From a solid and firm marriage arises a bond between
the couple which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive;
furthermore, in a Catholic marriage Jesus strengthens the spouses, as it
were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a
special sacrament” (CCC 1638)
The consent by which the spouses mutually give and
receive one another is sealed by God himself. From their covenant arises
an institution, confirmed by the divine law, even in the eyes of society.
The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with
man: original love is summed up into amazing and beautiful love (CCC
1639).
Thus the marriage bond has been established by God
himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between
baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the
free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a
reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guaranteed
by God's fidelity. the Church does not have the power to contravene this
disposition of divine wisdom (CCC 1640).
"By reason of their state in life and of their
order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of
God."This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to
perfect the couple's love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By
this grace they "help one another to attain holiness in their married
life and in welcoming and educating their children" (CCC 1641).
Christ is the source of this grace. "Just as of
old God encountered his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so
our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses
through the sacrament of Matrimony." Christ dwells with them, gives
them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise
again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one
another's burdens, to be subject to one another out of reverence for
Christ, and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful
love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives them here on
earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb (CCC 1642).