Not everyone is called to marriage? Even people who live alone can have fulfillment in life. To many of them Jesus shows a special way, he invites them to remain unmarried "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12). (1618-1620).
Many people who live alone suffer from loneliness, which they perceive only as a lack and disadvantage. Yet a person who does not have to care for a spouse or a family also enjoys freedom and independence and has time to do meaningful and important things that a married person would never get to. Maybe it is God's will that he should care for people whom no one else cares. Not uncommonly God even calls such a person to be especially close to him. This is the case when one senses a desire to renounce marriage "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven".
Of course a Christian vocation can never mean despising marriage or sexuality. Voluntary celibacy can be practiced only in love and out of love, as a powerful sign that God is more important than anything else.The unmarried person renounces a sexual relationship but not love; full of longing he goes out to meet Christ the bridegroom who is coming (Mt 25:6).
Therefore, matrimony is not an obligation for everyone, especially since God calls some men and women to follow the Lord Jesus in a life of virginity or of celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. These renounce the great good of Matrimony to concentrate on the things of the Lord and seek to please him. They become a sign of the absolute supremacy of Christ's love and of the ardent expectation of his glorious return.
Showing posts with label Marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marriage. Show all posts
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Why is Marriage Indissoluble?
Jesus not only restored the original order of a sacrament, giving spouses a special grace to live out their marriage as a symbol of Christ's love for this bride the Church: "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the Church" (Ephesians 5:25).
Marriage is triply indissoluble:
1) First, because the essence of love is mutual self-giving without reservation;
2) Second, because it is an image of God's unconditional faithfulness to his creation;
3) Third, because it represents Christ's devotion to his Church, even unto death on the Cross.
At the time when 50% of marriages in many places end in divorce, every marriage that lasts is a great sign - ultimately a sign for God. On this earth, where so much is relative, people ought to believe in God, who alone is absolute. That is why everything that is not relative is so important; someone who speaks the truth absolutely or is absolutely loyal.
Absolute fidelity in marriage is not so much a human achievement as it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God, who is there even when we betray or forget him in so many ways. To be married in the Church means to rely more on God's help than on one's own resources of love.
Because of original sin, which caused a rupture in the God-given communion between man and woman, the union of marriage is very often threatened by discord and infidelity. However, God in his infinite mercy gives to man and woman the grace to bring the union of their lives into accord with the original divine plan.
Marriage is triply indissoluble:
1) First, because the essence of love is mutual self-giving without reservation;
2) Second, because it is an image of God's unconditional faithfulness to his creation;
3) Third, because it represents Christ's devotion to his Church, even unto death on the Cross.
At the time when 50% of marriages in many places end in divorce, every marriage that lasts is a great sign - ultimately a sign for God. On this earth, where so much is relative, people ought to believe in God, who alone is absolute. That is why everything that is not relative is so important; someone who speaks the truth absolutely or is absolutely loyal.
Absolute fidelity in marriage is not so much a human achievement as it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God, who is there even when we betray or forget him in so many ways. To be married in the Church means to rely more on God's help than on one's own resources of love.
Because of original sin, which caused a rupture in the God-given communion between man and woman, the union of marriage is very often threatened by discord and infidelity. However, God in his infinite mercy gives to man and woman the grace to bring the union of their lives into accord with the original divine plan.
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