In his apostolic trip to the South American continent last week, Pope Benedict XVI told the young people: “Above all, have great respect for the institution of the sacrament of matrimony. There cannot be true domestic happiness unless, at the same time, there is fidelity between spouses. Marriage is an institution of natural law, which has been raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament; it is a great gift that God has given to mankind: respect it and honor it.”

    The institution of marriage is a reality that is so fundamental to the permanence of society and the church, that without it the world would become extinct. And that is why we can say that if we save marriage — especially facing the numerous attacks that it now faces — we will save the world.

    Marriage is a natural institution created by God prior to the church. The union between a man and a woman is a reality that God wanted to institute to ensure not only the physical survival of humanity, but the social and cultural survival: in fact, it is in marriage, within the family, where a child learns to be a member of his own community, his society and his culture.

    From its beginning, God established this union for the good and the happiness of the spouses; thus for the procreation and education of the children.
    Jesus Christ established the sacrament of matrimony to reestablish the original order that God intended for marriage; and to give the spouses, through this sacrament, the possibility of receiving the special graces given by God to fulfill that enormous responsibility, not only of raising and educating children, but of becoming the symbol of love between Jesus Christ and the church.

    In fact, let us recall that the Old Testament often talks about the relationship between God and the chosen people in terms of marital love. And St. Paul teaches us even more clearly, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church.” (Eph 5:25)

    In the sacrament of matrimony, a man and a woman love each other, agree before God to give themselves to each other mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love. When they freely state before the priest or deacon, “I do,” the spouses become one body “until death do us part;” and it joins them “in suffering and joy, in health and in sickness.”

    On this fundamental pillar of a union chosen freely and until the end of one’s life, the Christian family is built, and it is called the “domestic church,” because it becomes the first cell where the community and family dimensions of the church are lived as the family of God.
    Each member of the Christian family, but especially spouses, contribute to building a community of grace and prayer; a school of human and Christian virtues and a place where children receive the first sign of faith and the first living example of charity.

    The Compendium of the Catechism of the Church explains that the sacrament of matrimony “establishes a perpetual and exclusive bond between the spouses. God himself seals the consent of the spouses. Therefore, a marriage which is ratified and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. Furthermore, this sacrament bestows upon the spouses the grace necessary to attain holiness in their married life and to accept responsibly the gift of children and provide for their education.” (Compendium 346)

    Because of the importance of this sacrament for the life of society, the church seeks to defend it from various attacks. Firstly, from sin, especially adultery, which deeply wounds marriage; then, rejection of life, which deprives conjugal life of the gift of children; and also divorce, which is inconsistent with its indissolubility.
    Every attack against marriage is an act of social and cultural suicide. For this reason, let us ask the Holy Family, the wonderful example of family life, to protect all marriages, to particularly help newlyweds and all those who are going through difficult times.