By: The Rev. Lee Nelson
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24
The union of man and wife in marriage is not the possession of any one culture. It is instituted by God and part of His original intent in creation. This Sunday presents a great opportunity to speak to God’s Church about not only the goodness of marriage, but also about the “goods” of marriage. Originating in the work of Saint Augustine and finding their way into the Book of Common Prayer, these are “offspring, chaste fidelity, and an unbreakable bond.”
Today, we live in a culture that has elevated sexual friendship to marriage status, but we must be clear – this is a thing very different from Christian marriage. Christian marriage always assumes that, unless otherwise prevented, man and wife will be about the business of starting a family, raising children to praise and honor the Lord in their lives.
That is why we call it “Christian Matrimony,” matrimony referring, quite explicitly, to the woman becoming a mother. In a society which has nearly assumed premarital sex, unwed motherhood, and the normalization of divorce, this is a great witness! We, in fact, know from history, that the Christian family was the driving force behind the
Christianization of the Roman Empire. That was accomplished by the family honoring the vocations of motherhood and fatherhood, the adoption of abandoned infants, and the care families exercised towards the poor and the sick. Second, marriage is a great guard
against unchastity. Much of the time, we assume the sexual chastity is only for before marriage. But Christians believe that marriage actually protects us from sexual sin, allowing truly self-donative, loving friendship and fidelity between husband and wife.
Thirdly and lastly, we speak of the unbreakable bond to which husband and wife consent to be joined. This, they should know, is for their “mutual society, help, and comfort.”
Marriage makes us strong when we are weak, it gives us friendship when we are lonely, and it guards those who are helpless, especially later in life, when very often, we find ourselves without the ability to care for ourselves. Who is not inspired by the example of a man who cares for his wife with Alzheimer’s? Who is not granted great vision to see a woman care for her ailing husband? Thanks be to God for the gift and sacrament of Marriage!