IV. The Effects of the
Sacrament of Matrimony
1638
"From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very
nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the
spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the
dignity of their state by a special sacrament."140
The
marriage bond
1639
The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is
sealed by God himself.141 From their covenant arises "an
institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of
society."142 The covenant between the spouses is integrated into
God's covenant with man: "Authentic married love is caught up into divine
love."143
1640
Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a
marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be
dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and
their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and
gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. the Church does not have
the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.144
The grace
of the sacrament of Matrimony
1641
"By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses]
have their own special gifts in the People of God."145 This grace
proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love
and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one
another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating
their children."146
1642
Christ is the source of this grace. "Just as of old God encountered his
people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the
Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of
Matrimony."147 Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to
take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen,
to forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens, to "be subject to
one another out of reverence for Christ,"148 and to love one another
with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and
family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the
Lamb:
How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the Church,
strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing, announced by angels, and
ratified by the Father? . . . How wonderful the bond between two believers, now
one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service! They
are both children of one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in
spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is
the spirit.149
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