Christian Marriage Essay

1031 Words5 Pages
Analyse the significance of the marriage practice for both the individual and the Christian community. Christian marriage forms the basis of family, responsibility, purpose, transformation and change and has implications not only for the couple entering into the union, but also the wider Christian community. Marriage is a covenantal union between a man and woman that provides a framework upon which couple operate and live. Although the marriage practice or ceremony differs throughout denominations, resulting in slightly different interpretations of the meaning of marriage, all Christian Churches view marriage as a sacred and significant event that mirrors Christ's commitment to His Church. The significance of marriage for the individual lies in its covenantal nature, the idea of selfless love, and a suitable environment for expression of sexuality. For the Christian community, marriage is important as it gives a proper basis for the formation of family, it acts a tool for uniting believers and calls couples to live in the spirit of Jesus through "agape". Christian marriage, as outlined initially in Hosea and Isaiah, is meant to be an image of God's love for his people; a "steadfast covenant" where marriage acts as a sort of divine contract rather than just a legal bond. As such, marriage becomes a sacred union or a lived sacrament. It is seen as a prophetic symbol of God's covenant with his people: "welling up as it does from the fountain of divine love and structured as it is on the model of His union with His Church." Through the act of marriage, God gives the gift of grace, his blessing, and in this essence marriage becomes a relationship of three: through entering marriage the couple form a covenant with God and live their lives in a way that reflects his gift to them. The Second Vatican Council, in the encyclical Gaudium et Spes, qualifies this: "The intimate
Open Document