Marriage from the New Testament

MODULE 6

Names: _____________________________________________________________

Course and Block: _____________________________________________________________

Instructor/Professor: ______________________________________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________________________

Introduction. Module 6 is the continuation of Christian perspective of marriage. It

presents the concept of family/marriage in the New Testament. New Testament already and
clearly define how God design this union. This biblical perspective will enlighten us about the
very nature and purpose of a family/marriage.

MODULE INTRODUCTIONS AND FOCUS QUESTION (S):

Unit II, module 5 offers the original concept of family/marriage in the Old
Testament. It shows to us how God design this union from the very beginning
of its conception. Continuing this biblical revelation on marriage, module 6 will
present to us the teachings of Jesus Christ about marriage and family
according to the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. This biblical
perspective will focus on how the Gospels and the fathers of the Church
elucidated more the concept of a family/marriage. In this module I ask what
the concept of family in the New Testament is. Does the Gospel abolish what
God had design in the Old Testament? Does my family meet the standards
provided in the New Testament? Is divorce being ratified in the New
Testament? What are the teachings of the Father of the Church about
marriage/family?
 After completing the unit 2, the students will be able to:
1. DOCTRINE; Demonstrate understanding on the concept of Marriage in the New
Testament
2. MORAL: Uphold to the teachings of the Jesus Christ regarding to the call for a
true or authentic and meaningful marriage
3. WORSHIP: Demonstrate gratitude for the gift of the Catholic Church, its
teachings and Faith through prayer
As Dominican-educated youth, the students are able to practice the Dominican three-
fold mission at the end of the module, through:
1. Laudare —To praise God for providing us the clear and meaningful pictures of marriage:
Marriage is an earthly picture of the spiritual relationship that exists between Christ, the
bridegroom, and the church, His bride.
2. Benedicere — To bless us in our understanding of Marriage as covenant, a sacred bond
between a man and a woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God and
normally consummated by sexual intercourse.
S. Praedicare — To preach God's plan for the marriage covenant involves at least the
following five vital principles: (1) The permanence of marriage: (2) The sacredness of
marriage: (3) The intimacy of marriage: (4) The mutuality of marriage and the (5) The
exclusiveness of marriage.
Opening Prayer

and take from me the double

darkness in Which l have been
born,

an obscurity of both sin and

In the name of
ignorance.
the Father, and of
the Son, and of Give me a sharp sense of
the Holy Spirit. understanding, a retentive
Amen. memory, and the ability to
grasp things correctly and
Creator of all
fundamentally.
things,
Grant me the talent of being
true Source of
exact in my explanations,
light and wisdom,
lofty origin of all and the ability to express
being, myself with thoroughness and
charm.
graciously let a
ray of Your Point out the beginning, direct
brilliance the progress, and help in
penetrate into completion; through Christ our
the darkness of Lord.
my
understanding
In the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
 Let’s find out how much you already know about this topic. Think and
give your best answers to the question by clicking the Yes or NO. Please
answer all items. After taking this short test, you will see your score.
Take note of the items that you were not able to correctly answer and
look for the right answer as you go through this module.

Response “YES” Statement Response “NO”

1. In the New Testament, the status

of women in marriage has been
substantially improved. St Paul
essentially counters the unethical
treatment against women in any
situations and in so doing making
the marital relationship closer to
one of equals.
2. The Sacred Scripture says that God
created marriage for a purpose bigger
than itself. Marriage is a picture of the
believer’s relationship with God.

3. According to St. Paul, marriage

is an earthly picture of the
spiritual relationship that exists
between Christ, the bridegroom,
and the church, His bride.
4. St. Augustine’s theology of
marriage, provided the basic
foundations of marriage, which is
based on what he identified as the
three goods (bona) of marriage:
children (proles), fidelity (fides),
and sacrament (sacramentum).
5. The procreation of children is the
first, natural, and legitimate
purpose of marriage.
 Quaestio

ACTIVITY 1: Anticipation Reaction Guide (ARG)

What are your ideas when you think about the family in the New Testament and in the teachings of the
Church? Is my family living the design of God in the New Testament? Is divorce allowed in the New
Testament? Does the Church allow legal separation? What if the marriage does not work out can both spouses
just decide to go separate ways? What if there is abuse in one spouse, is there a need to fulfill the vows of
permanence or the so called indissolubility of marriage? Does the Church allow mixed marriage? Start the
module by answering the first column of the Anticipation Reaction Guide (ARG).
Instruction: Respond to each statement twice. Once before the lesson and again after reading the discussion
of the lesson

 Write I believe if you agree with the statement

 Write I don’t believe if you disagree with the statement
Response Before Statement Response After the
the Lesson Lesson

1. The union of husband and wife in marriage is

potentially procreative, which means the call
to marry is also a call to parent. Husband and
wife are also father and mother.
2. Mutual fidelity sustains the marital bond
between husband and wife.
3. The marital bond is sacramental because it
has been forged by God and the indissoluble
permanence of that bond signifies the
indissoluble bond between Christ and the
church.
4. Marriage is a sacrament and thus it
permeates the theological virtues to the
spouses, that is, fides, spes and caritas
(faith, hope and love).
5. Marriage is not merely a human agreement
between two consenting individuals (a "civil
union"), it is a relationship before and under
God (a sacrament).

ACTIVITY 2: Engage yourself…

Collage Making; Create a digital, paper or paint collage on how family should be based from the New Testament
design of God for a family/marriage. Write a New Testament passages regarding marriage and write a short
explanation or reflection paper on a separate sheet of paper.
 Objectio

Modern society is challenging the very fiber of the institution of marriage. They believe
that the New Testament teachings are already outdated, thus does not apply anymore to the
modern human needs. They argued that marriage ceremony in the Church is not anymore
necessary. They believe that civil marriage is enough by the fact that it is legally and socially
binding. They argued that marriage ceremony in the Church is just a pompous acts and
permeated with materialistic perspective. Some considered marriage as the only war where
one have to sleep next to their enemy. Modern people wanted to stay unmarried to have a
peaceful life. Watch the videos link below and discover how the modern society twisted the
plan of God for marriage. Take note what you understand from the videos.

Feminism's Attack on Families | The Importance of Marriage & Children: [Link]

v=tZ-eR5IuZ7w
Six Reasons Why Men Are Avoiding Marriage, with Helen Smith, Ph.D.: [Link]
v=BoXQf2f2Yxo

Activity 3
1. Make a reaction or response paper to combat the ideology of feminism: attack on
families and on the reasons why men are avoiding marriage.
 Analysis/Sed
Contra

Analysis (Sed Contra)

1. From the New Testament

Moving to the New Testament, and we can see that the status of women has been substantially
improved. Jesus speaks against divorce and this was supported by the writings of Paul – essentially it counters
the unethical treatment of women in such situations and in so doing making the relationship closer to one of
equals. The NT does not prohibit polygamy but states that Pastors should be the husband of only one wife –
thus establishing a norm or ideal of a partnership – one man and one woman.
But still there is no concept of marriage being a specifically religious or godly matter. If one was in a
marriage one had to behave ethically and orderly, but there is little sense that marriages were a specifically
Christian thing to do or were blessed by the church. Jesus and Paul make it clear that celibacy was to be
preferred and marriage undertaken very much as a second choice, perhaps only entered into if one could not
endure the celibate life.
In the early Church there was still no marriage ceremony, it was not important for the couple to be
blessed by a pastor or priest. There was no formal liturgy for marriage in contrast to formal liturgies that were
established early on for baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This may reflect the early church’s ambivalent attitude
to marriage and seeing the absence of family-ties and celibacy as a preferable state. There is no detailed account
of a Christian wedding ceremony until the 9th Century, it wasn’t until the 12th Century that a priest became
involved in the ceremony and not until the 13th Century that he took charge of it. Many Christians today would
be surprised to find that the church did not consider itself to have a role in marriage for almost half its history.
Gradually however theologians began to interpret a spiritual significance in marriage and eventually the
Catholic church made marriage a sacrament. It essentially abolished divorce and also instituted a complex
system of prohibitions and rules allowing or disallowing certain marriages. For example since a married couple
were deemed to be “one flesh” all relatives of the couple on both sides were deemed to be related to each other.
Marriage was therefore prohibited between any of them. Polygamy has over time disappeared as an option for
Christian marriage.

a. Marriage in the Gospels

Divorce is totally abolished in the Gospel stories.

b. Marriage in St. Paul’s

God designed marriage to provide an illustration of our relationship with Him.

The Bible says that God created marriage for a purpose bigger than itself. Marriage is a picture of the
believer’s relationship with God. After talking about marriage and quoting Genesis 2:24, Paul writes, “This
mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). Marriage is an earthly
picture of the spiritual relationship that exists between Christ, the bridegroom, and the church, His bride. The
consummation of a marriage is referred to in the Bible as a man knowing his wife; even so, we can know Christ
our bridegroom. A husband and wife are one flesh; we are one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). Just as there
must be the shedding of blood in the breaking of the hymen for there to be a joining of husband and wife, so
there had to be the shedding of blood for us to be joined to the Lord. Just as the church is to be subject to Christ,
so the wife is to be subject to her husband. Just as Christ loves the church, so a husband is to love his wife. Just
as the marital union results in children, so the union of the Lord and His church is to result in many offspring, to
God’s glory.
Someone has described marriage as God’s doing with one man and one woman that which He is always
trying to do within the world as a whole. That’s why it’s so important for you to work at developing a Christ-
honoring relationship with your mate. You’re working on a portrait of Christ and the church, and the world is
looking over your shoulder. God’s glory is at stake!
Thus, Marriage is a covenant, a sacred bond between a man and a woman instituted by and publicly
entered into before God and normally consummated by sexual intercourse. God's plan for the marriage covenant
involves at least the following five vital principles:
(1) The permanence of marriage: Marriage is intended to be permanent, since it was established by God
(Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9). Marriage represents a serious commitment that should not be entered into lightly or
unadvisedly. It involves a solemn promise or pledge, not merely to one's marriage partner, but before God.
Divorce is not permitted except in a very limited number of biblically prescribed circumstances.
(2) The sacredness of marriage: Marriage is not merely a human agreement between two consenting
individuals (a "civil union"); it is a relationship before and under God (Genesis 2:22). Hence, a "same-sex
marriage" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Since Scripture universally condemns homosexual
relationships. God will never sanction a marital bond between two members of the same sex.
(3) The intimacy of marriage: Marriage is the most intimate of all human relationships, uniting a man
and a woman in a "one-flesh" union (Genesis 2:23 -25). Marriage involves "leaving" one's family of origin and
"being united" to one's spouse, which signifies the establishment of a new family unit distinct from the two
originating families. While "one flesh" suggests sexual intercourse and normally procreation, at its very heart
the concept entails the establishment of a new kinship relationship between two previously unrelated individuals
(and families) by the most intimate of human bonds.
(4) The mutuality of marriage: Marriage is a relationship of free self-giving of one human being to
another (Ephesians 5:25-30). The marriage partners are to be first and foremost concerned about the wellbeing
of the other person and to be committed to each other in steadfast love and devotion. This involves the need for
forgiveness and restoration of the relationship in the case of sin. Mutuality, however, does not mean sameness
in role. Scripture is clear that wives are to submit to their husbands and to serve as their "suitable helpers,"
while husbands are to bear the ultimate responsibility for the marriage before God (Ephesians 5:22-24;
Colossians 3:18; see also Genesis 2:18, 20).
(5) The exclusiveness of marriage: Marriage is not only permanent, sacred, intimate, and mutual; it is
also exclusive (Genesis 2:22-25; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5). This means that no other human relationship must
interfere with the marriage commitment between husband and wife. For this reason, Jesus treated sexual
immorality of a married person, including even a husband's lustful thoughts, with utmost seriousness (Matthew
5:28; 19:9). For the same reason, premarital sex is also illegitimate, since it violates the exclusive claims of
one's future spouse. As the Song of Solomon makes clear, only in the secure context of an exclusive marital
bond can free and complete giving of oneself in marriage take place.

A. Theological Perspective
1. From St. Augustine

In the year 401 St. Augustine’s wrote a treatise “On the Good of Marriage”. His view of marriage sets
out a theological basis for the inherent goodness of marriage. In fact, his theology of marriage provided the
basic framework for the traditional Western view of marriage. Below outlines Augustine’s theology of
marriage, which is based on what he identified as the three goods (bona) of marriage: children (proles), fidelity
(fides), and sacrament (sacramentum). Our contemporary culture has sought to redefine marriage by denying
 these three goods. He usually lists the three goods in this order, with sacrament consistently appearing last. It
suggests the order reflects the ascending value of each good, so that the sacramental character of marriage is the
greatest good.

a. Proles (children)

"The procreation of children is the first, natural, and legitimate purpose of marriage."
Augustine states at the outset of his treatise On the Good of Marriage: “the first natural bond (copula) of
society is that of husband and wife. God did not create them as separate individuals ... but he created one from
the other, making the side, from which the woman was taken and formed, a sign of the strength of their union.”
Augustine argues that this first natural bond of society is not an end in itself. It’s procreative. Since children are
the fruit of sexual union (concubitus), sex cannot be viewed as evil. On the contrary, it’s commanded: “Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 1.28). Augustine concludes, “the union (copulatio) of male and
female for the sake of having children is, then, the natural good of marriage.” The union of husband and wife in
marriage is potentially procreative, which means the call to marry is also a call to parent. Husband and wife are
also father and mother. (On the Good of Marriage 1.1-2.2, WSA I/9, 33-34)

The statement above means:

Purpose is the divinely instituted purpose intended by God.

Procreation of children includes also their nurture, not only in body but also in spirit. "Parents are to be parents
twice over…and they are to be educators twice over…"
First means fundamental, or basic, which may never be subordinated as a means to another, even good, end.
Natural is built in, on which grace builds, and without which there is no foundation for grace. It is intended by
God for all, and not only Christians; but Christians are specially to know what their responsibility is as
creatures.
Legitimate means based on law, therefore that to which every conscience must conform to be true.

He distinguishes two kinds of sins that a couple commit against this first blessing of marriage:

The first sin he calls mortal, and equates it with fornication and adultery for gravity, when the married
couple deliberately seek to prevent conception while enjoying intercourse.
The second kind of sin he calls venial, which may come as a surprise to some people. Augustine has
been much maligned on this point. He says that when marital intercourse is had without the use of
contraceptives but performed with what we might call "a contraceptive frame of mine," it is nevertheless wrong
and venially sinful. It can mean that a couple do not use physical contraceptives but when they have intercourse
they either selfishly hope they will not have a pregnancy, or selfishly do not want a conception, or when their
only purpose in having intercourse is to enjoy the pleasures of sex, they do not sin gravely, but they do sin
venially.
Why should Augustine say this? Because Christians, in his estimation, should never become so
preoccupied with the sexual experience as to ignore either the procreative purpose of intercourse, or the unitive
purpose of intercourse.
In other words, marital intercourse should not be self-directed but altruistic. It should express a selfless
love directed to another person beyond the individual married spouse.

b. Fides (fidelity/mutual faith)

The second good of marriage is fidelity, mutual faith or conjugal chastity (castitas coniugalis). Mutual
fidelity sustains the marital bond between husband and wife. However, it is not simply a prohibition on
 adultery. Fidelity requires mutual submission in the bedroom (cf. 1 Cor. 7). Augustine maintains that
performing one’s conjugal duty is not a sin. He adds that marital fidelity is good because it bridles sexual
promiscuity: “in itself sensuality has the unbridled weakness of the flesh, but from marriage it has the
permanent union of fidelity.” Fidelity, when observed, curbs sexual promiscuity, prevents procreation outside of
marriage, and provides the optimal opportunity for children to be raised and nurtured within the natural bonds
of the family. Thus, fidelity is not only an inherent good of marriage, it’s a social good. (On the Good of
Marriage 5.5, WSA I/9, 37)
By "faith" he means confident trust based on love. What makes it trust is that the husband is confident
about the wife's loyalty to him, and the wife is confident about the husband's loyalty to her.

What is the basis of their mutual trust? It is their mutual love.

Wherein precisely does the confidence reside, or in what are the two spouses trustful of one another? In
their reliance on the pledge that each makes to the other not to betray. She is confident that he will not be
unfaithful to her, and he that she will not be unfaithful to him.

Implicit in this Augustinian idea of mutual trust are many unspoken elements:

That their married vows are vows, binding and therefore restricting the liberty that each had before they
made the vows.
That marital love is exclusive love, one man and one woman, this man and this woman, and no other
man and no other woman.
Flowing from this Christian idea of mutual faith is Augustine's beautiful idea of Christian friendship,
which he sees exemplified in a marriage that is truly faithful on both sides. He calls it amicitia, and he notes
how often Scripture uses the nearness and dearness and exclusiveness, and intimacy of marital love to describe
the kind of love that God has for man and that we should have for God.
One more facet of their mutual faith should be touched upon, and that is its capacity for producing
holiness.
Augustine's mother, Monica, has become for all ages the model of how fidelity in marriage sanctifies.
He speaks of her as "fair, reverent, amiable, and admirable to her husband."
We are in need of this truth today, to remind ourselves that marital fidelity is sanctifying; that it has
never been easy; and that it is most sanctifying when it is most demanding.

c. Sacramentum (sacrament)

Augustine sees marriage as a sacrament in two ways: (1) as a sacramental sign (signum) and (2) as a
sacramental bond or covenant (vinculum; foedus). The sacramental significance of marriage can be inferred
from the citation and application of Genesis 2.24 in the New Testament: “Therefore a man shall leave his father
and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Paul cites Genesis 2.24 in Ephesians
5.31 and then adds, “this mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Eph.
5.32). (In Augustine’s Latin translation, the word sacramentum was used to translate the Greek word
mystērion.) Marriage is a sacrament because it signifies the relationship between Christ and the church. This
allows Augustine to read Genesis 2.24 typologically. The first marriage between Adam and Eve prefigures the
last marriage between Christ and the church:
When [Christ] slept on the cross, he bore a sign, yea, he fulfilled what had been signified in Adam: for
when Adam was asleep, a rib was drawn from him and Eve was created; so also while the Lord slept on the
cross, his side was transfixed with a spear, and the sacraments flowed forth, whence the Church was born. For
the Church, the Lord’s Bride, was created from His side, as Eve was created from the side of Adam.
Just as the first union between Adam and Eve signified the union of Christ and his church, so every
Christian marriage signifies Christ and his church. In this way, marriage is a sacramental sign.
 Marriage is also sacramental because it is a covenant. The husband and wife make a vow of fidelity, “till
death us do part.” When Jesus was asked about divorce, he cited Genesis 2.24 and then added, “so they are no
longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19.6; cf. Mark
10.9). The marital bond is sacramental because it has been forged by God and the indissoluble permanence of
that bond signifies the indissoluble bond between Christ and the church. Commenting on Paul’s exhortation to
husbands and wives in Ephesians 5, Augustine writes:
“Beyond any doubt the reality signified by this sacrament is that the man and the woman united in
marriage persevere inseparably in that union as long as they live ... this is, after all, what is preserved between
Christ and the Church, that while Christ lives and while the Church lives, they are not separated by any divorce
for all eternity.”
Thus, for Augustine, temporal marriage has eternal significance because it is a symbol of the eternal
union of Christ and his bride. (On Marriage and Concupiscence 10.11, WSA I/24, 35).

2. From St. Thomas Aquinas: On Marriage (ST Q.41 and Supplementum no. 49)

St. Thomas began with a humanistic & positive approach to the natural institution of marriage. Marriage
is “natural” because it is a good granted by God in the creation of man and woman. Marriage is a “natural
undertaking”, a civil and social undertaking, an officium naturae for family and society – and this is what Christ
took up and raised to become a spiritual communion of persons, based on a concrete act, a public contract
between persons, a sacrament of the New Law. He considered men and women as social beings, living in
relationship with others, in marriage, in the family, in society as a whole.
Marriage is a natural good for embodied souls, a union created by God as evident in Genesis. He saw
both sexes as in a sense incomplete, hence needing each other in marriage to fill out weaknesses.

As a sacrament
In Summa Theologica, there are three essential aspects of marriage which make it a sacrament –
sacramentum tantum, res et sacramentum, and res tantum.
Sacramentum tantum, in the context of the sacrament of matrimony, most nearly describes the consent
between the couple to be married which is the “sign” of the sacrament. This initially allows for marriage to
qualify as a sacrament as the consent, not the priestly nuptial blessing, is the form of the sacrament (Question
45, Summa). As sacraments generally have matter and form, this is an essential point. St. Thomas Aquinas
reasons human consent to be a sacrament for human consent is merely the instrument by which Divine power
unites the man and woman together (Mark 9:10). He also notes that the material representation of this
sacrament, while not water or bread like in Baptism and the Eucharist, occurs in everyday life within marriage
and thus can still qualify as a sacrament (Question 45, Summa).
Res et sacramentum is the transition, in a sense, between sacramentum tantum and res tantum for it
denotes the creation of an unbreakable (mostly) bond which is comprised of given consent and promised vows.
This results from the combination of the reality of the bond, which is res tantum, and also the consent to enter
into this bond, which is the sacramentum tantum. This part of the sacrament is permanent and marks one’s soul
until death.
The last portion of the sacrament of matrimony, according to Aquinas, is the res tantum, which is the
reality, refers to the grace given by God to the couple and to the Church more broadly and more importantly.
Aquinas reasons that sexual intercourse occurs in marriage to prevent adulterous acts and thus allows
redirection towards God who can confer grace in the couple (Question 42, Summa). This is an adequate
defense, but I would like to add here that God created sexual intercourse for good – for procreation and for
unity. I am not of the opinion that sexual intercourse is wholly sinful, though it always is in a venial sense.
Sexual intercourse can be done to glorify God – to do so in a loving, selfless, intimate, way which only looks
after the other. However, we must not “rest” as St. Augustine says in this life’s goods – in creation.
We must look toward the Creator – which sexual intercourse, and the sacrament of marriage, does
through the union of man and woman reflecting the grandeur of the ultimate union of Christ and the Church
 which is Grace and Love itself.

3. From Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes & Lumen Gentium

The topic was tackled in chapter 1 entitled “Fostering the nobility of marriage and the family”. It
reaffirms the teachings of the church on marriage which include: The three bona: bonum fides (unity), bonum
proles (off-springs) and bonum sacramentum (indissoluble), the good of the couple: bonum conjugum (marriage
is a conjugal covenant).
Pope Paul VI compares marriage to: the relationship between Christ and the Church. It means that the
love of the spouses is a reflection of the same love of Christ to his Church. Which means that the spouses ought
to love one another “with perpetual fidelity through mutual self-bestowal…”
It is clear in this pastoral constitution that: Marriage is a sacrament and thus it permeates the theological
virtues to the spouses, that is, fides, spes and caritas (faith, hope and love). The spouses have an obligation to
educate the offspring especially in religious education. The parents are to do their part in taking action on the
psychological, cultural and social renewal aspect of their children, if and where needed.
Some images portrayed on marriage: God had the intention to allow humanity to share in the
participation of creation with him, which means that humanity gets to taste some of God’s power in creation.
And thus, humanity may continue to flourish and thus God’s family will continue to be enriched and expanded
every day. In other words, the spouses cooperate in creation with God’s love and so this makes them
interpreters of the love of God.

The importance of marriage being a sacrament:

“It involves the good of the whole person, and therefore can enrich the expressions of body and mind
with a unique dignity.” Actions involved in marriage, unify the couple both in intimacy and in chastity. This is
why the church insists that divorce and adultery profane the sacrament of marriage, and infanticide and abortion
are both crimes. The Church suggests that the spouses pray together and cultivate the spirit of sacrifice so that
the steadiness of love may manifest.
It also emphasizes especially on the role of the children to the family that: They contribute to the
sacrament of marriage, because they make the spouses holy. Their relationship of gratitude and kindness with
their parents creates harmony which emits love and trust. They are to show their love towards their parents in
hard times and when they become old and lonely. They are “the supreme gift of marriage.”

In summary, the points mentioned by this document are:

1. The virtues through which the spouses may form a well-formed conscience.
2. The spouses are to be submissive towards the teaching office of the Church.
3. Marriage is not just an institution for procreation because the bond between the spouses is unbreakable.
4. Marriage demands holds its indissolubility and value, even when children are lacking.
5. Christians are not to make use of methods of birth control which the teachings of the Church disagree
with.
6. The Church insists on presence of the father in the children’s upbringing and the mother’s domestic role
when possible.
7. Priests and other professionals are to assist and guide the family in a way which the contemporary
family needs to be guided.

Marriage in Lumen Gentium:

Lumen gentium talks about marriage in chapter 2 entitled “On the People of God”. And in chapter 4
 entitled “The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church”. Like Gaudium et Spes, this document mentions the
importance of: the sacraments (and explicitly redefines marriage as the sacrament of matrimony). The exercise
of the virtues in marriage. The unity and the love in marriage which is paralleled to the unity and the love that
exist between Christ and the Church. The couple’s responsibility of the children’s education. It also explicitly
states that Christ loved His Bride (Church) and delivered Himself to her, the Christian spouses are to resemble
this exact relationship among themselves in their sacrament of matrimony.
However, what is unique in Lumen Gentium: The family comes from the wedlock of Christians, from
which new citizens are born and who are made children of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit in
baptism. The Christian family is the domestic church because the parents are to be the first preachers of faith to
their offspring.

4. From Amoris Laetitia by Pope Francis

Pope Francis (AL, 67) cites both documents particularly for their promotion of the dignity of the
sacrament of marriage, the love, the faith and the self-giving of the spouses (GS, 48-52) and on the concept of
the family as being the domestic church (LG, 11). The pope has been promoting the beauty of discernment and
this is exactly what Christian couples should be prepared for before they enter into this sacrament, how to
discern different circumstances in their married life. (AL, 208).

Activity 4
TRANSFER: Transfer Task

Video Materials
Why did God allow polygamy in the Bible?: [Link]
Does God Support Polygamy? [Link]

Write below what you understand from your reading and watching about marriage in the New
Testament and Church teachings.
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 Respondio

Now that you are done with this module. Try to capture and analyze the scenario.
Understanding marriage and our family in God’s design is not an easy task. Our family should
be place where we find permanence, exclusivity, intimacy and love. You are required to design
a daily bucket list of words and simple random act of kindness for your parents and submit it
with pictures at the end of the month. You are to present this monthly bucket list of words
and simple random act of kindness to the VP for Religious Education of UST for approval and
imprimatur. Your presentation will be evaluated by group of Theology professors designated
by the Director of CREED. The evaluation will be based on creativity, persuasiveness, and
coherence to the teachings the Church. You have to post it in your facebook timeline and
share it as many as you can.

Rubrics for your performance task:

Skills Below Standard Just Meets the Adequately Meets Exemplary
(70-74%) Standard Standard (91-99%)
(75-80%) (81-90%)
Creativity The daily bucket list The daily bucket list The daily bucket list The daily bucket list
of words and simple of words and simple of words and simple of words and simple
random act of random act of random act of random act of
kindness does not kindness only an kindness kindness totally
demonstrate the attempt to demonstrates the demonstrates the
socio-cultural, demonstrate the socio-cultural, socio-cultural,
political, economic socio-cultural, political, economic political, economic
realities and needs political, economic realities and needs realities and needs
of the student, realities and needs of the student, of the student,
family, others and of the student, family, others and family, others and
 the society as a family, others and the society as a the society as a
whole. the society as a whole. whole.
whole.
Persuasiveness The daily bucket list The daily bucket list The daily bucket list The daily bucket list
of words and simple of words and simple of words and simple of words and simple
random act of random act of random act of random act of
kindness does not kindness only an kindness kindness absolutely
persuade or capture attempt to persuade demonstrates persuasive in
the socio-cultural, the socio-cultural, persuasively the demonstrating the
political, economic political, economic socio-cultural, socio-cultural,
realities and needs realities and needs political, economic political, economic
of the student, of the student, realities and needs realities and needs
family, others and family, others and of the student, of the student,
the society as a the society as a family, others and family, others and
whole. whole. the society as a the society as a
whole. whole.

scope The scope of the The scope of the The scope of the The scope of the
daily bucket list of daily bucket list of daily bucket list of daily bucket list of
words and simple words and simple words and simple words and simple
random act of random act of random act of random act of
kindness is not kindness only kindness kindness is totally
comprehensive for attempts to the comprehensively comprehensive to
the socio-cultural, socio-cultural, respond to the the socio-cultural,
political, economic political, economic socio-cultural, political, economic
realities and needs realities and needs political, economic realities and needs
of the student, of the student, realities and needs of the student,
family, others and family, others and of the student, family, others and
the society as a the society as a family, others and the society as a
whole. It is not whole. It is not the society as a whole. It is not
coherent to the coherent to the whole. It is not coherent to the
social teachings of social teachings of coherent to the social teachings of
the Church. the Church. social teachings of the Church.
the Church.
 Closure

Learning Skills Easy, I get Well, more

examples
OMG, I
It still need
please help

1. I can discern what is the notion

of family/marriage in the New
Testament and the teachings of
the Church
1. Design a monthly simple
themes/activities that you will
do for your parents (a daily
bucket list of words and simple
random act of kindness).
2. I can compare the concepts in
the Old and New Testaments
and put it in a Venn diagram
POST TEST:
Instruction: Below are concepts/words/terms taken from the Old and New Testaments that you will put in the Venn
Diagram. Please make sure that the concept is in the right spaces provided in the Venn Diagram.

Gen. 2:18-25 Suitable Partner Taken from Rib Permanent

Companionship Partnership Procreation Exclusive
Adam and Eve Jesus and Church Man and Woman God, Man and Woman
Leaving their Parents Cling to each other Children Commitment
Monogamy One Flesh Matthew 19:6 Mark 10:9
1 Cor. 6:17 Sacrament No Divorce Intimacy
Indissoluble Sacred No Pre-marital sex No Polygamy
Mutuality Ephesians 5:22-24 Colossians 3:18 No same-sex marriage
Equality Husband ruled the wife Animals unsuitable partner Deuteronomy 22:13-21
CLOSING PRAYER
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.

May God the Father bless us.

May God the Son heal us.
May God the Holy Spirit enlighten us, and give
us
eyes To see with, ears to hear with,
hands to do the work of God with, feet to walk
with,
a mouth to preach the word of salvation with,
and the angel of peace to watch over us and
lead us at last, by our Lord’s gift, for the
Kingdom.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen..
References:
Catechism for Filipino Catholics (1997).
Catechism for the Catholic Church. [Link]
Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (2011). [Link]
content/uploads/2015/11/50667YOUCATPgsp_00000007751.pdf
Do Catechism of the Catholic Church
Faith Seeking Understanding. [Link]
Ott, L. (1974). Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Tan Books and Pub, Inc. USA.