The Sanctity of Marriage 

   “You come to church to be married before God and his people when you are convinced that your marriage is not, finally, about you; that it is about God and about serving God’s purposes; that it is, as much as the priesthood of a priest, a vocation, a sacred calling.” (Bishop Robert Barron) 

   The family is the basis of society, it is the building block of a successful society.  A sacramental marriage, a commitment not only to each other but to God, creates such a family.  Marriage is not just between a woman and a man.  It is a trinity, a man, a woman, and God.  If God is not part of the marriage it is not a sacramental marriage.

   Marriage is a vocation, a mission, even a means of evangelization.  It is a covenant, a life-long commitment.  It is a participation in the marriage of Christ to His Church.  The promises made are binding; for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as the vows state.  To break those vows is an affront to the blessedness of the marital union.

   Just as baptism is a sacrament, one that can not be undone, so too is marriage.  We can walk away from our baptismal commitments, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are baptized.  Just so, we can walk away from our marital vows, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are married.  Perhaps if people better understood that marriage is of God, not of man, they would be less likely to make vows that they are not willing to keep.

   Society cannot survive once marriage becomes a disposable convenience rather than a life-long commitment.  Children suffer, never learning the true meaning of marriage.  Therefore, the problem is compounded from generation to generation.  The commitment of marriage grows weaker and weaker, eventually destroying society itself.