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Marriage |
The Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." …Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: "this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18; 22-24)The Sacrament of Marriage is the ceremony by which a man and a woman who love each other and freely choose to spend the rest of their lives together in order to support each other, to procreate and live in fidelity, receive from the Holy Spirit, by the prayers of the priest celebrant, a special gift that sanctifies their bond and helps them reach their goals. We are made in the image and likeness of God in Trinity - of unity in diversity - and therefore are intended by God not to live alone, but in communion, in a family. This mystery was instituted in the Garden of Eden when God blessed Adam and Eve and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. Marriage has a unique and indissoluble character and should not be repeated, but because of human weakness, second and third marriage is allowed by dispensation. The Marriage Service is divided into two parts: the Office of Betrothal which includes the exchange of rings, and the Office of Crowning. Officiators of this Sacrament are the bishop or the priest; The Holy Matrimony can be contracted between male and female couples, baptized Orthodox, not previously married or who are closely related (spiritually or by blood). The Church does not approve marriages between couples of the same sex. Interfaith marriages are allowed, provided that the children resulting from such a union will be baptized and raised in the Orthodox Faith; Ethical issues:Sexual intercourse is considered a gift from God. To avoid chaos and moral disorder within the human society, sex was permitted only between married couples. Since one of the goals of marriage is procreation, married couples should not avoid childbirth. Contraceptive measures may be contemplated only by couples that already have children. Although condemned in the past, more flexible views concerning contraception find their way in the Orthodox Church today. Sexual intercourse is seen not only as a means to procreate but also as an expression of love and intimacy and thus responsible use of birth control within the context of marriage is not perceived as sinful in itself. Abortion is condemned by the Church as a criminal act. Marriage is in its nature insoluble, but there are few exceptions that permit the spouses to divorce: adultery (cf. Matt. 19:9, Canon 9 of St. Basil the Great), for murder attempt, if the wife undergoes voluntary abortion (Canon 91 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Canons 22-23 of Ancyra, etc.), promiscuity, renouncing the Orthodox Faith (cf. 1 Cor. 7:2-15), when one of them deserts the other, inability to fulfill physical union in marriage, insanity, leprosy, lengthy imprisonment, etc. In spite of the fact that the Church does not encourage it, the divorce is accepted as a result of human weakness and sin (cf. Matt. 19:9). Remarriage in the Church requires that the divorce be granted by Church authorities. Click below for the Service of Matrimony: |
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