Marriage is the intimate, exclusive, indissoluble communion of life and love entered by Man and Woman at the design of the Creator for the purpose of their own good and the procreation and education of Children.
Marriage is the closest and most intimate of human friendships. Marriage calls for a mutual self-surrender so intimate and complete that spouses - without loosing their individuality - become "One", not only in body, but in soul. It involves the sharing of the whole of a person's life with his or her spouse.
Exclusive Communion of Life and Love
As a mutual gift of two persons to each other, this intimate union excludes such union with anyone else. It demands the total fidelity of the spouses. This exclusivity is essential for the good of the couples children as well.
Indissoluble Communion of Life and Love
Marriage was created for eternity, all couples entering into it do so for better and for worse. Couples who think about a way out should not be considering getting married. Marriage intends for couples to stay together no matter what, hence, the churches stance on courtship.
At the Design of the Creator
God is the author of Marriage. He inscribed the call to marriage in our very being by creating us male and female. Marriage is governed by His laws faithfully carried out by His bride - The Church.
For the Purpose of their own Good
"It is not good that man should be alone" (Gen 2:18) Conversely, it;s for their own good, for their benefit, enrichment and ultimately their salvation, that a man and a woman join their lives in marriage. Marriage is the most basic expression of the vocation to love that all men and women have as person's made in God's image.
For Procreation and Education of Children
"By their very nature, the institution of marriage itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children and find in them their ultimate crown". Children are not added unto marriage and conjugal love, but spring from the very heart of the spouses mutual self-giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. Intentional exclusion of children then contradicts the very nature and purpose of marriage.
Finally, Sacred Scriptures begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God, and ends with a vision of " The Wedding Feast of the Lamb".
