The Hidden Bond in Sacramental Marriages: God’s Own Divine Life
Oct 22, 2015 by Gretchen Filz
At the wedding feast at Cana, Our Lord elevated marriage, the sacred institution established by God at the beginning of the world, into one of the Church's seven sacraments. A sacrament is an outward sign of an inward divine grace.
Jesus symbolized this by transforming plain water in jars made of stone into an abundant source of miraculous wine; when the ordinary wine provided for the marriage feast was used up, Jesus supplied for their need with supernatural wine.
In this divine action he revealed a sacred mystery: hidden within marriage is the spiritual reality of God's own divine life, his grace, that continually assists a husband and wife to live out their vocation—while sanctifying their individual souls in the process.
Every sacramental marriage has this wine, or divine grace, flowing through it. This is why Jesus said, and the Catholic Church continues to teach, that sacramental marriage is sacred and indissoluble. It is infused with Christ's own divine life. Jesus commands us, "What God has joined together, let no man separate." It's now a sacred thing.
Yet, this spiritual reality can be very hard to live in the day to day. We are broken and sinful people living in a broken and sinful society, as illustrated in the personal testimony shared below. It is so easy to lose sight of the sacred mystery of marriage and only see its great difficulties.
That is why marriage is a vocation, a calling, a commitment to living out a way of life that God has called us to live. But it is a vocation that he has protected with his sanctifying grace; he gives marriage his own strength to persevere. His grace is there when we look for it and accept its power to transform us. And we are made better because of it.
The Catholic Church, in its faithfulness to Christ's teaching on marriage, actually saves marriages by telling people the truth about what marriage really is: a sacrament established by Christ for the good of his Church and the salvation of souls.
Vocations are not easy to live, but they will be eternally rewarding when lived well. They prepare us for heaven by teaching us how to love God above all things.
Do you have a story to share about how the Catholic Church has saved your marriage, or a marriage in your family? If so, please share your inspiration with readers in the comments below.
