Continuing Catholic Continuing Catholic EducationEducation

2010-2011November 7th 2011

Genesis – Contd.

• Last Week– Creation – In The Beginning God– Sin – Broken Relationship with God

• Marriage– Creation of Man and Woman, in God’s likeness

and Image– Marital Communion as Communion of Holy Trinity– Marriage as a Covenant

Marriage – What we hear today ?• Culture• Media• A spirit of Domination• Infidelity• Leaders• Jealousy• Conflicts escalating into hatred• Statistics on Failures of Marriages• As Long As …………

Marriage –God’s View

• ‘Let’s make man in our image and Likeness’– Communion of Holy Trinity– Communion of Man and Woman– Perfect Communion: “bone of bones and flesh of

flesh”• ‘It is not good for man to be alone’– Call the helpmate ‘Woman’ since she came from

Man.– Vocation of mankind to be fruitful and multiply

The RIB storyStory behind why woman was created from the rib of

man• She was not created from his head to be

above him• Nor was she created from his foot to be

under by him.• She was taken from his side to stand beside

him, • From beneath his arm to be protected by

him,• From near his heart to be loved by him.

The RIB story

And the story continues… • Rib protects the heart and lungs.• Rib is strong, yet delicate and fragile. • The rib cage will allow itself to be broken

before it will allow damage to the heart. – Support him as the rib cage supports the

body.– Show him that you are the rib that protects

his inner self.

Marital Love is Trinitarian Love

• Theology of Perfect Love (the Four Fs) - Benchmark of Catholic Marriage

– Free – Self-Giving (and not taking)– Full – Gifting (and not grasping)– Faithful – Trusting (and not doubting)– Fruitful – Life (and not using)

How does Sin enter into Marriage?• When there is a 4th person/object, other than

Man, Woman and God, in the Marriage => Trouble – The Serpent

• Broken Relationship with God => Fear• Lost Personal Dignity => Nakedness, Shame,

Treating others as objects rather than persons• Lost the Trust of each other => Desire,

Selfishness, Lust• Lost Peace and Harmony with world=> Pain, Toil ,

Death

Marriage –A Vocation

• Perfect Unity – ‘What God has Joined’– ‘Physical intimacy of spouses becomes a

sign and pledge of Spiritual Communion’ (CCC 2360)–Marriage is called a complete sacrament-

‘When the two become one flesh, it becomes the perfect communion of persons from the beginning’ :John Paul II, Theology of Body

Marriage – A Vocation

• "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children” Vatican Council II

• Current Trends against this– Contraception– Artificial Birth Control Methods– Sterilization of man and woman– Abortion– Pre-Marital and Extra-Marital Sex

Marriage – As a Covenant

• What is a Covenant?• Covenants in Bible• Marriage becoming a Covenant• Mutual Giving in Marriage - “Till Death

do us part”• Faithful to the Covenant

Marriage – A 7th Day Life

• Seventh Day for Marriage?– God rested on 7th Day– Transition from 6th day to 7th – Man and Woman resting with God on Seventh Day– The missing 4th Person on 7th Day!!– Children as God’s Gift, Raised for God in his image

and likeness.– Family - A Sanctuary of God, Replica of Garden of

Eden, Domestic Church

Marriage – What Church Teaches

• References • Theology of Body – John Paul II• Teachings of John Paul II. This is referred as “New Sexual

Revolution” of last century

• Encyclicals– Humane Vitae – Paul VI– Evangelium Vitae – John Paul II