Marriage

Question 1

What are factors which have contributed to the development of a belief teaching, ritual or practice over time? (4)

Answer 1

Clandestine marriages
polygamy
due to societal trends such as rising divorce rates
Luther’s proposal that there are only 2 sacraments

Question 2

What are the three key features of marriage?

Answer 2

Indissolubility
Covenant/Fidelity
Procreation

Question 3

What is a belief that has developed over time?

Answer 3

The belief that marriage is of a sacramental nature

Question 4

What is the feature of indissolubility? (2)

Answer 4

incapable of being dissolved or broken; permanent.
The nuptial meaning of the body is the self giving union of two bodies becoming ‘one flesh’, they come to understand the mystery of being a woman and being a man

Question 5

Genesis 2:24

Answer 5

Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Question 6

What is the feature of covenant?

Answer 6

a contract, an agreement between God and his people, in which God amends promises to his people and usually requires certain conduct from them.

Question 7

How God help the covenant? (4)

Answer 7

It is an Ecclesial bond: Living sign of God’s love —a way that God expresses love for humanity
God is the greater third party of the husband and wife which are equal
God offers them grace, make their mutual commitment, share their lives together as one, persevere in married life, form a family, give way to each other even to suffer.
God strengthens, supports and enriches a couple for married and family life

Question 8

What is the feature of fidelity?

Answer 8

Faithfulness to a person, cause or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support

Question 9

What does the covenant reflect?

Answer 9

The covenant of marriage reflects the. relationship, sacred binding agreement between God and his people. This new covenant between Jesus Christ and the new Israel, the church, is reflected in Christian marriage.

Question 10

What is the feature of procreation?

Answer 10

the production of offspring

Question 11

Why is procreation important?

Answer 11

Family is the church, therefore marriage is accounted as the secondary cause of the Church. Sets up the basic community of life and love that constitutes the Church as a society in family form
Through sexual language of the human body the couple is called to be open to new life, to the procreation of children

Question 12

Gen 1:28

Answer 12

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.”

Question 13

What is marriage in the Old testament?

Answer 13

God created marriage when he created male and female, which he gave them their purpose to “be fruitful and multiply”

Question 14

How does Genesis show marriage? (4)

Answer 14

• Genesis focuses on the features of covenant and procreation
• God created marriage when he create male and female
• Sexuality is fulfilled in a way through the communion of marriage and procreation
• Marriage mirrors the love of God for every individual, joy of sexual expression gives them clues to the joy of God.

Question 15

How does marriage develop in the New Testament? (3)

Answer 15

• Christian marriage is monogamous — no place for polygamy, only exclusive union between two people
• Christian marriage is indissoluble — not even Pope can break the bond of a valid celebrated and consummated marriage
• Marriage is first officially considered a sacrament

Question 16

Define sacrament.

Answer 16

visible sign of God’s grace

Question 17

How does the wedding feast of Cana show marriage as a sacrament? (3)

Answer 17

• Turns water in wine it is one of 7 of his public miracles, confirming the importance of marriage
• therefore celebrates natural bond between man and woman is given dignity of a sacrament by Jesus and his Church
• a rite of passage for adults, Jesus calls his disciples to embrace marriage and confirms it as a Sacrament

Question 18

John 2:1-2

Answer 18

“Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” John 2:1-2

Question 19

Matthew 19:8

Answer 19

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity and marries another commits adultery.” Matthew 19:8

Question 20

Why did Jesus call marriage indissoluble and monogamous?

Answer 20

Jesus calls marriage a sacred moment, restoring it as God intended after Moses taught divorce

Question 21

What were two significant ecumenical councils for marriage?

Answer 21

14th ecumenical council, the Second Council of Lyons (1272–1274) lead by Pope Gregory X
19th ecumenical council, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) lead by Pope Paul III

Question 22

How did a series of Ecumenical councils contribute to the development of the belief?

Answer 22

• second Council lyons develops the practise that marriage is a sacrament
• Council of Trent officially states marriage as one of the 7 sacraments

Question 23

How did the second council of Lyons develop marriage? (2)

Answer 23

• second Council lyons develops the practise that marriage is a sacrament
• this therefore fully rejected Clandestine marriages, as the belief at the time was couples partook in divine grace and priest played an important role

Question 24

What are clandestine marriages?

Answer 24

unofficial marriages that were easily dissolvable because there was no formal ceremony.

Question 25

How does the council of trent develop marriage? (2)

Answer 25

council of trent marriage officially becomes a sacrament and defined 7 sacraments

• confirming Jesus had added a new meaning to the union and confirmed it as a source of grace allowing couple to live their marital duties and grow in holiness, therefore making it indissoluble, enduring Jesus’ covenant that demanded fidelity
• affirmed it as a sacraments as Protestants were stating that there were only 2 sacraments, Baptism and the Eucharist

Question 26

How did the council of trent reaffirm marriage?

Answer 26

Through tametsi, reaffirmed the traditional theological understanding of marriage as a sacrament instituted by Christ, making marriage a public affair and against Clandestine marriages

Question 27

Tametsi

Answer 27

“presence of a priest and at least two witnesses at the ceremony—now[were] necessary for the validity of marriage.”

Question 28

How did Vatican II develop marriage? (3)

Answer 28

Reaffirms that marriage is a sacrament
rejects that marriage has two ends
theological changes were introduced.

Question 29

Why did Vatican II reject that marriage has two ends?

Answer 29

• The vatican significantly altered this tradition and refused to acknowledge the primary/secondary terminology, by teaching in Gaudium et Spes, that both marriage and martial love of the spouses “are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their perfect crown.”
• Marriage is therefore is a loving partnership of the whole of life, established by the free consent of spouses, and ordered equally to the mutual well-being of the spouses

Question 30

What are the two ends of marriage that Thomas Aquinas said there was?

Answer 30

a belief that marriage has two ends, a primary and a secondary end, the well being of the spouses and the union between the couple.

Question 31

Gaudium et spes quote

Answer 31

“are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their perfect crown.”

Question 32

What are 5 theological changes introduced to marriage in Vatican II?

Answer 32

1) partnership between man and woman as equals, women were no longer lower ranked than their man
2) reaffirmed as a covenant, imaging God’s covenant by giving themselves to one another , for the good of children demanding mutual love of spouses to grow and mature, even without children marriage is about sharing life and holding values and indissolubility
3) formed for mutual help and procreation
4) all of married life is called to be sacramental, therefore indissoluble when valid entered
5) it is a divine vocation, shifting people’s perceptions from thinking that celibacy was the higher perfect state of Christian life

Question 33

How did Post-vatican further develop marriage?

Answer 33

new understanding of forgiveness and compassion - pastoral care of married persons

Question 34

What is the document that Pope Francis promulgated?

Answer 34

Amoris Laetitia published April 2016 by Pope Francis on pastoral care of married persons

Question 35

What were 4 things Pope Francis wrote about marriage in the 21st century?

Answer 35

1) Church needs to understand families and individuals in all their complexity
2) Divorced and remarried Catholics need to be more fully integrated into the church through counselling them
3) All members of the family need to be encouraged to live good Christian lives
4) Traditional teachings on marriage are affirmed, but the church should not burden people with unrealistic expectations

Question 36

What is a quote form Amoris Laetita?

Answer 36

“People should not be ‘pigeonholed’… leaving no room for personal and pastoral discernment”

Question 37

Discuss a factor which has contributed to the development of a belief teaching, ritual or practice over time. (Polygamy)

Answer 37

Polygamy is a relationship between more than two people, usually a man would have multiple wives. Within the Old testament polygamy was seen as a normal thing. Polygamy was developed to be wrong as it went against the feature of covenant, which is stated as a contract between two people and God as a greater third party. Jesus’ teaching reinforced that Christian marriage is monogamous, as he stated, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity and marries another commits adultery.” Matthew 19:8 therefore marriage is an exclusive covenant between one man and woman.

Question 38

Why is polygamy wrong in Jesus’ words?

Answer 38

went against the feature of covenant, which is stated as a contract between two people and God as a greater third party. Jesus’ teaching reinforced that Christian marriage is monogamous, as he stated, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity and marries another commits adultery.” Matthew 19:8

Question 39

Discuss a factor which has contributed to the development of a belief teaching, ritual or practice over time. (Clandestine)

Answer 39

Clandestine marriages, which were unofficial marriages that were easily dissolvable because there was no formal ceremony. It challenged the key feature of indissolubility, which is he incapability of a bond being dissolved or broken. These marriages were common from the Old Testament till they began forbidding them, “presence of a priest and at least two witnesses at the ceremony—now[were] necessary for the validity of marriage.” Tametsi, Marriage was therefore defined as indissoluble as it sought to determine the validity go marriage to protect monogamous unions, procreation and consent without coercion.

Question 40

Why was clandestine marriages wrong? (2)

Answer 40

It challenged the key feature of indissolubility, which is he incapability of a bond being dissolved or broken.
Marriage was therefore defined as indissoluble as it sought to determine the validity go marriage to protect monogamous unions, procreation and consent without coercion.

Question 41

Discuss a factor which has contributed to the development of a belief teaching, ritual or practice over time. (societal trends)

Answer 41

Another factor are societal trends such as the rising divorce rates, which went against the feature of marriage of indissolubility and covenant as the bond between a couple is broken therefore breaking the covenant made between God. Divorce was first allowed by Moses, which Jesus was against as he said, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismal and to divorce her? And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, expect for unchastity, marriages another commits adultery” Matthew 19:8 As Jesus called marriage as a sacred covenant, restoring it as God intended. Pope Francis reinforced this in a document he published in April 2016 Amoris Laetitia, justifying that divorce isn’t encouraged but it doesn’t mean the couple should be treated different, instead they need to be more fully integrated in the Church through counselling.

Question 42

Which feature did societal trends go against?

Answer 42

feature of marriage of indissolubility and covenant as the bond between a couple is broken therefore breaking the covenant made between God.

Question 43

How does procreation show the belief of marriage is of a sacramental nature?

Answer 43

reveals the nature of marriage as a life long process, in which the sacrament does not end at the altar but continues for the rest of their life as they raise the child.

Question 44

How does Catholicism may need to develop and express its beliefs and/or teachings over time? (5)

Answer 44

• develop beliefs naturally due to the changing perspective
• develops beliefs in order to remain relevant, promote the message of Christ, help followers in their search for meaning and maintain the mission.
• Developed through the structure of the Magisterium which its processes, in order to develop an existing beliefs.
  eg. Vatican II
• religion expresses its beliefs through sacraments, worship and living out God’s intended plan.
• expressed as it is part of the features of religion.