matrimony (catholic)

7/30/2019 Matrimony (Catholic)

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m a t r i m o n y


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F U L L - L e n g t h

R i t e

All stand, including the bride and bridegroom, and thepriest addresses them in these or similar words:

My dear friends, you have come together in this church

so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the

presence of the Churchs minister and this community.Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already

consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and

strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may

assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting

fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you

to state your intentions.

(Name) and (Name), have you come here freely and

without reservation to give yourselves to each other in

marriage?


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Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of

your lives?

Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up

according to the law of Christ and his Church?

Priest:

Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands,

and declare your consent before God and his Church.

The bridegroom says:

I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my wife. I promise to be true to you

in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and

honor you all the days of my life.

The bride says:

I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my husband. I promise to be true

to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love

you and honor you all the days of my life.


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Receiving their consent, the priest says:

You have declared your consent before the Church. May

the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent andfill you both with his blessings.

What God has joined, men must not divide.

Response: Amen.

Blessing and Exchange of Rings

Priest:

May the Lord bless these rings

which you give to each otheras the sign of your love and fidelity.

Response:

Amen.


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R I T E

All stand, including the bride and bridegroom, and the

priest addresses them in these or similar words:

My dear friends, you have come together in this church

so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in

the presence of the Churchs minister and this

community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has

already consecrated you in baptism and now he

enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament

so that you may assume the duties of marriage in

mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of

the Church, I ask you to state your intentions.

S u m m a r y o f


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The priest then questions them about their freedom of choice, faithfulness

to each other, and the acceptance and upbringing of children.

The priest invites the couple to declare their consent.

They join hands.

Receiving their consent, the priest says:

You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his

goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings.

What God has joined, men must not divide.

Response: Amen.

Blessing and Exchange of Rings

Priest:May the Lord bless these rings

which you give to each other

as the sign of your love and fidelity.

Response:

Amen.


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S y m b o l s o f M a r r i a g e

Popular wedding traditions have evolved over hundreds, even

thousands of years of people joining together in some form ofmatrimony.

Some wedding traditions that have endured are based on blessing the

couple with good luck; others are a means for the couple to convey their

feelings for one another. Regardless of the wedding tradition itself, all

wedding traditions share the same essential symbols of unity,

happiness and prosperity; messages that stand the test of time.

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

The saying, "Something old, something new, something borrowed and

something blue is a popular rhyme that has been used since Victorian

times. The "something old" represents the bond to the bride's

family and her old life; "something new" represents the couple'snew life together and their future hope for happiness, prosperity

and success; "something borrowed" from a happily married

woman is meant to impart similar happiness to the bride; and

"something blue" represents fidelity and constancy.


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White Bridal Dresses

Wearing white also dates back to Victorian times when Queen

Victoria abandoned the usual royal tradition of wearing a silver

gown, instead choosing to wear white. Before that time brides

simply wore their best gown, rather than a special wedding dress .The popularity of white can also be attributed to it symbolizing

purity and virginity. White was also thought to ward off evil

spirits.

Throwing Rice

Showering the couple with rice is an ancient tradition. As rice is

considered a "life giving" seed it is thought that by throwing in on

the couple they will be bestowed with fertility and have many

children. Many churches now forbid it on their property but there

are some safe alternatives to throwing rice.

Sharing Cake

Sharing the first piece of wedding cake is a wedding tradition with

Roman roots.

The wheat used to bake the cake was symbolic offertility and a

"fruitful union", while the cake's sweetness was thought to bring

sweetness to all areas of the couple's new life.


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Sharing a kiss

The ceremonial kiss that concludes the wedding ceremony is

said to represent the couple sharing and joining their souls.

Rings, Candles, Hands and Common Cup

1) The rings are a symbol of commitment to one another

and exchanging these rings shows that any weaknesses

of one partner can be buoyed up by the strengths of the

other.

2) Candles may be held by the bride and groom to

represent Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and "the light

of the world."

3) The bride and groom drink from a common cup of wine

to remember the miracle of Christ changing water into

wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.

4) The bride and groomjoin hands throughout the service

to unite them and to symbolize their unity under God.


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Bouquet and Rice

The wedding bouquet is a tradition introduced in America.

The person to catch the bouquet will be the next person

to be married, according to folklore.

Dress, Threshold and GiftsAnother symbolic act is the groom not seeing the bride's

dress the day before the wedding and the bride herself until

the wedding ceremony itself. A new bride is carried over the

threshold of a house to protect her from the evil spirits that

may lurk in a new home. In older times, fruit was given to thebride and groom by guests to encourage fertility, but that

tradition has been replaced by bringing gifts.


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P R A Y E R SNuptial Blessing

Dear brothers and sisters,

let us humbly pray to the Lord

that on these his servants, now married in Christ,

he may mercifully pour out

the blessing of his grace

and make of one heart in love(by the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood)

those he has joined by a holy covenant.

And all pray in silence for a while.

And all pray in silence for a while.

Then the Priest, with hands extended over the bride andbridegroom, continues:

O God, who by your mighty power

created all things out of nothing,

and, when you had set in place


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the beginnings of the universe,

formed man and woman in your own image,

making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the man,

that they might no longer be two, but one flesh,

and taught that what you were pleased to make onemust never be divided;

O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage

by so great a mystery

that in the wedding covenant you foreshadowed

the Sacrament of Christ and his Church;

O God, by whom woman is joined to man

and the companionship they had in the beginning

is endowed with the one blessing

not forfeited by original sinnor washed away by the flood.

Look now with favor on these your servants,

joined together in Marriage,

who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.


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Send down on them the grace of the Holy Spirit

and pour your love into their hearts,

that they may remain faithful in the Marriage covenant.

May the grace of love and peace

abide in your daughter N.,

and let her always follow the example of those holy women

whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.

May her husband entrust his heart to her,

so that, acknowledging her as his equaland his joint heir to the life of grace,

he may show her due honor

and cherish her always

with the love that Christ has for his Church.

And now, Lord, we implore you:

may these your servants

hold fast to the faith and keep your commandments;

made one in the flesh,

may they be blameless in all they do;

and with the strength that comes from the Gospel,


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may they bear true witness to Christ before all;

(may they be blessed with children,

and prove themselves virtuous parents,

who live to see their children's children).

And grant that,

reaching at last together the fullness of years

for which they hope,

they may come to the life of the blessed

in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Through Christ our Lord.

Response: Amen.


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Blessing at the End of Mass

The Priest, with hands extended over the bride and bridegroom, says:

May God the eternal Fatherkeep you of one heart in love for one another,

that the peace of Christ may dwell in you

and abide always in your home.

Response: Amen.

May you be blessed in your children,

have solace in your friends

and enjoy true peace with everyone.

Response: Amen.

May you be witnesses in the world to God's charity,

so that the afflicted and needy who have known your kindness may one

day receive you thankfully


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And he blesses all the people, adding:

And may almighty God bless all of you, who are gathered here,

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Response: Amen.

Opening Prayer (Collect)

Be attentive to our prayers, 0 Lord,

and in your kindness uphold

what you have established for the increase of the human race,

so that the union you have created

may be kept safe by your assistance.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer over the Gifts

Receive, we pray, 0 Lord,the offering made on the occasion

of this sealing of the sacred bond of Marriage,

and, just as your goodness is its origin,

may your providence guide its course.

Through Christ our Lord.


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B i b l i c a l B a s e s

* God created man in His image; male and female He created them.

He blessed them saying: Be fertile and multiply, fill the whole earth and

subdue it. (Gn 1:27f)* The Bible reveals this natural covenant of love as the

image/symbol of God the Creators absolute and unfailing love. Created

male and female, human persons are created through Gods love, in the

image of God who is Love, and called to love one another in sharing

Gods own love.

Marriage in Genesis

A. God created man in His image; male and female He created them.

He blessed them saying: Be fertile and multiply, fill the whole earth and

subdue it. (Gn 1:27f). Thus, marriage has the social purpose of

propagating the human race by sharing in Gods own creativity.

B. It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for

him that is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his

wife, and the two of them become one body (Gn 2:18, 24). This

expresses the personal purpose of marriage as the mutual love,

support, and unity of the couple.


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C. One Body or Flesh

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 ones own identity by merging with another into onepersonality, 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.

Yet, within this deep mutual inter-personal relationship, both become

more uniquely themselves, with their own personal character and traits.

D. The Old Testament prophets, by using marriage as a symbol of

Gods covenant with His Chosen People, had already pictured

marriage as a covenant which should imitate Gods own fidelity (cf. Hos

2:21f; Is 54:4-6, 10; 62:4-5; Ez 16:8-14, 60-63). You must not break faith

with the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God ofIsrael (Mal 2:15f; cf. CCC 1609-11). But it was only through Jesus Christ

that the covenant of human love, symbol of Gods love forhis people in

creation, could be raised to become the sacrament of the new covenant

of Christs redemptive love with His people, the Church.


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C h u r c h T e a c h i n g s

* This understanding of Christs teaching on marriage as a new

covenant of love is confirmed in the famous text from Ephesians

(cf. 5:21-33; CCC 1616-17). The key message is: the covenant

between man and woman is seen as the image of the covenant

between Christ and the Church. Husbands and wives, therefore,

should love and act toward each other as Christ loves and treats us,

his Church. Hence, marriage partners are admonished: Defer to one

another out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5:21). All domination by onepartner over the other is thus directly rejected.

* Catholic tradition has recognized marriage of the baptized is one

of the seven sacraments of the New Covenant (FC 13; cf. Trent, ND

1808; CCC 1638). Marriage is seen as

A) an ongoing saving symbolic action,

B) grounded in the ministry of Christ and continued in and through the

Church, which) when proclaimed, realized and celebrated in faith,

C) makes present and actually shares in, Gods love and faithfulness

in Jesus Christ, in the pattern of his Paschal Mystery.


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As the Third Preface of the Wedding Mass prays to the Father:

The love of man and woman is made holy in the Sacrament of

Marriage, and becomes the mirror of your everlasting love.

1) 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 Lords plan.

2) 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.

3) By the continuous proclamation of the new commandment of

love, the Church encourages and guides the Christian family toservice 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).


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IMPORTANCE OF MATRIMONYMarried Christians, in virtue of the sacrament of Matrimony,

signify and share in the mystery of that unity and fruitful love

which exists between Christ and His Church.

This intimate union and the good of the children impose total

fidelity on each of them and argue for an unbreakable oneness

between them.

Christ the Lord raised this union to the dignity of a sacrament

so that it might more clearly recall and more easily reflect his

own unbreakable union with His Church.

Christian couples, therefore nourish and develop theirmarriage by undivided affection, which wells up from the

foundation of divine love, while in a merging of human and

divine love, they remain faithful in body and in mind, in good

times and in bad.


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S U M M A R YRite of Matrimony

- Statement of Vows

- Consent- Blessing and Exchange of Rings

Symbols of Marriage

- Old bride and old life

Newcouples new life and hope for happiness

Borrowed impart happiness to the bride

Blue fidelity and constancy

- White Bridal Dresses abandoned tradition, white symbolizes

purity and virginity, white was thought to ward off evil spirits

- Throwing Rice an ancient tradition, for fertility and many

children- Sharing Cake wheat in the cake symbolizes fertility and a

fruitful union, sweetness for the sweetness of couples new life

- Sharing a kiss sharing and joining their souls

- Rings commitment and support


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- CandlesJesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the light of the world

- Common Cup remembering the miracle of Christ (Wedding at

Cana)

- Joining of Hands unity

- Bouquet of Rice according to folklore, the person to catch thebouquet will be the next person married

- Dress husband not seeing dress before the wedding was a

symbolic act

- Threshold protect the bride from evil spirits

- Gifts from the guests for fertility

Prayers

- Nuptial Blessing

- Blessing at the End of Mass

- Opening Prayer (Collect)

- Prayer over the Gifts

Biblical Bases

God created man in His image; male and female He created them. He

blessed them saying: Be fertile and multiply, fill the whole earth and

subdue it. (Gn 1:27f), human persons are created through Gods love


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Marriage in Genesis: multiply; marriage must have mutual love,

support, unity; merging with your partner while retaining your

individuality; marriage as a symbol of Gods covenant with His

Chosen People

Church Teachings

- The key message is: the covenant between man and woman is

seen as the image of the covenant between Christ and the Church

- Marriage is a saving symbolic action, grounded in the ministry of

Christ, shares in Gods love and faithfulness in Jesus Christ

- Church reveals to the Christian family its true identity

- Church enriches and strengthens the Christian family with the

grace of Christ for its sanctification to the glory of the Father

- Church encourages and guides the Christian family to service of

love

Importance of Matrimony

- Christians share in the unity and fruitful love which exists between

Christ and His Church


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Q U E S T I O N S : Q U I Z What is the 3rd part of the Rite of Matrimony?

Give 4 examples of symbols of marriage. (4 pts)

List 3 prayers done during marriage. (3 pts) Be fertile and multiply, fill the whole earth and subdue it. Which book

in the Bible is this from?

Complete the statement: One ____ or _____. (2 pts)

True or False: Marriage is a new covenant of love.

Complete the statement: Church reveals to the Christian family its true

_____. Christians share in the unity and fruitful love which exists between

_____ and ______ (2 pts)

True or False. Under the normal outline of vows, is this true or false: I,

(Name), take you, (Name), to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in

good times and in bad, in success and in failure. I will love you and

honor you all the days of my life.

Candles represent ______.

Couples drink from a common cup to remember Jesus miracle which

was ___________.

True or False. The belief that whoever catches the bouquet first is

based on Church teachings.


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20. True or False. The sharing of cake is done for fertility.


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A N S W E R S : Q U I Z

1. Blessing and Exchange of Rings

2-5. See list.6-8. See list.

9. Genesis

10-11. Book, Flesh

12. True

13. Identity

14-15. Christ and Church16. False

17. Jesus Christ

18. Turning of water to wine at the Wedding of Cana

19. False

20. True

matrimony (catholic)

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