Reflection on October 20, 1982

https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp2tb98.htm

SJPII is laying a ground work here to dive into the other sacraments. He says that marriage, as the primordial sacrament, is a prototype for all the other 6 sacraments. He distinguishes the word sacrament and how he has used it before. The use in describing the sacrament of creation or sacrament of redemption, sacrament is used as another word for mystery. But here, in marriage as a prototype for the other sacraments, he is using it to mean the 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church established by Christ.

Marriage is a sign, a link into understanding, the sacraments of creation and redemption. Marriage allows us our best earthly understanding of those mysteries and thus the importance of the definition of marriage and the importance of protecting its integrity. But now we move on from these mysteries and see how marriage helps us better understand all the other sacraments, or signs, of God’s Grace along the ordinary journey of our salvation. We have seen the connection to some in discussion so far. We see the similarities of unity in marriage and that connection with the Eucharist. There is the change that takes place in a person through marriage and its connection with the change that occurs in Baptism. There was also a great deal of time spend discussing the connection between the vocation of holy orders and marriage and how they are very similar and differ in calling by God, but foundationally call a person to many of the same things. I hope SJPII goes more into these different sacraments and how marriage, and what we have learned so far about it, will help us better in understanding the other sacraments.