Matrimony is a sacrament and as such it is a sign to the
world of the invisible God living in our midst - the living God who
bears fruit in the lives of two people.
A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible reality.
Matrimony is a sacrament and as such it is a sign to the world of
the invisible God living in our midst - the living God who bears
fruit in the lives of two people. They are a continual sign of His
Power in the world. There is special grace and power within every
couple God has joined together. Everything they do singly or
together, is a living out of their sacrament. Simple things like
washing dishes, running a sweeper, driving to work, struggling to
make a living, budgeting a small salary to meet big expenses - yes,
these and all the other facets of life together, have power hidden
within them to make them holy. Married life is the ground of
holiness, love is the seed planted by God. Life together with its
agonies and joys, pain and sacrifices, frustrations and tensions,
moments of exultation and despair, all act as the rain and sun,
thunder and lightning on a young sprout.
Family life is the backbone of mankind and that life is
dependent upon mutual giving, sharing and receiving from each other.
It entails the proper use of each other's successes and failures for
mutual up building. The brick and mortar stage of any building is not
beautiful, but without it no permanent building is possible. Pieces
of wood and boxes of nails are a far cry from a beautiful finished
cabinet, but those pieces of wood are the cabinet - those loose
bricks, bonded together, are the building. So it is with a married
couple: everyday frustrations - grinding faults, worries and
tensions, success and failure all make up and build that beautiful
edifice of family life and living. Though all seems fruitless and
without purpose; though day to day endurance succeeds in tying us
down to hum-drum living; though boredom takes hold of our hearts
with an icy hand; God's providence counts every tear, picks up every
scrap and washes away every failure. We may think all is lost, or we
have failed, but if we could see ourselves In His Eyes we would see
the wisdom of His Will. If we would cooperate with Him and try to
bring good out of every evil, we would be more aware of our soul
changing, our faith growing stronger, our hope more secure and our
love deepening. We would see the Spirit working in every facet of
life, be it ever so painful.
There should be in the life of every married couple a
continual building of the Sacrament. Since a sacrament brings God's
Presence to us in a special way, this Presence in their Sacrament
should be an ongoing living experience. They should daily place
themselves in this awesome Presence by placing themselves before God
in a daily encounter of love and need. If a married couple would
begin their day hand in hand and silently place themselves before
His Presence, become aware of that Presence around them and within
them, absorb the beautiful qualities of God that they feel in need
of, ask His blessing on their new day and then make the sign of the
cross on each other's forehead as a sign of anointing - that day
would begin in His Love, and that love, stronger than death, would
hold them up no matter what happened.
In every Sacrament there is the Presence of God. This
Living Sacrament of Matrimony must find its source in the fountain
of Living Water, the Divine Presence, if it is to manifest that
Presence to the world. A couple, in Jesus, is a real witness of the
power of God in our midst. It is a concrete example of the life of
the Trinity
We can see that since God has designed matrimony as a
Sacrament, those who are joined together possess unique, personal
qualities that each should share and help transform to supernatural
levels in each other. That invisible Presence that binds them
together must become visible by their love for each other, their
family life, their growth in holiness, their concern for the needs
of others, their faithfulness and their perseverance in daily good.
In the Evangelical Catholic Church's commitment to help
couples called to the vocation of marriage is unconditional. In
this journey towards to the sacrament of matrimony, the Church sets
aside time to spend with each couple as they prepare themselves to
receive this sacrament. These six sessions of sacramental
preparations are indeed sacred times for grace and reflection.
If you and your loved one feel called to enter into the
vocation of marriage, please permit us the opportunity of sharing
this journey with you.