The Sacrament of Marriage

The Sacrament of Marriage UNIT 5, LESSON 5 Learning Goals Marriage is the primordial sacrament in which the union of one man and one woman reveals an integral part of human nature that has been inscribed in our very bodies. The unitive and procreative purposes of marriage are essential for a marriage to be a marriage. God s love for us has four components: it is free, total and self-giving, faithful, and fruitful. The love shared between spouses in marriage, or marital love, is a reflection of how God loves. Connection to the Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 1601-1617 CCC 1640 CCC 1643-1655 CCC 1660 Vocabulary The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony (Marriage) Covenant The Purposes of Marriage The Goods of Marriage BIBLICAL TOUCHSTONES Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now. Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. JOHN 2:10-11 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment. (The linen represents the righteous deeds of the holy ones.) Then the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. REVELATION 19:7-9 721

Lesson Plan Materials The Story of Holy Matrimony The Purposes of Marriage God s Love and the Goods of Marriage Sophia Sketchpad video on the Colored pencils/markers/paper Sacrament of Marriage found at SophiaSketchpad.org Note: The student readings and some of the activities from this lesson are taken directly from the 7th grade lesson on the Sacrament of Marriage (unit 3, lesson 13). This is intentionally meant to be a review of the Sacrament of Marriage and to prepare your students for the rest of the lessons in this unit. DAY ONE Warm-Up A. Ask your students, by a show of hands, who has been to a wedding. Then have your students, with a neighbor, brainstorm as many important parts of a wedding as they can think of and keep a list on a piece of paper. After a few minutes, ask for volunteers from each pair to share their answers. Keep a list on the board. Answers might include a white dress, a veil, flowers, a priest, the Wedding March or other wedding music such as Canon in D, tuxedos, the best man and maid of honor, and so forth. B. Then, ask your students why they think we place such importance on weddings and celebrate them in such a spectacular way. Answers will vary. Help students begin to understand that there is something essential about marriage to human nature and, whether we understand it or not, we somehow automatically recognize this fundamental truth in our celebrations of marriage. We celebrate the coming together of a man and woman to cooperate with God s grace and begin a new family as a sign for His love for us. Explain to your students that marriage is the primordial sacrament, or the first and fundamental sacrament. In other words, as we have been learning, the union of one man and one woman in a free, faithful, fruitful, and indissoluble union is an integral part of human nature that has been inscribed in the complementarity of the male and female bodies and the human soul from our origins. 722 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

LESSON PLAN Activity Have your students turn to The Story of Holy Matrimony (page 373). Have them work individually to read about Holy Matrimony and then answer the focus and reflection questions. Formative Assessment When your students have completed the questions from The Story of Holy Matrimony, review and discuss the correct answers. The Story of Holy Matrimony Directions: flesh. Read Man the and essay, woman then become answer one the body, focus and reflection of the wedding questions. feast of the Lamb every time and cling to one another united in marriage we receive the Eucharist, the Body and Blood I to fulfill God s command to fruitfulness. The of Jesus Christ. t is not just a coincidence that the written foundation of marriage, both as natural law record of salvation, the Bible, begins with Not only does the Bible begin with a wedding and a sacramental 4. covenant, Where did is found Jesus perform in the His first public miracle, revealing Himself to be the Messiah? the first marriage and ends with the wedding and end with a wedding feast, but Jesus very beginnings of the creation of man and feast of the lamb in the book of Revelation. began His public ministry with a miracle at a woman and is an integral part of what it The story of salvation communicates the wedding. This is no coincidence! Jesus is first means to be human. greater relationship that God desires to have revealed to the public as the Messiah, the Son with us. Jesus begins His public ministry with of God and Savior, in the midst of a wedding. Reflection Questions a miracle Jesus at the Wedding Elevates Cana, Marriage lifting the to a By doing so, Jesus announced that the time primordial Sacrament (primordial 5. Jesus means is first it revealed to the public as the Messiah, the Son of God and Savior, had come for God s relationship with His has existed since the beginning of in time) the midst to a of a wedding. people Why would to be a restored. wedding The be the Catechism perfect of setting the for this The story of salvation, having announcement? begun with the Sacrament of the Church. Catholic Church no. 1613 states: The Church first marriage of the original man and woman, attaches great importance to Jesus presence ends with a vision of Heaven in the book of at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the Marriage Revelation. and Human This vision Nature shows us that Heaven confirmation of the goodness of marriage and Marriage is is the an integral wedding part celebration of what it of means the Lamb, the proclamation that thenceforth marriage Jesus, who is united for all to be human. To be made in God s image eternity and with His will be an efficacious [effective] sign of likeness is, Bride, in part, us, His to be Church. male and We female, recognize in Holy Christ s presence. It is for this reason that in order to Matrimony carry out a God s sign of one 6. Jesus command Can union you think with His of any ways the that Church married places love and such divine a great love importance are similar? the beginning: Church, to which be fertile is consummated and multiply every time and on the Sacrament of Matrimony and defends fill the earth. we receive Genesis Him 2 more in the fully Eucharist. describes We are truly the union of one man and one woman so the creation blessed of woman as Christians and the to unity be invited shared to partake vigorously. between the sexes. God tells Adam that it is not good that he is alone, so He will create a helper 1. Why for is him. marriage God brings called all the of primordial the Sacrament? animals to Adam in search of a companion, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. not because God thought any of the animals Photograph courtesy of the National Shrine. was a suitable mate for Adam, but rather so Photographer: Geraldine M. Rohling. that Adam would recognize the he is unique out of all creation. While sharing certain 2. How do we know men and women are When equal Adam in dignity? meets his wife for the first time, characteristics with the animals, man is also she causes him to speak in verse, bringing undeniably and substantially different from all forth the best of man in recognition of the of them. Only then does God create woman beauty before him. Adam proclaims that from Adam s side. Rather than the popular at last there is one like him, a person who notion that woman was made somehow less is unique out of all creation, but shared in than man, 3. man What and is woman the vision are of in Heaven fact equal in in the book of Revelation, and how does it connect to the same dignity and vocation to love and dignity and close marriage? to one another s hearts. holiness as he, bone of my bones, flesh of my 373 374 DAY TWO Warm-Up A. Project Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1660 and have a student stand and read it aloud: The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament. B. Ask your students the following questions: Marriage is described as a covenant. What is a covenant? A permanent bond of family relationship. Who forms the marriage covenant? A man and a woman by an intimate communion of life and of love. Who founded the marriage covenant and gave to it its own special laws? God, the Creator. What are the two purposes of marriage? The good of the couple and the generation and education of children. What did Christ do with marriage between a baptized man and woman? He raised it to the dignity of a sacrament, an efficacious sign of God s grace. 375 Unit 5, lesson 5 723

LESSON PLAN The Purposes of Marriage The Purposes of Marriage Unitive Procreative Definition: Definition: List at least three pieces of supporting List at least three pieces of supporting evidence from the video: evidence from the video: C. Have students turn to The Purposes of Marriage (page 376) in their workbooks. Then write on the board: Two Purposes of Marriage. Underneath that heading, write 1. Unitive and 2. Procreative. Ask your students to define each purpose using the Catechism no. 1660. Write their answers on the board, then have students write the correct definitions on their worksheet: Unitive Purpose The good of the couple. Procreative Purpose The generation (procreation) and education of children. 376 D. Explain to your students that the two purposes of marriage are essential for a marriage to be a marriage. In fact, anything that prevents or diminishes these purposes is contrary to God s plan for marriage. Activity Show the Sophia Sketchpad video on the Sacrament of Marriage, found at SophiaSketchpad.org. While your students view the video, have them take note of at least three pieces of supporting evidence for each purpose of marriage, unitive and procreative, using the space provided on The Purposes of Marriage. Formative Assessment After viewing the video and completing The Purposes of Marriage, have students, on their own paper, respond to the following prompts in writing, citing specific things they have learned from the discussion and the video: I would explain the unitive purpose of marriage as I would explain the procreative purpose of marriage as 724 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

LESSON PLAN DAY THREE Warm-Up A. Project and pray together with your students the following prayer in defense of marriage, taken from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website, USCCB.org: God our Father, we give you thanks for the gift of marriage: the bond of life and love, and the font of the family. The love of husband and wife enriches your Church with children, fills the world with a multitude of spiritual fruitfulness and service, and is the sign of the love of your Son, Jesus Christ, for his Church. The grace of Jesus flowed forth at Cana at the request of the Blessed Mother. May your Son, through the intercession of Mary, pour out upon us a new measure of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as we join with all people of good will to promote and protect the unique beauty of marriage. May your Holy Spirit enlighten our society to treasure the heroic love of husband and wife, and guide our leaders to sustain and protect the singular place of mothers and fathers in the lives of their children. Father, we ask that our prayers be joined to those of the Virgin Mary, that your Word may transform our service so as to safeguard the incomparable splendor of marriage. We ask all these things through Christ our Lord, Amen. Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us. B. Explain to your students that God s love for us has four components, or parts: it is free, total and self-giving, faithful, and fruitful. Human love, particularly the love shared between spouses in marriage, or marital love, is a reflection of how God loves. There is no love apart from God. 1 John 4:8 tells us, Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. The opposite of this statement is true as well: Whoever knows love knows God, for God is love. In today s lesson, we will compare the characteristics of God s love with those of marital love. The characteristics of marital love are also known as the Goods of Marriage. Unit 5, lesson 5 725

LESSON PLAN Activity and Assessment A. Arrange your students into eight groups. Assign each group one of the goods of marriage. (There should be two groups assigned to each good. ) Distribute to each group a large piece of drawing or construction paper, or a piece of poster board and make markers and/or colored pencils available. 378 God s Love and the Goods of Marriage the blessing of the Marriage Church on as the an marital Icon of the Total Trinity Self-Giving is good Love for the other. When Jesus side was union. This is why Catholic weddings take pierced on the Cross (John 19:34), blood and God is love. At His heart, God is three God s Persons love is total and self-giving. God gives place in a church, before the assembly, and water flowed out. The Fathers of the Church in one God who eternally share their all of love Himself for to us. He holds nothing back. He within a liturgical celebration such as the teach that the blood and water signify the each other. From all eternity the Father loved us pours so much that He assumed a human Fruitful Mass. Love Blessed Trinity. In the home, Sacraments in their arms of Eucharist and and Baptism, the out all He is in generating the Son, nature who in in the person of Jesus Christ and gave God s love is fruitful. God is the Creator of all under their loving, watchful Sacraments eyes, husband that create the Church. In a way, turns pours out all He is in love toward all that the He had, His very life, for us on the Faithful Love things, and He holds all things in continued and wife create the first world we can their say children that out of Jesus side is formed Father. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds Cross. These Scripture passages attest to existence solely because He loves us. He will ever know. The Catechism His Bride, puts the it this Church, just as Eve was formed God s love is faithful. from God the Father does not and withdraw the Son. With God s the total self-giving love: is love itself, and the Holy Spirit eternally way: And this love out of the side of Adam. Jesus is married to His love from us Father any time and the for Son any He reason. is one and equal. This Philippians 2:7-8 the Church. Rather, Married he emptied love reflects and reveals proceeds Even from though the Father we exchange are and less the than Son of love and faithful between to Him which the Divine God blesses Persons himself, is taking intended divine the to form love. be fruitful of God s a slave, love coming is freely given, faithful, is one and when equal we with sin, them. He is remains perfect These near Scripture and to eternal, us and without and to beginning realized or in human in the likeness; common total self-giving, and work found of and human fruitful. The love shared passages showers attest to us God s with fruitful end. His grace. Divine love: These love shows Scripture us watching that love over creates in creation... appearance, between (CCC he humbled 1604). a man The himself, and a woman in marriage is a passages attest to communion God s faithful and love: always generates John 1:3-5 All things came to be through Christian home, life. becoming called the obedient reflection Domestic to death, of Church the even love of death God. him, and Romans without 8:37-39 him nothing No, came in all to these be. things is where children on a cross. first learn about Jesus and What came we to conquer be through overwhelmingly Marriage him was and life, through Divine the him Love Catholic Faith. Their parents raise them and this life who was loved the us. light For of I the am human convinced that with love, showing John 3:16 them For what The God virtue Goods so loved means, of the Marriage world The Lord created man and woman in race; the neither light shines death, in nor the darkness, life, nor angels, and nor teaching them that love. to he We pray, gave and his doing only all Son, they so that Love Freely Given are made in the divine image, so, in imitation the darkness principalities, has not overcome nor present it. things, nor can to help their everyone children who cooperate believes in with him might not of the Blessed Trinity, we too are called future things, nor powers, nor height, God s nor grace. Father perish to but and might God s mother have love watch eternal is a free over, life. gift to us. We do nothing Genesis 1:31 God looked love at totally everything and completely, following the to earn His love, and there is nothing we can depth, nor any other creature will be support, able provide Marital love for, and is also shepherd total and their self-giving. The he had made, and found pattern it very of good. Trinitarian love. do lose His love. These Scripture passages to separate us from the love of God in children to bond prepare of love them given for and adult received life and in marriage Evening came, and morning followed the attest to God s free gift of love: Christ Jesus our In Holy Lord. Matrimony, Christ s an eternity sacrifice cannot in on heaven. be broken. Therefore, Blessed anything Trinity reveals sixth day. the Cross is made visible that in human intentionally that love. love interrupts means to give or Romans prevents oneself 6:23 to this others. For the wages of sin is Deuteronomy 7:9 Know, then, that Marital love must also be fruitful. Jesus, on The the sexual night before natural He died, fruit But freely of we marriage also know is contrary that death, sin has but to God s harmed the gift our of God is eternal life in the LORD, your God, is God: the faithful union of male and female, gave in cooperation His Body to with His bride, design the Church, and ability is seriously in to love. sinful. So, to Christ Some love truly spouses Jesus in our this Lord. fallen God who keeps covenant mercy to the God s divine plan, results in the the Eucharist. procreation The next day are He unable sacrificed world to have will children, involve sacrifice. but this does It will not involve thousandth generation toward those who 1 John 4:19 We love because he first of children. This is the natural Himself result for of her the by embracing mean His that working Cross. their marriage against our cannot tendency be fruitful. to be selfish love him and keep his commandments. loved us. love shared between spouses. Original A husband Sin damaged and our They understanding are called unfaithful. to of bear fruit Because in their of our union sinfulness, wife create Married a special love world, is faithful, what in imitation love constant, is and of our the dependable, ability in other to love. ways, loving We such tend will also as through Marital mean forgiving adoption, love must and or be freely given. The asking for and trustworthy. to Marriage mistakenly a think total gift love devoting is just a feeling forgiveness their lives to when serving consent we others. of the spouses is the fundamental do wrong. It involves of self, body and we soul, can to fall another in and of out the of, rather than both a free requirement for marriage. In fact, in spouses sharing every aspect of their opposite, complementary choice we sex. make It cannot every day. be We also lives tend with to sacramental marriage, the ministers of the each other. Because it is a total a total gift of self be if something selfish and is sinful. held The back good news gift is of that sacrament are the spouses who give their self, the bond of marriage is therefore or reserved for another. Jesus restored Love s fidelity the true or meaning of indissoluble love to us consent to one another and exchange vows and permanent. As Jesus faithfulness is expressed by His Cross in the and fact Resurrection that and explains, revealed of lifelong commitment before God and His what God has joined together, no marriage can be to between us the Trinitarian only one man life and of love. On human the Cross, Church. The priest or deacon serves as the being must separate (Matthew 19:6; one woman. Moreover, He showed this relationship us that love means doing Mark what official witness of this exchange and offers 10:9). Everything that God creates is doesn t start and then stop. It is a relationship good, including the union of man and woman until death do us part. in marriage. 377 379 B. Have your students turn to God s Love and the Goods of Marriage (page 377). First, have each group read the first two sections of the essay together. Then, have each group read about their assigned good of marriage. C. Next, have each group create an informative poster about their assigned good. Their poster should include the following information: How the assigned good describes God s love. ӹ ӹ How the assigned good describes married love. D. After each group has had a sufficient amount of time to create their posters, have each group stand and present their posters to the class. Have your students take notes on their own regarding the goods of marriage they did not study. 726 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

The Story of Holy Matrimony Directions: Read the essay, then answer the focus and reflection questions. It is not just a coincidence that the written record of salvation, the Bible, begins with the first marriage and ends with the wedding feast of the lamb in the book of Revelation. The story of salvation communicates the greater relationship that God desires to have with us. Jesus begins His public ministry with a miracle at the Wedding at Cana, lifting the primordial Sacrament (primordial means it has existed since the beginning of time) to a Sacrament of the Church. Marriage and Human Nature Marriage is an integral part of what it means to be human. To be made in God s image and likeness is, in part, to be male and female, in order to carry out God s one command in the beginning: to be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. Genesis 2 more fully describes the creation of woman and the unity shared between the sexes. God tells Adam that it is not good that he is alone, so He will create a helper for him. God brings all of the animals to Adam in search of a companion, not because God thought any of the animals was a suitable mate for Adam, but rather so that Adam would recognize the he is unique out of all creation. While sharing certain characteristics with the animals, man is also undeniably and substantially different from all of them. Only then does God create woman from Adam s side. Rather than the popular notion that woman was made somehow less than man, man and woman are in fact equal in dignity and close to one another s hearts. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. Photograph courtesy of the National Shrine. Photographer: Geraldine M. Rohling. When Adam meets his wife for the first time, she causes him to speak in verse, bringing forth the best of man in recognition of the beauty before him. Adam proclaims that at last there is one like him, a person who is unique out of all creation, but shared in the same dignity and vocation to love and holiness as he, bone of my bones, flesh of my 373 Unit 5, lesson 5 727

Answer Key 1. Because it has existed since the beginning of time; it is in our human nature. 2. They were both created in the image and likeness of God, close to each other s hearts. 3. The Wedding Feast of the Lamb it is the eternal celebration of Christ united to His bride, the Church. flesh. Man and woman become one body, and cling to one another united in marriage to fulfill God s command to fruitfulness. The foundation of marriage, both as natural law and a sacramental covenant, is found in the very beginnings of the creation of man and woman and is an integral part of what it means to be human. Jesus Elevates Marriage to a Sacrament The story of salvation, having begun with the first marriage of the original man and woman, ends with a vision of Heaven in the book of Revelation. This vision shows us that Heaven is the wedding celebration of the Lamb, Jesus, who is united for all eternity with His Bride, us, His Church. We recognize in Holy Matrimony a sign of Jesus union with His Church, which is consummated every time we receive Him in the Eucharist. We are truly blessed as Christians to be invited to partake of the wedding feast of the Lamb every time we receive the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Not only does the Bible begin with a wedding and end with a wedding feast, but Jesus began His public ministry with a miracle at a wedding. This is no coincidence! Jesus is first revealed to the public as the Messiah, the Son of God and Savior, in the midst of a wedding. By doing so, Jesus announced that the time had come for God s relationship with His people to be restored. The Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1613 states: The Church attaches great importance to Jesus presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious [effective] sign of Christ s presence. It is for this reason that the Church places such a great importance on the Sacrament of Matrimony and defends the union of one man and one woman so vigorously. 1. Why is marriage called the primordial Sacrament? 2. How do we know men and women are equal in dignity? 3. What is the vision of Heaven in the book of Revelation, and how does it connect to marriage? 374 728 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Answer Key 4. At a wedding. 4. Where did Jesus perform His first public miracle, revealing Himself to be the Messiah? Reflection Questions: 5. At a wedding, husband and wife become one flesh. It is a perfect setting for Jesus to announce that the time has come for God s relationship with His people to be restored. Reflection Questions 5. Jesus is first revealed to the public as the Messiah, the Son of God and Savior, in the midst of a wedding. Why would a wedding be the perfect setting for this announcement? 6. Can you think of any ways that married love and divine love are similar? 6. Accept reasoned answers. 375 Unit 5, lesson 5 729

The Purposes of Marriage The Purposes of Marriage Unitive Procreative Definition: Definition: List at least three pieces of supporting evidence from the video: List at least three pieces of supporting evidence from the video: 376 Accept reasoned answers 730 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

God s Love and the Goods of Marriage Marriage as an Icon of the Trinity God is love. At His heart, God is three Persons in one God who eternally share their love for each other. From all eternity the Father pours out all He is in generating the Son, who in turns pours out all He is in love toward the Father. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is one and equal. This exchange of love between the Divine Persons is perfect and eternal, without beginning or end. Divine love shows us that love creates communion and always generates life. Marriage and Divine Love The Lord created man and woman in love. We are made in the divine image, so, in imitation of the Blessed Trinity, we too are called to love totally and completely, following the pattern of Trinitarian love. In Holy Matrimony, Christ s sacrifice on the Cross is made visible in human love. Jesus, on the night before He died, freely gave His Body to His bride, the Church, in the Eucharist. The next day He sacrificed Himself for her by embracing His Cross. Original Sin damaged our understanding of what love is and our ability to love. We tend to mistakenly think love is just a feeling we can fall in and out of, rather than a free choice we make every day. We also tend to be selfish and sinful. The good news is that Jesus restored the true meaning of love to us by His Cross and Resurrection and revealed to us the Trinitarian life of love. On the Cross, He showed us that love means doing what is good for the other. When Jesus side was pierced on the Cross (John 19:34), blood and water flowed out. The Fathers of the Church teach that the blood and water signify the Sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism, the Sacraments that create the Church. In a way, we can say that out of Jesus side is formed His Bride, the Church, just as Eve was formed out of the side of Adam. Jesus is married to the Church. Married love reflects and reveals divine love. God s love is freely given, faithful, total self-giving, and fruitful. The love shared between a man and a woman in marriage is a reflection of the love of God. The Goods of Marriage Love Freely Given God s love is a free gift to us. We do nothing to earn His love, and there is nothing we can do to lose His love. These Scripture passages attest to God s free gift of love: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. Marital love must be freely given. The consent of the spouses is the fundamental requirement for marriage. In fact, in sacramental marriage, the ministers of the sacrament are the spouses who give their consent to one another and exchange vows of lifelong commitment before God and His Church. The priest or deacon serves as the official witness of this exchange and offers 377 Unit 5, lesson 5 731

the blessing of the Church on the marital union. This is why Catholic weddings take place in a church, before the assembly, and within a liturgical celebration such as the Mass. Faithful Love God s love is faithful. God does not withdraw His love from us at any time for any reason. Even though we are less than faithful to Him when we sin, He remains near to us and showers us with His grace. These Scripture passages attest to God s faithful love: Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Deuteronomy 7:9 Know, then, that the LORD, your God, is God: the faithful God who keeps covenant mercy to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments. Married love is faithful, constant, dependable, and trustworthy. Marriage is a total gift of self, body and soul, to another of the opposite, complementary sex. It cannot be a total gift of self if something is held back or reserved for another. Love s fidelity or faithfulness is expressed in the fact that marriage can be between only one man and one woman. Moreover, this relationship doesn t start and then stop. It is a relationship until death do us part. Total Self-Giving Love God s love is total and self-giving. God gives all of Himself to us. He holds nothing back. He loved us so much that He assumed a human nature in the person of Jesus Christ and gave all that He had, His very life, for us on the Cross. These Scripture passages attest to God s total self-giving love: Philippians 2:7-8 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Marital love is also total and self-giving. The bond of love given and received in marriage cannot be broken. The Blessed Trinity reveals that love means to give oneself to others. But we also know that sin has harmed our ability to love. So, to love truly in this fallen world will involve sacrifice. It will involve working against our tendency to be selfish and unfaithful. Because of our sinfulness, loving will also mean forgiving and asking for forgiveness when we do wrong. It involves both spouses sharing every aspect of their lives with each other. Because it is a total gift of self, the bond of marriage is therefore indissoluble and permanent. As Jesus explains, what God has joined together, no human being must separate (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9). Everything that God creates is good, including the union of man and woman in marriage. 378 732 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Fruitful Love God s love is fruitful. God is the Creator of all things, and He holds all things in continued existence solely because He loves us. He is love itself, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son and is one and equal with them. These Scripture passages attest to God s fruitful love: John 1:3-5 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Genesis 1:31 God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed the sixth day. Marital love must also be fruitful. The sexual union of male and female, in cooperation with God s divine plan, results in the procreation of children. This is the natural result of the love shared between spouses. A husband and wife create a special world, in imitation of the Blessed Trinity. In the home, in their arms and under their loving, watchful eyes, husband and wife create the first world their children will ever know. The Catechism puts it this way: And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation... (CCC 1604). The Christian home, called the Domestic Church is where children first learn about Jesus and the Catholic Faith. Their parents raise them with love, showing them what virtue means, teaching them to pray, and doing all they can to help their children cooperate with God s grace. Father and mother watch over, support, provide for, and shepherd their children to prepare them for adult life and an eternity in heaven. Therefore, anything that intentionally interrupts or prevents this natural fruit of marriage is contrary to God s design and is seriously sinful. Some spouses are unable to have children, but this does not mean that their marriage cannot be fruitful. They are called to bear fruit in their union in other ways, such as through adoption, or devoting their lives to serving others. 379 Unit 5, lesson 5 733