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Chapter 30. Sixth Commandment: Marital Fidelity • 415
of Matrimony. God seals the consent that the bride and groom give
to each other in this Sacrament.
• “The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of
the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human
performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and
enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude” (CCC, no. 2362, citing
GS, no. 49).
• God calls the married couple to be open to children. In this way, they
share the creative power and fatherhood of God. In giving birth to
children and educating and forming them, they cooperate with the
love of God as Creator (cf. CCC, no. 2367).
• “In relation to physical, economic, psychological and social condi-
tions, responsible parenthood is exercised either by the thoughtfully
made and generous decision to raise a large family, or by the deci-
sion, made for grave motives and with respect for the moral law, to
avoid a new birth for the time being or even for an indeterminate
period” (HV, no. 10)
MEDITATION
At a time in history like the present, special attention must also
be given to the
pastoral care of the family
, particularly when
this fundamental institution is experiencing a radical and wide-
spread crisis. In the Christian view of marriage, the relationship
between a man and a woman—a mutual and total bond, unique
and indissoluble—is part of God’s original plan, obscured
throughout history by our “hardness of heart,” but which
Christ came to restore to its pristine splendor, disclosing what
had been God’s will “from the beginning” (Mt 19:8). Raised to
the dignity of a Sacrament, marriage expresses the “great mys-
tery” of Christ’s nuptial love for his Church (cf. Eph 5:32).
On this point the Church cannot yield to cultural pres-
sures, no matter how widespread and even militant they may
be. Instead, it is necessary to ensure that through an ever more
complete Gospel formation Christian families show convinc-
ingly that it is possible to live marriage fully in keeping with
God’s plan and with the true good of the human person—of