20/08/2026
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The Sacredness of Marriage
Through marriage, the couple mirrors Christ’s love for the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32). It is a lifelong bond ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children.
In the sacrament of Matrimony, husband and wife receive grace to love each other faithfully, forgive each other, and persevere together in holiness.
The Call to Purity and Avoiding Fornication
Fornication—sexual activity outside of marriage—is a grave sin against chastity (CCC 2353). It wounds human dignity, distorts God’s plan for sexuality, and undermines the stability of relationships.
Christians are called to live in chastity, whether married or single, keeping their bodies holy as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
Avoiding fornication is not merely following a rule but choosing to live in the freedom and joy of God’s plan for love.
Sacred Scripture on Marriage and Chastity
Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Ephesians 5:25-33 – Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loves the Church, with self-sacrificing devotion.
Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
1 Corinthians 7:2-5 – Marriage is given so that husband and wife may remain faithful to one another and not fall into sexual sin.
Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce
Jesus elevated marriage to a sacrament and taught that it is indissoluble: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6).
In Matthew 5:31-32, He teaches that divorce and remarriage is contrary to God’s plan, except in cases of unlawful unions.
The Church upholds Christ’s teaching that marriage is a lifelong covenant. Annulment (a declaration that a marriage was invalid from the start) is distinct from divorce and is granted only in certain circumstances.
