Catholic Marriages in Antalya Turkey
Catholic Marriage in Antalya Turkey
Marriage According To The Canons Of Catholic Church
“A marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, established for the purpose of procreation and making a family, for mutual support, love, and child-rearing. Catholic marriage is a sacrament and mutual oath of man and woman who profess the Catholic faith.”
Marriage According to The Divine Law
The Scriptures begin from the statement that God created man in its own image and finished by describing the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus).
The Scriptures pay particular attention to marriage and its sacrament, describing the marriage institute by explicitly underlined its importance before God, give us explanations of the marriage‘s origin, addresses the problems of marriage and their solutions. There said that the Church is the Bride of Christ.
Marriage Is Pleasing To God
“All rules and laws of a happy and prosper life established by God’s enactments. The orientation of men and women to marry is a natural desire which was created by God in people. A marriage during centuries was modified and changed in different cultures and countries but still today it’s the most important institute in our social life. And it shows us its divine essence. Unfortunately, marriage is not sacred and untouchable in every culture and all societies. In modern society we can see that attitude to marriage is changing from day to day and it’s getting more frivolous. And it brings a lot of problems for private and social lives of people. The private happiness of a person is closely linked to his family and society welfare.
God created man by love and wanted us to know what true love is. Our desire to love and being loved is basic human needs. Because the man was created in God’s own image and God is love. When God created a man and woman he put the love to each other inside their hearts as God’s blessing. This kind of love is praised before God. Love of man and woman is a great gift. God blessed Adam and Eve by saying: “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.”
Man and woman were created for each other, we can read it in the Scriptures: “ It is not good for the man to be alone.” “This, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.” By other words, the woman she is the nearest part to man and them helpers to each other on the way to Jesus’s contentment. And this exactly why the man separates from his father and mother and tied to his wife. And together they become one whole.
Marriage According to the Rules of Pedagogy
No matter how sinful we are God doesn’t leave us. We have punishment for our sins: „ with painful labour, you will give birth to children” and “through painful toil, you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” After Adam and Eve were sent to the Earth, marriage has become for children of Adam a reason to conquer the ego, loneliness, and debauchery and gives the human mutual understanding, the closest friend and partner.
In 1610 the concept of inviolability of marriage was accepted as a fundamental law. In that time a big number of marriages of kings and prophets was a reason to justify the divorce. This fact was explained by that in time of Moses divorce was allowed. But it was allowed by reason that men of that period were the cruellest and bloodthirsty and women could save her selves by divorce.
The prophets were always striving to bring the meaning of pure and faithful marriage in human’s life. Unbreakable marriage is a reflection of God‘ love
A Marriage in The Lord
The unity between God and people Israel was changed by new and eternal unity agreement. Son of God by the incarnation in human flesh had sacrificed himself in name of humanity and open the door by this unity for the marriage of the Lamb. The first of his miracle Jesus had revealed in the wedding by his Mother’s requirement. The Church gives big importance to this sign at the wedding in Cana. Appearing of Jesus on the wedding is a sign that the marriage is divine and blessed unity. Christ by saying: „What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate“ uniquely had explained to people aims of the marriage between man and woman, that the marriage is lifelong unity.
Indissolubility of marriage can make modern people astonish and at first look, it seems impracticable. It looks like putting a very hard obligation upon husband and wife after Moses’s laws were abrogated. Jesus, who came to humans to set on the right way and cleanse them from past sins, gives us power and his mercy to support us in this path. In the Christian marriage, the husband and wife just by taking Jesus as the example and by God’s inspiration to their hearts will be able to support their marriage.
St. Paulus said: „Husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her. „Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
The Christian carries in his soul love to Jesus and the Church.
To Remain Virgin in The Name Of God
Image of Christ is the central figure of the Christian’s life. The connection between man and Jesus is the most important one, it’s like basis on which established all social, family and private relationships. Since the dawn of Christianity, there were men and women who have dedicated themselves entirely to God, they were living in the name of the Lord and was abandoned from marriage for the name of Jesus. They take the inspiration from Jesus’s image. He never has married. They see the meaning of their lives in serving and obeying God.
By remaining a virgin in name of the God and dedicating themselves to the spiritual ascension and denying of themselves the pleasure of having a family and love they have found the endless connection with Jesus. It is endless love and thirsty of meeting to their lover.
Vow of chastity and sacrament of marriage both of them are God-pleasing. The Lord himself inspires people to choose their way of life. Vow of chastity and sacrament of marriage are an integral part of each other, one cannot exist without another. When we speak ill about marriage, we insult the vow of chastity at the same time. Our respect for marriage institute means exaltation of vow chastity too. It’s like the good things can be compared just by other good things, otherwise, case you cannot call it “good.”
The Holy Matrimony In The Church
According to the rituals of the Catholic Church, it’s better to perform the wedding ceremony four weeks before Catholic Christmas and forty days before the Easter. The Eucharist is embodying Jesus’s sacrifice and love between the Church and God. Newlyweds by performing the rite of Eucharist, sacrifice themselves to each other.
The Holy Matrimony has considered by the Church and society as one of the most sacred and respectful rituals. For the newlyweds to confess their sins before marriage is preferable. During the Holy Matrimony in the church newlyweds in the presence of the priest give the mutual consent and oath to each other. In Eastern European traditions after the wedding ceremony on the head’s of newlyweds put the crowns as a symbol of the marriage contract. There are different prayers in different liturgies, special prayers for the blessing of a bride. By the prayer of blessing for the couple, the mercy of God descends on husband and wife.
Mutual Consent
The main sides of the marriage contract are man and woman in the Catholic faith, who have come to the age of marriage and freely have declared their mutual consent.
The consent means:
- Without compulsions;
- Without conditions which contradict to the Church and society.
The publicly declared consent is a necessary requirement for the validity of marriage by the Catholic Church’s canons. Without consent, the marriage is not legal. Mutual consent is accepting the person as a legal spouse. “I take you to be my husband”, “ I take you to be my wife” these expressions connect two people to each other an make them one whole. The consent must be given in the safe place for both, without threats and fear, by free will.
Nobodies consent or desire can replace the consent of the couple. If there is no free will, the marriage can’t be called the legal. By these or other reasons (which made the marriage illegal) the Church shall decide about invalidities of marriage on the ecclesiastical forum. An in this case both sides are free for secondary marriage. The priest in church on the wedding ceremony accepts the oath and consents of both sides and gives the Church’s blessing.
The wedding ceremony should be performed in the church in front of the witnesses.
The Holy Matrimony is a liturgical event. And the most suitable place for this is the church.
The marriage brings new obligations and rights to the couple regarding each other and the Church.
- A family is a small church and because of this should be protected
- The consent in front of the community can help to remain true to its words.
One of the very important issues of marriage is awareness of man and woman of the consequences of their choice, consent and their roles in establishing the Christian basis in the family.
Interfaith Marriages
According to The Catholic Church rules to make legal interfaith marriage the bishop’s consent are necessary. This consent is given by the condition that children in the family will be brought up in accordance with the Catholic Church traditions. There are were created a lot of special organizations to settle the marriage problems which have come up by distinguishing streams in Christianity. The goal of such organizations is to make the marriage procedure easier for interfaith couples. The same time these organizations help to solve the adaptation problems between spouses. Such an approach helps to find common ground between wife and husband, to be more tolerance and respect to the representatives of other confessions.
The Impact of Sacrament of Wedding on Person
From a legal, inviolability marriage appears the strong connection. According to the canons of the Catholic Church, the wife and husband are blessed and gifted by sacrament to fulfil their obligations.
The Marriage Connection
The mutual consent gives God’s consent and blessing for a couple. From this bilateral treaty, in society bears a new blessed marriage union. The true love between husband and wife becomes the whole with God’s love.
This connection between the spouses has created by God and this love deserves to be endless. The love in a family is a symbol of God’s love for his creations. No one has rights to destroy this union.
Inviolability Of Marriage
Spouses’ love is natural feeling in people which makes the marriage institute and marriage itself inviolability: "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh”. The wife and husband develop their relationships with their fidelity, by helping each other, supporting the connection between them. This union of man and woman get through the sacrament of wedding Jesus’s consent and his blessing. Through the spiritual connection with the Church and the Christian traditions, the marriage gets the deep meaning. Besides the love between man and woman in marriage there establishes the deep respect to each other. Polygamy and divorces destroy the marriage spirit.
Fidelity in Marriage
The marriage in the Catholic faith demands from both partners mutual fidelity and devotions. This is the logical result of the marriage. Love needs fidelity and devotion. There are things that kill and destroy the marriage’s spirit, as the like expression “In any case, I can find someone else”. The marriage is the sincere union for both sides and children’s profits. The union of husband and wife is unbreakable. The main reason is contracting with God, devotion to Jesus and the Church. Through the sacrament of marriage, spouses learn to appreciate each other more and more and the meaning of inviolability of marriage will have a deeper meaning. It seems like to be connected to one person for long life is impossible and difficult. But spouses’ love and fidelity have their own special sources.
God loves us through endless and unchangeable love. Fidelity of husband and wife is a symbol of accepting endless love of God. There are definite challenges in every family that comes unexpectedly. In such times faith in God’s love gives to us the power to resist and stay strong. By relying on God’s love and by taking the help of someone of your faith’s community you can open new sources of welfare and happy life.
Sometimes under the impact of some factors the couple’s life gets unbearably hard. The Church gives permission in this case for living separately. But they still wife and husband in front of God. They can’t make new relationships. It’s better, in this case, to make peace and find to common ground. The Christian community should help them and gives support them to try to settle problems between them and restore the bond of marriage.
There a lot of the Catholics in modern society who comes to divorce according to secular laws of many countries. The Church can not accept this state of affairs, because there is a direct prohibition in Bible: “And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery - unless his wife has been unfaithful." The Church can’t accept secondary marriage. To marry divorced people by secondary marriage contradicts to canons for the Catholic Church. This couple has no rights for Holy Communion. And they can’t fulfil some other religious rituals. It’s better to repent and ask forgiveness from God and live the righteous life.
