5. What is marriage?

Marriage is a union by which a man and a woman establish between themselves an intimate partnership for their whole lives, and which of its own nature is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and to the procreation and upbringing of children. It is a way for persons to dignify their lives and to serve God and society.

6.What is the origin of marriage?

Marriage is a great blessing from God since the beginning of mankind. God created men and women equal but complementary and made them sharers in his creative work of giving and caring for new human life through marriage. Because of this a man and a woman leave their parents to be joined in marriage and the two become one flesh.

7. How is the union in marriage established?

The union in marriage is established by the free consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another. At the moment of expressing their consent the partners must be physically and mentally capable of understanding this lifelong commitment.

8. Can the marriage union be dissolved by any man or woman?

No one has the power to dissolve the marriage union once it has been properly constituted. This characteristic pertains to the origin and nature of marriage as an exclusive and permanent union of one man and one woman. Jesus Christ himself taught clearly that the two are one flesh joined together by God and what God has joined, no one has power to separate.

9. What are the characteristics of the love between spouses?

The love between spouses demands life long faithfulness and openness to children. It is also characterized by a special intimacy which includes the union of the bodies of the spouses.

10. Why is life long faithfulness an essential part of marriage?

Life long faithfulness has always been and will always be an essential part of marriage for many reasons:

1. The union of the bodies of the spouses which characterizes marriage is an act of total self giving which includes the past, present and future.

2. The effort to be faithful helps the spouses to mature and to make their love ever more profound, pure and supernatural.

3. It makes possible the best education of the children because children need the peaceful and loving atmosphere of a home in which their parents are united and faithful.

4. It ensures mutual stability which is a source of strength and hope to deal with the challenges of family life.

11. Why is openness to children an essential part of marriage?

Openness to children is an essential part of marriage because the sexual intimacy between the spouses is true self-giving only when it is open to the transmission of life. Otherwise it is selfish and degrading. Children are a great gift from God and a sign of His blessing on the love of the spouses. A large and happy family is a crown of blessings, honour and joy for parents.

12. Why is the family the most importnant unit of any society?

The family is the most important unit of any society because it is the first and most fundamentalhuman community where ther human person experiences love and learns to love. The communion and sharing that are part of everyday life in the home are an effective preparation for the active, responsible and fruitful inclusion of the children in the wider horizon of society and the Church.