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Calling Couples to Christ

~ Building strong, joy-filled marriages

Calling Couples to Christ

Tag Archives: Sacrament of Matrimony

The Theology of Thermometers and Thermostats

18 Sunday Jul 2021

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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fidelity, fruits of the spirit, holiness, procreation, Sacrament of Matrimony

Thermometers and Thermostats

Saints John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, and Thomas Aquinas have exerted an enormous influence on Christian thinking, writing and theology. They are included among the Doctors and Saints of the Church, in recognition of their outstanding teaching, orthodoxy and holiness of life. Although the writings of each cover many subjects, we share their insights on marriage.

St. John Chrysostom (347-407) is regarded as the greatest orator and biblical commentator of the Eastern Church. The name “Chrysostom” means “gold mouth,” given to him because of his outstanding preaching skills. Chrysostom is one of the greatest apologists of Christian marriage. He expounded that God ordained marriage primarily to promote holiness of the husband and wife and secondarily to produce children.

Here is St. John Chrysostom’s advice to young husbands on how to treat their wives…

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Marriage: A Sacrament of Service

31 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Exhortation before Marriage, grace, invisible reality, Sacrament of Matrimony, visible sign

Wedding Rings on Bible

In the Catholic Church, there are seven Sacraments. A Sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible reality, instituted by Christ, which imparts grace. There are:

Three Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.

Two Sacraments of Healing: Penance and the Anointing of the Sick.

Two Sacraments of Service: Holy Orders and Matrimony.[1]

The first thing you should notice is that marriage is a Sacrament of Service. That should get your attention. Marriage is to be other-focused, the pouring out of your life for the good of your spouse and any children with which you may be blessed.

All other Sacraments were instituted by Christ, whereas marriage was elevated by Christ to a Sacrament. It is the “primordial” Sacrament being created by God (see Genesis 1 and 2). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “Christian spouses are fortified and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and dignity of their state”[2] by the Sacrament.

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Saints Louis and Zélie Martin: A Tender and Strong Love

12 Sunday Jul 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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love, Sacrament of Matrimony, Saints Louis and Zélie Martin

Louis and Zelie_05

July 12 is the feast day of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, the first married couple to be canonized together. We have written about the holiness of this extraordinary couple here and here. Today, we want to highlight their love for each other.

In The Story of a Family: The Home of the Little Flower, Fr. Stéphane-Joseph Piat says the love Zélie and Louis bore each other:

[K]ept all the fervor of the days of betrothal, all love’s delicacies, the confidences of a supernatural friendship. The wife admired her husband. After four and a half years of married life, she writes of him, “I am always very happy with him. He makes my life very sweet. My husband is a saintly man.”[1]

As examples of their affection for each other, Fr. Piat shares excerpts from letters Zélie and Louis exchanged. In a letter dated, August 31, 1873, Zélie said, “I long to be with you, Louis dear. I love you with all my heart and I feel my affection doubled by being deprived of your company. I could not live apart from you.”[2]

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Until Death Do Us Part

16 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Christ, death, faith, hope, love, Sacrament of Matrimony

Bible with rings

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7

On Valentine’s Day, we participated in the funeral Mass for a very dear friend. He died suddenly leaving his beautiful wife of 27 years and six amazing children.

We have known this couple for more than 15 years. During that time, we shared in their joys and sorrows. We celebrated their children’s baptisms, first Communions, confirmations and graduations. We worked side-by-side with them serving the poor and praying for an end to abortion. Their faithful love for each was a great witness to us.

Love never ends…1 Corinthians 13:8

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Your Wedding Vows Image Christ’s Love

18 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Christ, faithful, free, fruitfull, grace, Nupital Rite, Sacrament of Matrimony, total, vows

Catholic Wedding_02 (2)

Friday, we attended the wedding of a dear couple we helped prepare for the Sacrament of Matrimony. The climax of the Nuptial Rite is the recitation of vows. These vows are integral to every Catholic wedding and are steeped with meaning.

In the Marriage Rite of the Catholic Church, the bride and groom are asked these questions:

“Have you come here freely and without reservation…”

“…to give yourself to each other in marriage?”

“Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?”

“Will you accept children lovingly from God?”

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Book Review: The First Society

07 Saturday Jul 2018

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Sacrament of Matrimony, Social Order, The First Society

The First Society

During the last five decades, marriage has declined while the number of broken families has sharply increased. The ills of society that we face today are the direct result of the breakdown of the traditional family.

Formed to address this critical issue, the Calling Couples to Christ Apostolate strives to help couples live Christ-centered, joy-filled marriages. St. John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Healthy and whole families lead to a healthy and whole society.

In seeking resources to assist us in this effort, we were delighted to see that Dr. Scott Hahn recently published a new book, The First Society: The Sacrament of Matrimony and the Restoration of the Social Order[1]. Dr. Hahn makes the bold claim that through the Sacrament of Matrimony, a truly peaceful and humane society are possible.

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The Principle End of Marriage: Getting Each Other to Heaven

16 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Casti Connubii, Christ, ends of marriage, Sacrament of Matrimony

heaven

In previous posts, we looked at the four goods of marriage and how to live them out. The Church also teaches that there are three ends of marriage. These are the extrinsic goods to which marriage is ordered, not the goods that arise from the married state.

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Recent Posts

  • Tribute to Dennis Wingfield
  • The Theology of Thermometers and Thermostats
  • Saints Louis and Zélie Martin: Exemplars of Holy Family Life
  • Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: Defender of Hope
  • Living Morally in an Immoral Culture

Recent Comments

Satan Hates Marriage… on Satan Hates Marriage
Blahoslavení Luigi B… on Virtuous Married Love and Comm…
Dennis and Rose Wing… on Marriage: An Image of the Holy…
Dennis and Rose Wing… on Marriage: An Image of the Holy…
Nathan Mark Landrum on Marriage: An Image of the Holy…

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