Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mysteries › Section Two of Part Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church ›› CHAPTER 3: The Sacraments at the Service of Communion ››› Article 7: The Sacrament of Matrimony

› IN BRIEF

Questions and Answers

1606. Towards which two purposes is marriage ordered? (CCC 1601) Marriage is ordered toward:
1. the good of the spouses
2. the procreation and education of offspring.
1607. Where does marriage appear in God’s plan throughout the history of salvation? (CCC 1602) Marriage appears in God’s plan throughout the history of salvation:
1. in the beginning with the creation of man and woman
2. at the end with a vision of the wedding-feast of the Lamb in Rev 19
3. throughout the Bible.
1608. Who is the author of marriage? (CCC 1603) God is the author of marriage.
1609. Where does the “vocation to marriage” have its origin? (CCC 1603) The “vocation to marriage” has its origin in the very nature of man.
The nature of man is constituted by his body and his reasonable soul.
1610. What are the biblical loci classici for the three goods of marriage? (CCC 1604-1605) The biblical loci classici for the three goods of marriage are:
1. Gen 1, when God says to Adam/ Eve: “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.”
2. Gen 2, when God says: “It is not good that the man should be alone.”
3. Mt 19, when Christ says: “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”
The three goods of marriage are fertility (Gen 1), faithfulness (Gen 2) and indissolubility (Mt 19).
1611. What are the main evils that threaten the marital union? (CCC 1606) The main evils that threaten the marital union are:
1. discord
2. spirit of domination
3. infidelity
4. jealousy
5. conflicts.
1612. How did original sin affect marriage? (CCC 1607) Original sin affected marriage by breaking the original harmony between man and woman.
1613. How did original sin change the original harmony between man and woman? (CCC 1607) Original sin changed the original harmony between man and woman by bringing into their lives:
1. mutual recriminations
2. domination and lust
3. the pain of childbirth and the toil of work.
1614. How can the wounds of original sin that affect marriage be healed? (CCC 1608) The wounds of original sin that affect marriage can be healed by the help of God’s grace.
1615. What is the function of marriage in the Old Testament? (CCC 1609) The function of marriage in the Old Testament is to remedy and limit the damaging effects of sin.
1616. How does marriage help to overcome the damaging effects of sin? (CCC 1609) Marriage helps to overcome the damaging effects of sin by contributing:
1. to defeat self-absorption, egoism and pursuit of one’s own pleasure
2. to open oneself to the other, to mutual aid and to self-giving.
1617. Why does the OT law of marriage carry traces of man’s hardness of heart? (CCC 1610) The Old Testament law of marriage carries traces of man’s hardness of heart, because it permitted men to divorce their wives.
1618. What two books of the OT bear witness to an elevated sense of marriage? (CCC 1611) The Old Testament books of Ruth and Tobit bear witness to an elevated sense of marriage.
1619. What does Christ’s presence at the wedding at Cana express? (CCC 1613) Christ’s presence at the wedding at Cana expresses:
1. the goodness of marriage
2. that marriage will henceforth be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence.
1620. Where in the NT does Christ preach the unity and indissolubility of Christian marriage? (CCC 1614) Christ preaches the unity and indissolubility of Christian marriage in Mt 19.
Unity (= monogamy) and indissolubility are the two properties of marriage.
1621. Why is the indissolubility of the marriage bond not a burden impossible to bear? (CCC 1615) The indissolubility of the marriage bond is not a burden impossible to bear, because Christ Himself gives the strength and grace to live it.
1622. How can spouses practically grasp the original meaning of marriage and live it? (CCC 1615) Spouses can practically grasp the original meaning of marriage and live it by:
1. following Christ
2. renouncing themselves
3. taking up their crosses.
1623. The fruit of what is the grace of Christian marriage? (CCC 1615) The grace of Christian marriage is the fruit of Christ’s cross.
1624. What is the locus classicus in St Paul on marriage? (CCC 1616) The locus classicus in St Paul on marriage is Eph 5: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one. This is a great mystery (Latin: sacramentum) and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church.”
1625. Why is Christian marriage a true sacrament of the New Covenant? (CCC 1617) Christian marriage is a true sacrament of the New Covenant, because it signifies and communicates grace.
1626. What bond in Christian life takes precedence over all other bonds? (CCC 1618) The bond in Christian life that takes precedence over all other bonds is the bond with Christ.
1627. Of what is virginity for the sake of the kingdom a powerful sign? (CCC 1619) Virginity for the sake of the kingdom is a powerful sign of:
1. the supremacy of the bond with Christ
2. the ardent expectation of Christ’s return
3. the fact that marriage is a reality which is passing away.
1628. Where do matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom come from? (CCC 1620) Matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom both come from the Lord Himself.
1629. What is the normal context for the celebration of marriage in the Latin Church? (CCC 1621) The normal context for the celebration of marriage in the Latin Church is Holy Mass.
1630. How should the spouses prepare themselves for the celebration of the marriage? (CCC 1622) The spouses should prepare themselves for the celebration of the marriages by going to Confession.
1631. Who is the minister of matrimony according to the Latin tradition? (CCC 1623) According to the Latin tradition the minister of matrimony is the spouses who mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church.
The Latin tradition is the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church.
1632. Who is the minister of matrimony in the Eastern Churches? (CCC 1623) The minister of matrimony in the Eastern Churches is the priest, whose blessing, as well as the mutual consent of the spouses, is necessary for the validity of the sacrament.
1633. How is the Holy Spirit present in the sacrament of Matrimony? (CCC 1624) In the sacrament of Matrimony the Holy Spirit is present as:
1. the seal of the covenant of the spouses
2. the ever open source of their love
3. the strength by which their faithfulness is renewed.
1634. When is the matrimonial consent of two baptised people freely expressed? (CCC 1625) The matrimonial consent of two baptised people is freely expressed when it is:
1. not under constraint (e.g. coercion, grave external fear)
2. not impeded by any natural law
3. not impeded by any ecclesiastical law.
1635. What is the indispensable element that “makes the marriage”? (CCC 1626) The indispensable element that “makes the marriage” is the exchange of consent between the spouses.
1636. In what does the matrimonial consent consist? (CCC 1627) The matrimonial consent consists in a human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each other.
“I take you to be my wife.” - “I take you to be my husband.”
1637. What does a lack of freedom of consent in contracting a marriage effect? (CCC 1628) A lack of freedom of consent in contracting a marriage makes the marriage invalid.
1638. What is the declaration of nullity of a marriage? (CCC 1629) The declaration of nullity of a marriage is an assessment after due process that a marriage never existed.
In English the declaration of nullity of a marriage is sometimes called ambiguously: “annulment”.
1639. What is the function of the priest assisting at the celebration of a marriage? (CCC 1630) The function of the priest assisting at the celebration of a marriage is:
1. to receive the consent of the spouses in the name of the Church
2. to give the blessing of the Church.
1640. Why is the ecclesiastical form normally required for a marriage? (CCC 1631) The ecclesiastical form is normally required for a marriage because:
1. of the liturgical character of matrimony
2. it initiates into an ecclesial order
3. it is an ecclesial state of life
4. of the public character of the consent.
1641. What double preparation is important for Matrimony? (CCC 1632) The double preparation important for Matrimony is:
1. the example and teaching of parents and families
2. instruction by the priest and the parish.
1642. What is a mixed marriage? (CCC 1633) A mixed marriage is a marriage between a Catholic and a baptised non-Catholic.
1643. What is a marriage with disparity of cult? (CCC 1633) A marriage with disparity of cult is a marriage between a Catholic and a non-baptised person.
1644. What religious temptation can arise in a mixed marriage? (CCC 1634) In a mixed marriage the temptation to religious indifference can arise.
1645. What does a mixed marriage need in order to be licit? (CCC 1635) In order to be licit a mixed marriage needs the express permission of ecclesiastical authority.
1646. What does a marriage with disparity of cult need in order to be valid? (CCC 1635) In order to be valid a marriage with disparity of cult needs an express dispensation from this impediment by ecclesiastical authority.
1647. Under what condition is a Catholic allowed to marry a non-Catholic? (CCC 1635) A Catholic is allowed to marry a non-Catholic if:
1. both parties know and do not exclude the ends and properties of marriage
2. the Catholic intends to preserve his faith
3. the Catholic is willing to ensure the baptism and education of the children in the Church.
The non-Catholic party must be aware of these commitments.
1648. What is the particular task of a Catholic in a marriage with disparity of cult? (CCC 1637) The particular task of a Catholic in a marriage with disparity of cult is to work for the consecration of the unbelieving spouse and to lead him to a free conversion to the Faith.
1649. What are the two effects of the sacrament of Matrimony? (CCC 1638) The two effects of the sacrament of Matrimony are:
1. a perpetual and exclusive bond between the spouses
2. the grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony.
1650. What does Gaudium et Spes 42 call the marriage bond? (CCC 1639) Gaudium et Spes 42 calls the marriage bond an institution, confirmed by the divine law, even in the eyes of society.
Gaudium et Spes is a Vatican II document, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.
1651. What marriage can never be dissolved? (CCC 1640) A marriage can never be dissolved if:
1. it was contracted between two baptised persons
2. it has been consummated.
1652. What is the double purpose of the grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony? (CCC 1641) The double purpose of the grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is:
1. to perfect the couple’s love
2. to strengthen their indissoluble unity.
1653. How does Christ encounter the spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony? (CCC 1642) Christ encounters the spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony by dwelling with them and giving them the strength:
1. to take up their crosses and so follow Him
2. to rise again after they have fallen
3. to forgive one another
4. to bear one another’s burdens
5. to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ
6. to love one another with supernatural, tender and fruitful love.
1654. What are the three goods of the sacrament of marriage? (CCC 1643) The three goods of the sacrament of marriage are:
1. faithfulness (Latin: fides)
2. fertility (Latin: proles)
3. indissolubility (Latin: sacramentum).
1655. How is the human communion of Marriage completed and deepened? (CCC 1644) The human communion of Marriage is completed and deepened by:
1. communion in Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony
2. a life of common faith
3. the Eucharist.
1656. What does the expression “unity of Christian marriage” mean? (CCC 1644) The expression “unity of Christian marriage” means that the Christian marriage is monogamous.
1657. What does the expression “indissolubility of Christian marriage” mean? (CCC 1644) The expression “indissolubility of Christian marriage” means that Christian marriage lasts until the death of one of the partners.
1658. Why is Christian marriage contrary to polygamy? (CCC 1645) Christian marriage is contrary to polygamy because it is undivided and exclusive.
1659. What kind of fidelity does marriage demand according to GS 48? (CCC 1646) According to Gaudium et Spes 48 marriage demands total fidelity from the spouses and requires an unbreakable union between them.
Gaudium et Spes is a Vatican II document, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.
1660. What is the deepest reason why conjugal love requires inviolable fidelity? (CCC 1647) The deepest reason why conjugal love requires inviolable fidelity is found in the fidelity of God to His covenant which the spouses represent through the sacrament of Matrimony.
1661. What can be done if in a marriage living together becomes practically impossible? (CCC 1649) If in a marriage living together becomes practically impossible, the Church permits the physical separation of the couple and their living apart.
The spouses do not cease to be husband and wife before God and so are not free to contract a new union.
1662. Why can divorced and civilly remarried people not receive the Holy Eucharist? (CCC 1650) Divorced and civilly remarried people cannot receive the Holy Eucharist, because they live in adultery (Mk 10).
1663. In what does marriage find its crowning glory according to Gaudium et Spes 48? (CCC 1652) According to Gaudium et Spes 48 marriage finds its crowning glory in the procreation and education of offspring.
Gaudium et Spes is a Vatican II document, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.
1664. To what does the fruitfulness of conjugal love extend? (CCC 1653) The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual and supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education.
1665. Who are the principal and first educators of the children? (CCC 1653) The parents are the principal and first educators of their children.
1666. How can spouses that cannot have children live a conjugal life full of meaning? (CCC 1654) Spouses that cannot have children can live a conjugal life full of meaning through:
1. fruitfulness of charity
2. hospitality
3. sacrifice.
1667. What is the domestic Church? (CCC 1656) The domestic Church is the Christian family.
1668. How is the priesthood of the baptised exercised in a privileged way in the family? (CCC 1657) The priesthood of the baptised is exercised in a privileged way in the family by:
1. the reception of the sacraments
2. prayer and thanksgiving
3. the witness of a holy life
4. self-denial and active charity.
1669. Why is no one without a family in this world? (CCC 1658) No one is without a family in this word, because the Church is a home and family for everyone.