The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Short Introduction
Holy Matrimony is the sacrament by which a baptized man and a baptized woman bind themselves
for life in a lawful marriage and receive the grace to discharge faithfully the duties of husband and
wife and of parents. Christ raised the natural contract of marriage to the dignity of a sacrament,
making it a sign of His own unbreakable union with the Church, as St. Paul teaches: “This is
a great sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the Church” (Ephesians 5:32). It is, of all the
sacraments, the one from which the Christian family and the future of the Church itself directly
springs.
Full Explanation
What Holy Matrimony Is
The Catechism defines Matrimony as the sacrament that unites a Christian man and woman in
a lawful marriage, giving them the grace to bear the trials of married life and to bring up their
children in the fear and love of God. Marriage itself is of divine institution, established by God at
the creation of Adam and Eve; Christ, however, elevated this natural contract between the baptized
to the dignity of a true sacrament of the New Law, a teaching solemnly defined by the Council of
Trent against those who denied its sacramental character.
Matter and Form
The Catechism explains that, uniquely among the sacraments, the ministers of Matrimony are the
spouses themselves — the man and woman confer the sacrament upon one another through their
mutual consent, while the priest who assists at the wedding does so as the official witness of the
Church, required for validity by the Council of Trent’s decree Tametsi and later legislation, together
with two other witnesses. The matter and form of the sacrament consist in the words and signs
by which the spouses express their free and mutual consent to take one another as husband and
wife, consent which must be present, deliberate, and free of any grave defect for the marriage to be
valid.
The Properties of Marriage
Traditional theology, following St. Augustine and the Council of Trent, teaches that every valid
marriage possesses two essential properties:
- Unity — marriage is between one man and one woman alone; polygamy and polyandry are
contrary to its nature. - Indissolubility — a valid, consummated sacramental marriage can never be dissolved by
any human power, for Christ Himself declared, “What therefore God hath joined together,
let no man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). The 1917 Code of Canon Law upheld this teaching
absolutely, permitting only separation from bed and board in grave cases, never a dissolution
of the bond itself, while allowing the Church, under specific conditions, to examine the validity
of the original consent through the process of annulment.
The Ends of Marriage
The manuals of moral theology of the period, following Church teaching, enumerate the ends of
marriage in order of importance:
- The procreation and education of children, held as the primary end of marriage, since
it is through the Christian family that new souls are brought into the world and raised for
Heaven. - The mutual help of the spouses, who assist one another in the trials of life and grow
together in virtue. - The remedy of concupiscence, providing a lawful outlet for natural inclinations within
the bond of marriage.
The Effects of Holy Matrimony
According to The Catechism, this sacrament:
- Confers sanctifying grace upon both spouses, strengthening the natural bond of marriage
with supernatural grace. - Gives a special grace enabling husband and wife to love one another faithfully, to bear the
burdens of family life patiently, and to raise their children in the Catholic Faith. - Establishes a permanent, sacred bond, making the union a visible sign of Christ’s own union
with His Church.
Requirements for a Valid Marriage
The 1917 Code of Canon Law specified conditions necessary for a marriage between Catholics to
be valid, including:
- Both parties must be free to marry, with no diriment impediment (such as a prior valid
marriage, a vow, or too close a degree of blood relationship) standing in the way. - Consent must be given freely, knowingly, and without force or grave fear.
- The marriage must ordinarily be contracted before the couple’s own parish priest (or one
delegated by him) and two witnesses, according to the form established by the Council of
Trent and reaffirmed in Canon Law. - Both parties should be properly instructed and prepared beforehand, understanding the sa-
cred nature and obligations of the state they are entering.
The Responsibilities of Husband and Wife
As with the other sacraments, Matrimony imposes serious and specific duties upon those who
receive it:
- The husband is bound to love, cherish, and provide for his wife, exercising his
headship of the family with charity and justice, never with harshness, following the model
given by St. Paul: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church” (Ephesians
5:25). - The wife is bound to love and honor her husband, and to assist him in the good
governance of the household, according to the complementary roles traditionally assigned to
husband and wife within the Christian family. - Both spouses are bound to mutual fidelity, absolutely excluding adultery, and to render
the marriage debt to one another as befits the sacrament. - Both parents are bound, above all other duties, to the religious upbringing of their
children — seeing them baptized promptly, teaching them their prayers and the Catechism,
bringing them to Mass and the sacraments, and forming them in Catholic virtue by word and
by example. - Both spouses must uphold the sanctity and permanence of the bond, never seeking
a civil divorce with the intention of entering a new union, and bearing patiently, with the
help of grace, whatever hardships married life may bring.
Sources referenced: The Catechism; the decrees of the Council of Trent on the Sacrament of
Matrimony, including Tametsi; the 1917 Code of Canon Law; the writings of St. Augustine on the
goods of marriage.