Nowadays, there are still couples who dream of getting married, in the most beautiful temple, in front of all their loved ones, wearing a spectacular white dress, even a pair of little kids throwing rose petals and the traditional rice rain to wish plenitude to the just married spouses. But it is important to understand that Catholic marriage is much more than that.

According to the canon law code, marriage is "The alliance, by which man and woman constitute together a consortium for life, ordered by its very nature towards the good of the spouses and the generation and education of their offspring, which was raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of sacrament among the baptized ones.” Let us understand it bit by bit, rescuing the most important elements.

The first implication of this definition is "for life", which God wanted since the beginning, He knows very well that the human heart seeks what lasts instead of the fleeting.

The second implication is the purpose of marriage. It is not a union in which one aims to have better income or to get help with the house chores ... it goes further on. It means helping the other one to be a better person and from the Christian point of view it means being a way of sanctification for the spouse.

It also implies raising a family, being open towards new life and taking the relationship to the donation that breaks with selfishness, a mission that cannot be set aside even when it is not possible to conceive.

Until now, marriage is understood as the greatest love promise that can be made: an exclusive, loyal, endless and non-selfish love. It is understandable that to the eyes of the world this may seem impossible but the following implication comes as an answer to that: marriage was elevated by Christ to sacrament.

A sacrament is the most effective sign of God's love; it is a gift with which God helps us to fulfill our mission. And it is precisely because He is a part of marriage, that spouses can fulfill the demands of love. Remember also that Christ wanted marriage to be a reflection of the love He has for his Church.

For that reason, we invite the bride and groom to have the courage that is needed to promise such love; and also not to be afraid or ashamed to aspire to a true love.

And for those who are married, we invite you to meditate on those demands of love that, perhaps without fully understanding, you promised yourselves. Remember that you are the example that many will have in order to decide whether or not to choose the married life.