What is our understanding of Christian marriage?

In this sacrament, Christ unites the bride and groom in Himself, to experience a taste of the heavenly wedding and its eternal joy. The Holy Spirit affirms that marriage is not just an official contract, nor is it purely a social event, but it is tasting a token of God’s kingdom. The bride and groom are called by the Holy Spirit, not to live together in isolation, but to enjoy being united with the Lord. God views us as kings and queens and He created this beautiful world as a royal palace for us and granted us freedom to be His ambassadors and stewards. He stretches out His hand to sanctify our marriages, to establish from them a new home for Himself and an embassy for heaven. He makes the man and woman into one flesh, bearing a symbol of Christ’s heavenly marriage to His Church. The rule of the Christian home is mutual love and putting the other’s interests before their own. “‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:31– 32). The purpose of God’s work is to unite with His faithful humanity, as His heavenly bride. He works in the lives of everyone, the married couple, the celibates, the old, and the young.

1711 St. Jacob of Sarug, Jacob of Sarug's Homily on the Creation of Adam and the Resurrection of the Dead , trans. Edward G. Mathews (Gorgias Press, 2014) On the Creation of Adam 4.159–168: pp. 30–32.

Origen says, “Marriage is a spiritual gift, but not so for non-believers, for God’s Spirit is not given to dwell in those who are non-believers.”¹⁷¹² The Holy Spirit calls the couple not to live in isolation alone, but to taste and enjoy being in unity with Him.

Tertullian says, “What kind of yoke is that of two believers, (partakers) of one hope, one desire, one discipline, one and the same service?”¹⁷¹³ He also says, “How shall we ever be able adequately to describe the happiness of that marriage which the Church arranges, the Sacrifice strengthens, upon which the blessing sets a seal, at which angels are present as witnesses, and to which the Father gives His consent?”¹⁷¹⁴