1. The texts of the prophets have
great importance for understanding marriage as a covenant of persons
(in the likeness of the covenant of Yahweh with Israel) and, in
particular, for understanding the sacramental covenant of man and
woman in the dimension of sign. As already considered, the language
of the body enters into the integral structure of the sacramental
sign whose principal subject is man, male and female. The words of
matrimonial consent constitute this sign, because the spousal
significance of the body in its masculinity and femininity is found
expressed in them. Such a significance is expressed especially by
the words: "I take you as my wife...my husband." Moreover, the
essential "truth" of the language of the body is confirmed with
these words. The essential "non-truth," the falsity of the language
of the body is also excluded (at least indirectly, implicitly). The
body speaks the truth through conjugal love, fidelity and integrity,
just as non-truth, that is, falsity, is expressed by all that is the
negation of conjugal love, fidelity and integrity. It can then be
said that in the moment of pronouncing the words of matrimonial
consent, the newlyweds set themselves on the line of the same "prophetism
of the body," of which the ancient prophets were the mouthpiece.
Expressed by the ministers of marriage as a sacrament of the Church,
the language of the body institutes the visible sign itself of the
covenant and of grace which, going back to its origin to the mystery
of creation, is continually sustained by the power of the redemption
of the body, offered by Christ to the Church.
Perform act of prophetic character
2. According to the prophetic texts the human body speaks a language
which it is not the author of. Its author is man who, as male and
female, husband and wife, correctly rereads the significance of this
language. He rereads that spousal significance of the body as
integrally inscribed in the structure of the masculinity or
femininity of the personal subject. A correct rereading "in truth"
is an indispensable condition to proclaim this truth, that is, to
institute the visible sign of marriage as a sacrament. The spouses
proclaim precisely this language of the body, reread in truth, as
the content and principle of their new life in Christ and in the
Church. On the basis of the "prophetism of the body," the ministers
of the sacrament of marriage perform an act of prophetic character.
They confirm in this way their participation in the prophetic
mission of the Church received from Christ. A prophet is one who
expresses in human words the truth coming from God, who speaks this
truth in the place of God, in his name and in a certain sense with
his authority.
Matrimonial consent
3. All this applies to the newlyweds who, as ministers of the
sacrament of marriage, institute the visible sign by the words of
matrimonial consent. They proclaim the language of the body, reread
in truth, as content and principle of their new life in Christ and
in the Church. This prophetic proclamation has a complex character.
The matrimonial consent is at the same time the announcement and the
cause of the fact that, from now on, both will be husband and wife
before the Church and society. (We understand such an announcement
as an indication in the ordinary sense of the term.) However,
marriage consent has especially the character of a reciprocal
profession of the newlyweds made before God. It is enough to examine
the text attentively to be convinced that that prophetic
proclamation of the language of the body, reread in truth, is
immediately and directly addressed to the "I" and the "you": by the
man to the woman and by her to him. The central position in the
matrimonial consent is held precisely by the words which indicate
the personal subject, the pronouns "I" and "you." Reread in the
truth of its spousal significance, the language of the body
constitutes by means of the words of the newlyweds the
union-communion of the persons. If the matrimonial consent has a
prophetic character, if it is the proclamation of the truth coming
from God and, in a certain sense, the statement of this truth in
God's name, this is brought about especially in the dimension of the
inter-personal communion, and only indirectly "before" others and
"for" others.
Sacrament's visible sign
4. Against the background of the words spoken by the ministers of
the sacrament of marriage, there stands the enduring language of the
body, which God originated by creating man as male and female: a
language which has been renewed by Christ. This enduring language of
the body carries within itself all the richness and depth of the
mystery, first of creation and then of redemption. Bringing into
being the visible sign of the sacrament by means of the words of
their matrimonial consent, the spouses express therein the language
of the body with all the profundity of the mystery of creation and
of redemption. (The liturgy of the sacrament of marriage offers a
rich context of it.) Rereading the language of the body in this way,
the spouses enclose in the words of matrimonial consent the
subjective fullness of the profession which is indispensable to
bring about the sign proper to the sacrament. Not only this, they
also arrive in a certain sense at the sources from which that sign
on each occasion draws its prophetic eloquence and its sacramental
power. One must not forget that before being spoken by the lips of
the spouses, who are the ministers of marriage as a sacrament of the
Church, the language of the body was spoken by the word of the
living God, beginning from Genesis, through the prophets of the old
covenant, until the author of the letter to the Ephesians.
Decision and choice
5. We use over and over again the expression "language of the body,"
harking back to the prophetic texts. As we have already said, in
these texts the human body speaks a language which it is not the
author of in the proper sense of the term. The author is man, male
and female, who rereads the true sense of that language, bringing to
light the spousal significance of the body as integrally inscribed
in the very structure of the masculinity and femininity of the
personal subject. This rereading "in truth" of the language of the
body already confers per se a prophetic character on the words of
the marriage consent, by means of which man and woman bring into
being the visible sign of marriage as a sacrament of the Church.
However, these words contain something more than a simple rereading
in truth of that language spoken of by the femininity and
masculinity of the newlyweds in their reciprocal relationships: "I
take you as my wife...as my husband." The words of matrimonial
consent contain the intention, the decision and the choice. Both of
the spouses decide to act in conformity with the language of the
body, reread in truth. If man, male and female, is the author of
that language, he is so especially inasmuch as he wishes to confer,
and does indeed confer, on his behavior and on his actions a
significance in conformity with the reread eloquence of the truth of
masculinity and femininity in the mutual conjugal relationship.
Has lasting effect
6. In this sphere man is the cause of the actions which have per se
clear-cut meanings. He is then the cause of the actions and at the
same time the author of their significance. The sum total of those
meanings constitutes in a certain sense the ensemble of the language
of the body, in which the spouses decide to speak to each other as
ministers of the sacrament of marriage. The sign which they
constitute by the words of matrimonial consent is not a mere
immediate and passing sign, but a sign looking to the future which
produces a lasting effect, namely, the marriage bond, one and
indissoluble ("all the days of my life," that is, until
death). In this perspective they should fulfill that sign of
multiple content offered by the conjugal and family communion of the
persons and also of that content which, originating from the
language of the body, is continually reread in truth. In this way
the essential "truth" of the sign will remain organically linked to
the morality of matrimonial conduct. In this truth of the sign and,
later, in the morality of matrimonial conduct, the procreative
significance of the body is inserted with a view to the future—that
is, paternity and maternity, which we have previously treated. To
the question: "Are you willing to accept responsibly and with love
the children that God may give you and to educate them according to
the law of Christ and of the Church?"—the man and the woman reply:
"Yes."
Now we postpone to later meetings further detailed examinations of
the matter.
Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 24
January 1983, page 9
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