In Defense of Marriage

The whole institution of marriage is threatened nowadays. The rates of cohabitation, homosexual couples seeking to marry in more and more states, the trivialization of marriage by so many others — all these threaten marriage.

As my one of my moral theology professors is apt to say, “A clouded intellect leads to a weakened will, which unleashes disordered passions.” 

Let’s keep our thinking clear about what we know from human nature and from our faith.  I do not have the time to go into the natural law and marriage. I’ll post on that later.  

I would like to review some basic teachings our our faith about marriage.

What is God’s plan for marriage?  Both men and women share in the divine image, and share in God’s power with equal dignity, though in complementary ways. The union of a man and a woman in marriage is an imitation in the flesh of God’s generousity and fecundity. (CCC, no. 2335)

What is the marital covenant? It is a covenant freely entered into by a man and a woman that imposes on them the obligation to keep their marriage indissoluble. (CCC, no. 2397)

What is the bond in marriage? The bond in marriage is both conjugal and procreative. Conjugal mutual love and fidelity is the unitive aspect of marriage. The procreative aspect concerns conception, birth, and education of children. In other words, the marital bond is for the good of the spouses and the transmission of life. (CCC, no. 2363)

How can spouses nurture their marital covenant and not tarnish the dignity of each other?  One way is the development of the virtue of chastity. It enables one to offer, as gift, one’s entire self to another. In order to truly give yourself to your husband or wife, you must develop self-mastery. A chaste spouse in one who becomes a witness to fidelity and loving kindness. (CCC, no. 2397) Marital chastity is the right ordering of the gift of sexual relations, i.e., desiring union with your spouse so as to offer the gift of your entire person, body and spirit.

Hopefully, all of us married folk are working on all of this.  It is a work in progress, I am sure.

I’ll post more at a later time…..