Ministers of the Sacrament
Most people, including most Catholics, do not realise that the ministers of the sacrament are the spouses (the husband and wife) themselves. While the Church strongly encourages Catholics to marry in the presence of a priest (and to have a wedding Mass, if both prospective spouses are Catholic), strictly speaking, a priest is not needed. |
The Rite of Marriage
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A priest performs the nuptial blessing
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Matrimony
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How is marriage linked to service?
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In a sacramental marriage, God’s love becomes present to the spouses in their total union and also flows through them to their family and community.
By their permanent, faithful and exclusive giving to each other the couple reveals something of God’s unconditional love. The sacrament of Christian marriage involves their entire life as they journey together through the ups and downs of marriage and become more able to give to and receive from each other. Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple cooperates with God’s action in their life and sees themselves as living “in Christ” and Christ living and acting in their relationship, attitudes and actions. |