June 26, 2012 – Catechism 1609 – 1620

1609 “After the fall, marriage helps to overcome self-absorption, egoism, pursuit of one's own pleasure.”  I guess it is easy to see that in a world where all of these attributes are being encouraged at every turn that marriage would be under attack and underappreciated.

Christ marries the Church.  That is really an essential image to understanding the unity that God has with His people.  If you understand that and believe that, your image of marriage cannot envelope two very important things.  Marriage as indissoluble and marriage between man and woman.  If Marriage is dissoluble, meaning you can end it, then you feel God can give up on us, end His relationship and union with us.  There is not bridging the gap.  If you believe God’s unity with us is eternal, then marriage must be indissoluble, because Christ uses marriage as the image for His relationship with us. 

Marriage must be productive.  Marriage cannot be productive if it is between a man and a man or a woman and a woman.  If you believe that marriage can be allowed between two people of the same gender, then you believe that God’s unity with us will not bear any fruit, will have no produce, is basically dead.  Only what bears fruit will not be thrown in the fire.  Just as faith without works is dead, so relationship without produce is dead.  Christ uses marriage as the image of His relationship with us and that image cannot be one that is incapable of producing fruit.  Without the productive unity of the Father and the Son, there would not be the Holy Spirit.  Homosexual marriage does not allow for produce and cannot be a sign that points us to God, it cannot be a Sacrament, which is what marriage is suppose to be. 

I think growing up I was told virginity was necessary until you were married and it was just a rule that you were to follow.  I really had no notion of its importance and connection to the actual bond of marriage.  I think this quote puts it very well.  “Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity. Whoever praises it makes virginity more admirable and resplendent.”  I had no idea what marriage really was, so I really could have thought less of the value of my virginity.  Now that I have a much better understanding of marriage, I can more fully value that gift and will strive with everything I am to instill that into my children and those I know.  The world could care less about marriage and so they trample the virtue of virginity.