In this, marriage shows itself to be an institution of the Creator himself, both from the point of view of mutual help in conjugal love and fidelity as well as through the rearing of children born in marriage within the heart of the family community. He sanctified this state of life GS 48, 2 by including it within the mystery of love, which unites him as Redeemer to his Church.
This is the reason why the task of regulating Christian marriage 1 Cor f. The Epistles of the New Testament say that marriage should be honored in every way Heb and, in response to certain attacks, they present it as a good work of the Creator 1 Tim Rather, they exalt matrimony among the faithful because it is included in the mystery of Covenant and love that unites Christ and the Church Eph ; GS 48, 2.
They placed special importance on the procreation and education of offspring ibid. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Polycarpum 5, 2 , they showed in their matrimony a special submission to God and a relationship with their Faith Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 4, 20 , and sometimes at the marriage rite they enjoyed the celebration of the eucharistic sacrifice and a special blessing Tertullian, Ad uxorem 2, 9.
From very ancient times in the Eastern Churches the shepherds of the Church themselves took an active part in the celebration of marriages in the place of the fathers of the family or even along with them. This change was not the result of a usurpation but was brought about to answer the requests made by the family and with the approval of civil authority.
Because of this evolution, the ceremonies formerly carried out within the family were little by little included within liturgical rites. In the Western Churches the problem of what element constituted marriage from a juridical point of view arose with the encounter between the Christian vision of matrimony and Roman law. This was resolved by considering the consent of the spouses as the only constitutive element.
