Day 219: Marriage in God's Plan

"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." CCC 1601

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the last sacrament: Marriage. Like Holy Orders, it is one of service to others; only this one is a union between man and woman joined in love, so "they are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matt 19:6). Scripture begins "with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God [Gen 1:26-27] and concludes with a vision of 'the wedding-feast of the Lamb'" [Rev 19:7-9] (CCC 1602). Unfortunately, even that union for which "God himself is the author" (CCC 1603) has been impacted by sin. 

As the Catechism Compendium notes:

Because of original sin, which caused a rupture in the God-given communion between man and woman, the union of marriage is very often threatened by discord and infidelity. However, God in his infinite mercy gives to man and woman the grace to bring the union of their lives into accord with the original divine plan. (#339)

The Catechism Companion, Vol II has some good commentary on marriage:

The marriage covenant is an icon of the Trinity. Marriage also is made for the spouses' service of each other... The stable relationship between husband and wife provides the context for the education of offspring, that they can be raised in a stable environment...  Marriage is the fundamental building block of society, where healthy families perpetuate healthy cultures and the breakdown of family leads to cultural breakdown. (p. 202)

Finally, an Eastern Orthodox apologist has a good video short on marriage, echoing what the Catechism teaches in the beginning of this section: