred; however, during Jesus’ time the Jewish world had all but destroyed the institution of marriage. Convenient interpretations of the Mosaic Laws allowed men to divorce their wives for any simple reason. If a woman spoke back to her husband; if she cooked a tasteless meal or if he found someone prettier that was enough justification for Divorce. So Jesus arrived at a time where marriage needed help and He reestablishes the communion between man and God that the original sin had already wrecked. He reaffirms and reestablishes God’s original design for marriage; a marriage as a union of a man and a woman who share equally in the dignity of being created in God’s image. Jesus’ vision of a marriage is that of human love and beauty of the family. He will not settle for anything less than the true giving of selfless love that enables and elevates the institution of marriage to the level of a sacrament. Marriage is so sacred to our Lord and it is with the help of God we as married couples can grow into the fullness of spousal love.
Theologians justified marriage as a sacrament based on St. Paul’s teaching that it was a living sign of Jesus’ covenant with his church. The grace of the covenant was to assist the couple to grow in holiness. The real ministers were the marriage partners themselves; as they conferred the sacrament on each other. CCC 1630 states that the priest or deacon who assists in the celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the name of the church and gives them the blessing of the church. This visibly expresses the fact that marriage is an ecclesial reality that it is a sacramental marriage and a liturgical act. That is why it is appropriate that it should be celebrated in a public liturgy of the church. Marriage is a state of life in the church which requires witnesses to the “I Do” that is given which helps the spouses remain faithful to the sacrament.
” For those of us who are married; we must understand that marriage is a gift given by God. That we must be thankful for our spouse and our marriage, not just today, but we must be thankful for our spouse and our marriage throughout the years to come even on the days that seem ordinary. We must be thankful for our spouse, and the profound gift of our spouse’s self to us. As Dcn. James Keating once stated, “The sharing of hearts is a necessary commitment in both marriage and prayer. If we can learn what the key elements to sharing the heart are, and equally what the key elements to receiving the heart of another are, then we will know the greatest of intimacy in both prayer and marriage.
Through the gratitude for marriage we can see marriage in a light that is forever new. Gratitude for marriage will enable us to live with one another gently, humbly, quietly, light-heartedly. All the familiar pieces of advice and all the proverbs will not seem like so many iron laws, hard to achieve and burdensome, but as opportunities we will want to enter, because we know that there we will meet our partner, and the two of us will meet God. If we know that our marriage is a gift, first and foremost, then we will experience many moments of communication, patience, forgiveness, moments of life made new, moments of grace.
Throughout history the Catholic Church has re-enforced the Gospel and apostolic teaching about fidelity and loyalty in marriage. St. Augustine calls this marital chastity. The key to a successful marriage is how you allow God to help you through your trials; trials are good because they strengthen the marriage just as metal is strengthened by fire. The key to staying together as a couple in a marriage is praying together and working together to resolve the inevitable problems. But more than that, the key to staying together is by coming together to receive our Lord in the Eucharist which will keep us Christ centered. May our Lord Jesus Christ continue blessing the institution of marriage in this time and age where so many challenges are against it, this we ask in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
