Marriage and Vatican II

In Vatican II, the Council’s discussion of marriage formed the “Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.” In their discussion, the Vatican II Counsel explained that marriage is a “vocation” and emphasized the high-esteem for marriage and families. This nobility of marriage and the family should be fostered. Marriage is a sign of Christ’s love for the Church and the Church encourages committed marriages. They believe that committed marriages are need in society as a positive example. The constitution encourages family trained priests to “nurture the vocation of spouses by a variety of pastoral means.” The constitution continues by saying a couple should “grow and ripen” and defines marriage as being “caught up into divine love and is governed and enriched by Christ’s redeeming power and the saving activity of the church.” They include that a married couple must fulfill their marital and family duties and when they do so they are “penetrated with the spirit of Christ.” This marital love will bolster their roles as parents. Although these teachings are still necessary today, many people do not respect them today. Divorce is more and more common and marriage is distorted by media. Celebrities set negative examples by staying married for only weeks at a time. These examples tarnish the idea of marriage being a vocation and a blessing. People today often ignore marriage all together and move in together without making a commitment to each other. If couples do not make this commitment and have children, then they may have difficulties fulfilling their parental duties. Without marriage, a couple will eventually struggle to “grow and ripen.”