Padre Nicolás Schwizer
The bride and groom come to Church to wed before God and the Christian community. It is because the love which blossomed was offered as a promise of happiness. They had such a deep experience of love that they decided: this has to last forever.
Each one must have said to himself/herself: My happiness depends on this extraordinary person whom I have met. I realize that without her I cannot grow, I cannot be happy, I need her. Therefore, I want to unite my life with hers. And it is in this way that they begin the marriage journey, filled with hope.
Now then, what does the sacrament of matrimony mean for the love story they are experiencing?
I think that the great majority of Christian marriages are not very clear on that meaning. There is a lot about customs, routine, and even family pressure.
Many believe that marriage is no more than a simple blessing of that same love – just as one blesses a car or a medal – so that God may protect them and that nothing bad happens to them. I know that is not the concept which you have of this sacrament.
The true meaning of Christian marriage is: through this sacrament, the Lord does something with the love. He touches this love and changes it, He changes it into something different than what it was when they entered the Church.
Something similar happened at the Last Supper when the Lord changed the bread into his Body. The bread continued looking like bread, but it was no longer bread, it was a sign that the Body of Christ is there.
The Lord does the same with love on the wedding day: He takes the love of the bride and groom and he converts it into a sign and presence of his own divine love.
The love continues being the love between the two, but at the same time it is something more – like the consecrated host is more than bread. The love between the two receives the mission of being a sign and reflection of the love between God and mankind.
In the sacrament of matrimony, the two are going to accept that mission. They are going to tell the Lord: Yes, I accept that my love may become a reflection of your love.
The bride and groom come to Church to wed before God and the Christian community. It is because the love which blossomed was offered as a promise of happiness. They had such a deep experience of love that they decided: this has to last forever.
Each one must have said to himself/herself: My happiness depends on this extraordinary person whom I have met. I realize that without her I cannot grow, I cannot be happy, I need her. Therefore, I want to unite my life with hers. And it is in this way that they begin the marriage journey, filled with hope.
Now then, what does the sacrament of matrimony mean for the love story they are experiencing?
I think that the great majority of Christian marriages are not very clear on that meaning. There is a lot about customs, routine, and even family pressure.
Many believe that marriage is no more than a simple blessing of that same love – just as one blesses a car or a medal – so that God may protect them and that nothing bad happens to them. I know that is not the concept which you have of this sacrament.
The true meaning of Christian marriage is: through this sacrament, the Lord does something with the love. He touches this love and changes it, He changes it into something different than what it was when they entered the Church.
Something similar happened at the Last Supper when the Lord changed the bread into his Body. The bread continued looking like bread, but it was no longer bread, it was a sign that the Body of Christ is there.
The Lord does the same with love on the wedding day: He takes the love of the bride and groom and he converts it into a sign and presence of his own divine love.
The love continues being the love between the two, but at the same time it is something more – like the consecrated host is more than bread. The love between the two receives the mission of being a sign and reflection of the love between God and mankind.
In the sacrament of matrimony, the two are going to accept that mission. They are going to tell the Lord: Yes, I accept that my love may become a reflection of your love.