Ukrainian Greek Catholic leader outlined the position on Сhurch and family
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Patriarch of the UGCC, spoke about church marriage and family in the latest issue of the TV project “Open Church” on Zhyve TV.
Responding to questions from the audience, the head of the church spoke how to prepare for the Sacrament of Matrimony, told about family life and parenting.
Below are the key points made by His Beatitude Sviatoslav during the live broadcast illustrating the position of the Church regarding the Sacrament of Matrimony, which was published by the Information Department of the UGCC.
About the family:
Family is a union of man and woman, a union of love, fertility and fidelity, which Jesus elevated to the dignity of the sacraments, giving man and woman the power of the Holy Spirit, uniting them in marriage.
Family is a much broader context, which includes not only a man and a woman; it is a network of interpersonal relationships between parents and children, between grandchildren and grandparents.
Family is a network of relationships where human life is born, matures, develops and dies with dignity (from natural conception to natural death).
On dignity of a family:
The institution of marriage is the primary institution that has emerged in human society before such concepts as “people,” “society,” “the state.”
Christian marriage is the matter of three: a man, a woman and God. God is the Creator of marriage: “Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2, 24).
Jesus Christ taught: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mt 19: 6).
Society must protect the dignity of the family, which is its primary cell. Therefore, the state registration of marriage is necessary as certain rights and responsibilities emerge after the union of man and woman that the state must recognize.
Marriage, family and sexuality are deeply interconnected. Sexuality is a human vocation to love, a sign that marks not only our body but also our whole person. We are born men and women and our bodies express our sexual identity. Gender is not arbitrarily chosen, but is a profound mystery of our personality that the Lord gives us and we are called to discover and fulfill it ... and build family relationships in this mystery.
Christian spouses:
In order that man and woman had the strength to be faithful to each other for life, God grants them a special gift of the Holy Spirit, which they receive in the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Everyone wants to be happy, therefore God, when creating a family, gave people the opportunity to be happy. “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Gen. 2, 18). God calls man to happiness he may comprehend when giving himself to another person.
The family is a “divine we.” In the Sacrament of Matrimony, which is the gift of mutual love, man created in the image and likeness of God becomes the image of the Holy Trinity, where there are three persons making one God.
Lord God helps the married couple, which receives the Sacrament to live up to their last breath in fertility, loyalty and love.
Preparation for marriage:
The duty of the Church is to prepare the brides for marriage so that they understand their responsibility and so that they were able to enjoy the unique time of being brides.
The time of preparing for marriage is the time of acquiring deep knowledge of person with whom you want to spend your life and to whom you aspire to give yourself, putting your fate in her hands. The better the brides are prepared before marriage, the better foundation for marriage they will lay.
A special pastoral support is required in the early years of marriage to help the family survive the first crisis, the challenges that life puts before the love of man and woman. When a young family knows where assistance comes from, where strength comes from, and does not cease to love even when the other member of the couple is guilty, only then a marriage will be successful.
To be blessed by God, the couple must be properly trained to consciously and voluntarily say ‘yes’ to God and man (woman) at the wedding.
The UGCC requires from persons intending to marry to register with the state agencies. After that the Sacrament of Matrimony can be administered. For if the people are unwilling to enter into a marriage at the state level, they do not plan to enter into a responsible indissoluble Sacrament of Matrimony until death.
Family and children:
Family is a great gift that God has given to man, which is the result of having children. Every child seeks to be born in a family where father and mother love each other. A child who feels unwanted remains wounded during their lifetime.
When people love each other, help each other raise children, care for each other. When we are near someone who loves us – it is the best way to be sure of the future and confidently advance into the future.
Family means being together and feeling that we are one whole.
Our parents survived through all dangers because they prayed together. I encourage families to pray together - then you will see with what enormous spiritual power God may fill you.
