Grace

In the sacrament of Marriage, God gives the couple a special grace – real, ongoing, supernatural help – to love each other faithfully, forgive each other generously, raise their children in the faith, and grow in holiness through their shared life. Grace in marriage isn’t a one-time gift received at the altar and then stored away. It’s a living reality that the couple can draw on every single day, in every argument, every act of service, and every moment of tenderness. ...

A sacramental marriage is a lifelong covenant between a baptized man and woman that has been raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. It’s not simply a wedding ceremony with religious elements added on top – it’s a channel of grace, a living sign of Christ’s love for His Church, and the means by which God sanctifies the couple and their family. When the Church calls marriage a sacrament, she means something has fundamentally changed: the couple’s union has become holy ground. ...