B.
Marriage
Different Callings in Life
KINDS OF VOCATION
- Each of us has a role to play in this world.
- Vocation: arising from God’s personal call to
respond to the needs of others and the Church
itself
CALLING IN LIFE: BAPTISM
- anointing by the Holy Spirit marked Jesus as:
a. Priest
b. Prophet
c. King
CHRISTIAN VOCATION
- by Baptism, all of us share in the great mission of
Jesus to bring about the reign of God. This means
that each of us is called to live a holy life of service
in our church and in our world
- in the priesthood of the faithful, each and every
one of us is called to:
o worship God
o spread the good news of Jesus Christ
o serve one another and the Church
SCRIPTURAL TEXTS ON THE COMMON
PRIESTHOOD
- 1 Pet. 2:4-10 “The priesthood of the baptized is
seen in witnessing to Christ in the world.”
- Heb. 13:10-16: “The priesthood is interpreted in
terms of sacrifice of praise, w/c consists in good
works & sharing of resources.”
- Rom. 12:1-2: “The body is a living sacrifice; the
very life as sacrifice.”
MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD
- by the sacred power that he has, forms and rules
the priestly people; in the person of Christ the head
(in persona Christi Capitis), he effects the
Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the
- This common priesthood belongs to the whole
people of God, not simply to the laity.
- Lay persons: share the common priesthood w/
clergy & religious.
- involves more than specifically priestly functions
STATE & FORM OF THE CHRISTIAN VOCATION
A. Consecrated Celibacy
1. Priesthood
- alter Christus “another Christ”
- to sanctify Church
- OT: Israel – Levites – Aaron
- NT: Church – Priesthood – Jesus Christ
2. Religious Life
- union w the bridegroom Christ
- mirror-like sanctification
- sign that this world is not our home
- spiritual union w prayer (cloistered)
- traditional vows: chastity, obedience &
poverty
• sacrament by which m&w form an intimate
communion of life & love through a binding
covenant
• ordered to the good of the couple and to the
generation and educ of children
C. Single Blessedness
• common call of Genesis (Original Man)
• temporary & permanent vocation
• to sanctify & work in the world; for the life of
humanity
Christian Vision of Marriage &
Family
• emerging issues & changes on the nature of
marriage & the family over the past years
• Rapid social change: weakens traditional values,
moral and religious beliefs greatly affect the basic
structure or functions of marriage and family life
• Filipino fam: trapped between traditional living &
modern lifestyle
• new set of values and new life-styles: influence the
weakening of the life-long commitment in marriage,
• “Apostolicam Actuositatem”(11), “Since the Creator
of all things has established the conjugal
partnership as the beginning & basis of human
society, the family is the first & vital cell of society.”
FAMILY
- social institution that binds people together
- group of people, who support, and love each other
unconditionally
- unites through a strong bond and traditionally
related by blood
- Through marriage, m&w who are completely
independent to each other, bind and create new
lives and establish family
- having children – one of the most binding &
satisfying tasks of marriage
- m&w are given responsibility to take care of their
children, because the future of the Church and the
society depends on them
- parents: “how they can best ensure that their
children will grow up as genuine Christians and
successful adults”
- primary unit where children learn to socialize
- major unit in w/c socialization happens and the
children learn the fundamental relational skills
- provides members w social identity
FAMILY AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION
• progress of our society depends on how strong
families are
• good values: kindness, generosity, honesty, etc.:
tolerant, self-giving, fair and just society
 • Parents must bring them up in the spirit of
Christian maturity
• family is dysfunctional and unhealthy, whole
society will be dysfunctional and unhealthy
• Family: group of two or more people
Functions of the Family
FAMILY FUNCTIONS
• functions for the society & the individual
1. replacement of indiv so society can still exist
- 0-6 years old: formative stage
2. providing emotional gratification & intimacy and
helping them deal w emotional crisis so they grow
in the most fulfilling manner possible
FAMILY AS SOCIAL INSTITUTION
• Marriage: shared commitment to deeper growth;
enduring importance; obligations to love, love so
serious & generous that is ready for anything
• Apostolate of the Laity: “God created conjugal
partnership as the beginning & basis of human
society.”
• Strong Families
o good values: kindness, generosity, honesty
o reflects our society
o functional & healthy
FUNCTIONS OF FAMILY
A. Regulation of Sexuality
- conjugal act theological – realized in a truly
human way only if it is essential part of the heart
by which man & woman commit themselves
totally to one another until death
- extramarital sex is unacceptable, sinful (adultery)
- no other forms of sexual pleasure should be
allowed/accepted
- Purpose: express mutual love & respect for h&w
and to deeper intimacy (unite & procreate)
- Catholic Church teaches sex w/in marriage:
physical & spiritual act (body & soul)
- integrity of human sexuality & procreative,
relational & erotic dimensions, require right
context where sexuality can be honored
- Conjugal Act: sacred and holy
- John Paul II “Theology of the Body”
o sexual complementarity between h&w
(anatomy)
o complementarity enables them to “give”
themselves to one another and to “receive”
to carry out responsibilities as spouses &
parents
o must be freely done by man & woman
- from the day they give & receive consent in
marriage, they freely give themselves a new
identity as h&w
- validates marriage:
1. consent “I do”
2. consummation
- They commit themselves to one another
throughout their married life.
- They must freely choose to engage in a conjugal
act.
- The marital act honors the unitive meaning of
human sexuality.
- Pope Paul VI “Humanae Vitare”
o the unitive & procreative dimension of
marriage, when he said “because of its
intrinsic nature, the conjugal act, while
uniting h&w in the most intimate of bonds,
also makes them fit to bring forth new life
according to the laws written in their very
nature as male and female.”
- Sin: full knowledge, full will, grave matter
B. Responsible Procreation
- Familiaris Consortio
o while procreation is not the only purpose of
marriage, it is one of the benefits
- h&w: God’s co-worker & co-creator
- procreation: cannot be ignored
- children: gift to m&w united in marriage
- Parents as Co-Creators w God
o can decide on the number of children
- Things to remember:
1. God made parents responsible for
physical, emotional & spiritual needs
2. Parents fulfill responsibility when the
number of children is reasonable &
manageable
3. Parents should not reproduce carelessly,
w many children yet failing to provide
4. Parents make & discuss decisions
together regarding the regulation of birth
C. Socialization
- Family: orig cell of social life
- Family: community in w/c from childhood, one
can earn moral values, begin to honor God &
make use of freedom à do good, avoid evil
- Parents: role model
- Fam: cradle of life & love where born & grow;
model of love
D. Economic Cooperation
- Pope Francis “Joy of the Gospel”
o responsible citizenship is a virtue, and
participation in political life is a moral obli
- called to become informed & active
- James 2:15-16 “If a bro/sis has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day, and one of you says
to them “Go in peace, keep warm. And eat well,”
but you do not give them the necessities of the
body, what good is it?”
- reminded that there is no one who is poor that
has nothing to give & no one is so rich that he
cannot receive.
- responsibility of parents: open awareness on
social concerns & encourage them to participate
in charity works & political activities
 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one
of these little ones who believe in me, it would
Positive Contribution of Family be better for him to have a large millstone hung
around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.”

to Society - child abuse: violent anger, yelling (foul words),

threats, physical assault, sexual molestation,
belittling comments, withholding affection,
POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION OF FAMILY TO THE
SOCIETY exposure to inappropriate movies, magazines,
• man: model of patience and kindness internet material, neglect, lack of education
- “Children are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the
• woman: refuge, comfort and teacher that children
FRUIT of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127:3)
are entitled to have
• h-w relationship: Jesus for His church
C. Well-Being of Society
- Marriage is the gift for and of life. It is unique and
A. Well-Being of Spouses
irreplaceable – fundamental institution of life
- Genesis 2:24 “the Lord has commanded h&w to
- Marriage lived in thought and indispensable
be one”
model of communication for the world and is
- the two will become one flesh. this speaks of their
always an affirmation of life. the love of h&w
exclusive sexual bond, but also speaks of their
reminds the couple and the rest of the world that
family relationship as one flesh, the h&w make
no one is a completely isolated individual, that we
their fam connected
need one another at the most fundamental level.
- h&w are to value each other as equal partners
- The love is meant to be the context for:
marriage, in its truest sense, is PARTNERSHIP
welcoming, forming and educating new life
of EQUALS: w neither exercising dominion over
- The love of spouse is the responsibilities
the other, or rather w each encouraging and
assisting to other in whatever responsibilities and
aspirations he/she might have (equal, no
subordinate/dominate)
- h&w should allow their indiv characteristics and
abilities to complement one another each has
indiv traits
- Major Keys to Happiness in Marriage
a. Mutual Respect – sign of true conjugal love;
to put down one’s spouse is to degrade
him/her as a person
b. Fidelity – greatest gift a father could give to
his children is to love & to be faithful to his
wife. This may also be his way of showing
respect to his wife’s dignity as a person and
to the family as a whole
- h&w must be loyal to one another. Determine that
there will never be anything that will come
between you to disrupt your marriage. 1. make it
work! 2. resolve to make it work! There is far too
much of divorce, wherein hearts are broken &
sometimes lives are destroyed.
- conjugal love: greatest blessing that they could
have for each other

B. Well-Being of Children
- “Never forget these little ones are the sons and
daughters of God and that yours is a custodial
relationship to them, that He was a parent before
you were parents and that He has not
relinquished His parental rights or interest in
these little ones.” (Excerpt from
- Children are entitled to a loving relationship w
their parents
- Nothing is more important to the relationship
between family members than open, honest
communication.
- Ability to counsel,
- Child abuse is an offense to God