Faith

(Customize for your parish here)

Introduction: The Context

of Marriage Today
Marriage a wonderful gift and an
awesome responsibility
A married couple is also a part of
society and the Church
Time and social context have an
impact on marriage

Positive Aspects of the

Context of Marriage Today
Stronger awareness of personal freedom
More attention to the quality of the marital
relationship
Greater realization of the dignity of women
More attention to the education of children
and responsible procreation
Realization that families must work
together

Negative Aspects of the

Context of Marriage Today
A type of individualism that can be
threatening to the relationship
Confusion about the roles of parents
and children
Challenge of passing on moral values
Increasing divorce rates
Utilitarian view of human life

God has a plan for

marriage
Link between faith and everyday life
is essential
Benefits of integrating marriage and
spiritual life have been recognized
by secular mental health
researchers as well because of
associations with more marital
satisfaction, decreased conflict, etc.

Overview of this series

Marriage
Marriage
Marriage
Marriage

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Faith
Communication
Sexuality
Stewardship

Marriage and Faith

See self-assessment
Discuss:
Your early experiences of God and
faith
What role you would like to see God
and faith play in your marriage

Gods Plan and Marriage

Today

In the U.S., almost 1 million marriages end

in divorce each year
50% of marriages will eventually end in
divorce
Source of hope: God has a plan for your
marriage The Christian faith constitutes
the only
fully valid responseto the
problems and
hopes that life poses to
every person and society (Christifideles
Laici)

In the Image and Likeness

of God

Genesis 1:27
Who is God? God is a Trinity one God in a
communion of Three Persons: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit
Trinity is hard to understand; in marriage, a
similar mystery: two become one flesh (Mark
10:7-8)
Catechism 2205: In our communion with one
another, we become a visible sign of the
Trinity

A Sign of Christ and the

Church
Ephesians 5: Relationship of husbands and
wives compared with relationship of Christ
and the Church
This image is repeated in Revelation with
Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as
his bride
Husbands and wives called to give up pride
so they can give themselves completely to
one another (see Ep. 5:28-30)

Sacraments: Signs and

Realities
Sacrament: visible sign of an invisible
reality
Through the sacraments, we share in
Gods life; we encounter and understand
the spiritual world
Sacraments are objects and human
actions (things we can see) that show
Gods grace and actions (things we cant
see)

Marriage as a Sacrament
Human actions: exchange of vows,
reception of consent by the priest or deacon
Gods action: the joining of the two persons
in marriage two made one by God
Most complete visible sign of this unity is
sexual act; couples who remain open to
grace of sacrament become a sign of
communion of the Trinity and Christs union
with the Church.

Your Relationship with Christ

and the Church
How well do you know that which you
are called to reflect?
Can we imitate something we dont
know very much about?

Your Relationship with Christ

and the Church
Connecting with Christ
RCIA for those who are not already part of the
Church
Baptized Catholics can reconnect through the
sacrament of Penance
Ongoing growth in Christ prayer, attendance
at Mass, reading Scripture, connecting with
the Christian community. Cant maintain
relationships with those we dont spend time
with.

Reflection
How is the Catholic view of
marriage different from the
secular worlds view?

Prayer
See prayer, p. 18