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Marriage
What is marriage?
The holy mystery (sacrament) of marriage is one of the seven
mysteries of divine grace, instituted by Christ. Christian
marriage constitutes a vocation, a special call by God.
Through the holy mystery, a baptized man and woman receive a
“special gift of God” (1 Cor 7:7) and enter a perpetual union
devoted to the service of a new life in Christ.
Where does it come from?
Marriage exists from the dawn of creation. Adam felt lonely,
since there was “no suitable partner” for him (Gen 2:18).
Therefore, God created a woman. When he sees the woman Adam
recognizes a suitable partner equal to himself, and he
exclaimed: “This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh! …
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to
his wife, and the two of them become one body” (Gen 2:23-24).
God gives Adam and Eve the command to “be fertile and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). Humanity
receives a vocation to cooperate with God in the propagation
of the human race.
Jesus Christ sanctified and elevated Christian marriage to the
dignity of a holy mystery (sacrament) by his presence at the
wedding in Cana of Galilee. This is why the Byzantine Church
reads the Gospel of the wedding feast at Cana during the
marriage ceremony. (Jn 2:1-11) Marriage sanctifies and
supports Christian family life.
Why do Byzantines use crowns?
Through the ceremony of crowning the church officially
recognizes the spouses’ union. The crowning comes from the Old
Testament (Is 61:10). It symbolizes the “glory and honor” of
Christian marriage as well as the “crowns of martyrdom,”
giving their lives to God and to each other.
The crowns remind the spouses that in their marital union they
must help each other to attain the “unfading crown of glory”
in heaven (1 Pt 5:4). That is why the priest prays “O God, our
God, ... accept their crowns into your kingdom, keeping them
pure, blameless and above all reproach.”
The church follows various traditions regarding crowns: some use gold crowns,
some prefer wreaths of greens.
I’m thinking of marriage, what should I do?
Be sure to stay close to the holy mysteries (sacraments). Pray
every day. Popular media and contemporary culture make
Christian marriage increasingly difficult. Share your thoughts
and feeling with your parish priest. Today more than ever,
marriage means a profound commitment and a radical witness.
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