Wedding of Mary and Joseph
Brookyln Museum
Wikimedia Commons

Jesus Christ was born into a family, a domestic church of Joseph and Mary, husband and wife.  God’s plan for humanity was the family, from which faith, hope and love springs forth to others.

Woman was created to be a companion of man, the two cling to one another forming one flesh.  And God blessed them (presided at and blessed their marriage), and said to them, “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

The importance of marriage and family can be seen in the Ten Commandments.   Three of the seven dealing with man’s relationship with neighbor emphasize the scared nature of marriage and the importance of family — honor thy father and mother, thou shall not commit adultery, and thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife.  Furthermore, honor they father and mother recites a reward for those who honor their parents; their days will be long lived.

Paul refers to the domestic church as a “great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32).  As Christ incorporates us in His body to form the Church, husband and wife are incorporated in one body to form a domestic church.  As the love of Father brings forth life, “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image’” (Genesis 1:26), in marriage husband and wife, in union with God, bring forth life in their image.

For these reasons, attacks against the sanctity marriage are contrary to the vary nature of man and woman, and any diminishment of the procreative nature of marriage mocks the life giving love of God and the sacred nature of marriage.