(35) With regard to the basic principles related to the sacramentality of
marriage, the question is more complex because the pastors of the Church have
to consider the immense wealth of grace that gives dynamism to the sacramental
essence of Christian marriage and its influence on the family relations derived
from marriage. God wanted the conjugal
covenant from the beginning, the marriage of Creation, to be a permanent sign
of Christ’s union with the Church and thus a real sacrament of the New Covenant. The problem lies in understanding properly
that this sacramentality is not something that is added or extrinsic to the
natural essence of marriage, but that it is the same indissoluble marriage
willed by the Creator that was elevated to a sacrament through the redeeming
action of Christ, without this implying any “de-naturalization” of the
reality. By not understanding the
particular feature of this sacrament compared to the others, some
misunderstandings can arise that obscure the notion of sacramental
marriage. This is especially important
in marriage preparation: the praiseworthy efforts to prepare the engaged to
celebrate the sacrament can vanish if there is no clear understanding of what
the absolutely indissoluble marriage is which they are about to contract. Baptized persons do not present themselves
to the Church just to celebrate a feast with some special rites, but to
contract a lifetime marriage which is a sacrament of the New Alliance. Through this sacrament they share in the
mystery of the union of Christ and the Church, and they express their intimate
and indissoluble union.[82][82]
|