Wedding Liturgy-Sacred Signs

SACRED SIGNS in the Wedding Liturgy

Several "signs" are present in the marriage celebrated in the Catholic Church.

The Marriage Vows are a public sign of an interior change.
The Wedding Rings symbolize the deeper implications of this commitment to love and honor until death.
The Husband and Wife become a sign of the giving-receiving relationship with God. God gives, they accept; God loves, they respond.
The Witnesses represent the community, to whom the new couple are a sign of God's faithful love for humanity.

In the dioceses of the United States, the following form of the statement of consent may be used (others are available):

"I N., take you N., to be my husband (wife). I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF VOWS

The Liturgy of Marriage offers several options for the wording of the vows, from which the couple may select one formula. (See Together for Life, by Joseph Champlin, Ave Maria Press, 1997, p. 72-73.) All forms for vows include the following elements:

The man and woman must be free to contract marriage and freely express their consent (cf. CCC, 1625, cf. Code of Canon Law, 1057§2).
The vows must include a statement about the relationship being 'permanent and exclusive.' "The essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility" — Code of Canon Law, 1056

Promises for Life

"I" . . . my name; who I am; a total gift of myself; with all my talents and limitations.

"take you" . . . by name and no other; accepting and freely choosing you.

"to be my husband/wife" . . . my partner; sharing goals and values.

"I promise" . . . a pledge made freely, in conformity with civil and church law.

"to be true to you" . . . with fidelity of body and of heart; trusting and trustworthy.

"in good times" . . . in prosperity, abundance of property and friends.

"and in bad" . . . scarcity, grief, loss, loneliness, fear, conflict, failure.

"in sickness" . . . suffering, physical and mental illness, and impending death.

"and in health" . . . vigor and strength, beauty and passionate love.

"I will" . . . a firm decision not based on romantic attraction alone.

"love" . . . wanting only the best for you, believing, forgiving, enduring.

"you" . . . the unique and beautiful creation made in God's image.

"and honor you" . . . affirming and respecting; not belittling or controlling.

"all the days of my life." . . . discovering new delight in you until death separates us.