Publiboda

	Sector	Places of Worship
	Country	US
	State	California
	Address	698 Laine Street, CA 93940, Monterey, California, US
	Phone	(831) 375-7200
	Web	http://www.copticchurch.net
	E-mail	stmarkcopticchurch@comcast.net

Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." (Matt 19: 5,6. Matrimony is a holy sacrament, officiated by a priest, of uniting a man to a woman. Through this holy sacrament, the man and woman become one, for as the Lord Jesus said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:5,6). St. Paul expressed the sanctity of the Sacrament of Christian Matrimony, saying, "This is a great mystery" (Ephesians 5:32), and, "Marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled" (Hebrews 13:4). Christian Marriage elevates the bodily union to become a spiritual union, through the Holy Spirit, just as the Holy Spirit works in the Baptismal water to make humans a new creation, and works through the Sacrament of Confirmation to ordain a person to become a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also works in the couple during the marital ceremony, through prayers and faith to unite them in the Lord. Through the commitments made by the bride and groom in fulfilling the commandments of marriage, and the work of the Holy Spirit, the two partners become one. It is advisable that the Sacrament of Matrimony take place in Church, for it is the house of God and the house of angels. Before the altar, the groom receives his bride, committing himself while standing before the altar to love her like himself and treat her as an equal not any less, and she also promises to obey him, as Sarah did with Abraham. It is not permitted that the Sacrament of Matrimony take place in houses, except in the situation of persecutions, where the lives of the bride and groom are at risk, during the processions. It is also necessary that the houses be big enough for such an occasion. It is also not permitted that the sacrament of Matrimony take place during seasons of fasting, or times just before fasting begins, for it would not be possible for the newly married couple to abide by the commandment of fasting, both from a food and marital relation perspective. The Matrimonial Rite is performed for virgin couples, however, if one of the partners is widowed, for example, then there is another prayer called "The Prayer of Forgiveness".

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