Cabauatan, Jan Eros Nike V.

1G

Final Paper Sem 2

As Pope John Paul II said during the Second Vatican Council, “The
family is the basic unit of society”.
So if you want to destroy society, begin with the families. The family is
the reason why a Church exist for the church is not the building or the
Magisterium, but the people. The church has an interest to the family
for the family as a basic unit of society has a role that is important and
that is to fulfill their calling that will begin at the sacrament of marriage,
where the role of the people and the church begins.

The first question to be asked is how important is the marriage in the

church.
As the Chapter 28 of the Catechism for Filipino Catholics discuss
marriage ;

Role of the Church to the family

-     By proclaiming the word of God, the Church reveals to the Christian

family its true identity [truth] — what it is and should be according to
the Lord’s plan.
-     by celebrating the  sacraments,  the Church enriches and strengthens
the Christian family with the grace of Christ for its sanctification to the
glory of the Father.
-     by the continuous proclamation of the new commandment of love,
the Church encourages and guides the Christian family to service of love
so that it may imitate and relive the same self-giving and sacrificial love
that Jesus has for the entire human race (FC 49)

 In order to keep the union of God to his people especially to the

married couple not severed, and to feel that the love of God is
with them physically, the church must keep the celebration of
 sacraments, keep proclaiming the truth in order not to be
deviated from their purpose, and fulfill their duty/ calling to the
church and to its people.

Marriage as “Covenant Love”

Marriage is a unique sacrament in that the vocation
of  marriage  itself is a foundational human reality  built into the very
created nature of man and woman, with its own profound meaning,
even before the teaching of any specific religion  (cf. CCC 1602-5)
 This means that marriage is important to the church as a
sacrament that is instituted by God at the beginning of time for
the essence of union caused by the love of God to his creation.
God created man and woman for each other, not to serve each
other. God is making us realize that one cannot live for himself
alone, but for others. God created Eve so that Adam will not be
sad. Man is created to love and be loved. Man has longing for
another, a companion that can share his life with. Union in
itself, is built in the very nature of man and woman. The
woman can complete the man for God took a part of his rib to
create Eve. This has a deep meaning for our partner in marriage
can be called a part of us. It is literally a part of us. So that in
marriage, the two can become one.
One Body
  For the Hebrew author of Genesis, this meant not just physical
unity, but the  unity of two persons in all their basic human
levels  -  physical, psychological, and spiritual, or body, mind, and
heart or spirit. This unity does  not  mean losing one’s own identity
by merging with another into one personality, nor yielding to
domination by the other. Rather it is “the intimate partnership of
life and love”  (GS 48)  in which the couple freely are present to,
think about, care for, and enter into, each other.  Their thoughts,
ideals, hopes and destinies become intertwined. ( Chapter 28,
Catechism for Filipino Catholics)
 The union of man and woman is very important for the church.
This is similar to the union of the people to Christ, as one body
 and one church. We become children of God, a union f God to
his people, the main concept is unity in everything, even if we
have different personality. The unity is also important as
emphasized at the holy trinity, one God in 3 persona. So, we
are one body and one church even if there are several people.
In marriage, man and woman are united, and dignified as one.
With their union, their dignity as a person or as a spouse is not
diminished, they have no supremacy over other. With one goal,
they are united. As someone say, no man is an island. One can’t
live alone. Even people when united, can destroy even the most
despotic governments. The more if 2 become united. The union
must be preserved by the church so that the people can
maintain their promise to God to fulfill their calling.
The next question to be asked is what will be the calling for the
couple’s married in the church.
As the Chapter 28 of the Catechism for Filipino Catholics discuss vocation
of married life ;

1925.  Beyond all that has already been said, we realize that marriage
as authored by God is a vocation, a call to share in God’s own life of
love, as revealed to us in Christ Jesus, and present among us in his
Body, the Church. The most common human experience we have of
God who is love is our human loves and friendships. Within all human
friendships, the married love of spouses is recognized as the natural
paradigm. The Bible reveals that this marriage friendship among
Christians is the sacrament of  __  that is, reveals and makes
present  __  God’s love for His people, and Christ’s love for his Church. In
this sense, Christian marriage can be said to be the “basic sacrament”
of God’s saving presence among us.
To share in God’s own life, the mission of the family is realized:
1907. For its part, the Christian family shares in the saving mission of
the Church since the married couples not only “receive  the love of
Christ and become a saved community, but they are also called upon
to communicate Christ’s love to their brethren, thus becoming
a  saving community”  (FC 49).
Families will generously share their spiritual riches with other families
too. Thus the Christian family . . . will manifest to all the Savior’s living
presence in the world, and the genuine nature of the Church, by the
love and generous fruitfulness of the spouses, their solidarity and
fidelity, and by the loving way in which all members of the family work
together (GS 48).

 The calling is called the vocation of married life. In theory, God

called the married couple to communicate the love of Christ.
The family, the married couple as a basic unit of society, is vital
for the salvation of people. Everything begins what the family
teaches. After all, the root of all the law and the union of man
and woman is love. When love is emphasized in
communication, nothing can go wrong. When your basis in
proclaiming the word and doing one’s action is love, not
personal agenda, the world will be a better place and salvation
might be ensured. Love can change everything, even the
coldest of hearts. The married life is the best symbol of love,
for it is the symbol of selflessness. Love is also the most
important factor in determining the value of sacrament that
the couple receive. The value of the sacrament will determine
the importance of their discipline to their married life.
The next question is how the couples today value the sacrament of
marriage they receive.
At the opening of the book explained the value:
1876. Marriage and the family in the Philippines today, as throughout
the world, presents a sharp contrast. On the one hand,  most Filipinos
today have a deeper  appreciation for personal freedom and the quality
of interpersonal relationships within marriage. There is serious
concern for upholding the dignity of women, equality of the spouses,
and responsible family planning. Filipino Christian families are brought
to greater awareness of their social and political responsibilities, and
their mission within the Church  (cf. FC 6).
 The Philippines is the only Catholic Nation in Asia that has more
than 80% population that are Catholic. This means, the values
that is being taught by the church is the standard for one’s life.
 The catholic teachings are the way of life of most Filipinos. But
as time change, and as the revolution of ideas begun, there is a
time of practicability and convenience. Unfortunately, they
become aware of their responsibilities, they become aware as
well of the impracticability and inconvenience of the church
wedding. Everything is now instant and cheap. Marriage in
churches tend to be extravagant. As the economy got worse,
the people also tend to go to the cheap places to marry, and
also they think that annulment is also costly. But the church
still motivate people to choose church wedding.
Finally, the last question is what can motivate the people to
choose church wedding than a civil wedding or live-in
arrangement.

The Catechism for Filipino Catholics answered this question:

1900.  Christ is the key to the answer. 
For truly believing Christians, entry into and perduring in the most
important relationship of their lives could not possibly succeed or
make sense except  through, with  and  in  Christ their Lord and
Savior. Christ’s presence and concern for Christian spouses is
beautifully pictured in John’s Gospel account of the Wedding at
Cana (Jn 2:1-12), where he saved the married couple from
embarrassment by changing water into wine. This was the first of
his ‘signs’  and “so he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in
him” (Jn 2:11).

 Finally, if one consider their lives to be Christ-centered, nothing

is impossible. It is not true the inconvenience and being costly
of the marriage. The Church is the place where God is. It is the
only place where one can celebrate the sacrament and the
sanctity of the presence of God is the most important factor
there. The church will still protect the sanctity of marriage that
God instituted for it is still better. In civil marriage or live-in
arrangement, there is no blessing that only the priests can for
they are the appointed agent of God here in Earth.