Marriage and Vatican II

After reading this article from “For Your Marriage” and learning about what the Vatican II said about marriage, there are a couple similarities and differences between his thoughts and the perceptions and trends of people in society today when dealing with marriage. One point that he mentioned in the article was “ the church “must ever look to the present, to the new conditions and new forms of life introduced into the modern world which have opened new avenues to the Catholic apostolate.” This is similar to the teachings on marriage in society because everyone is adjusting to new things and changes. As he said, there are new conditions and new forms introduced and adaptation is something everyone has to begin to accept. Another interesting line I found important in the article was, Marriage, the constitution says, is a “vocation.” I believe this is a difference from the Church’s teachings from Vatican Two and our society. Marriage has become something that has lost meaning in some cases and many couples just marry to marry; not handling it as a vocation to the church or to each other. Another difference between the two that I noticed when the article said:  “the call to love reaches beyond the home to the extended family, the neighborhood and the larger community.” They add “this marital and familial love finds its complete expression, following the example of Jesus himself, in a willingness to sacrifice oneself in everyday situations for one’s spouse and children.” This is an important line because I agree that is what marriage and having a family should really be about. Sadly, in today’s society that is not always the case. For example, in Vegas and in many other states, drunken people who probably have known each other for a couple hours marry. This is something that should not be allowed because it contradicts what a marriage and the vocation towards marriage and to each other should be. Last, I found this line very significant when contrasting the Vatican’s teachings and our society today. It says, “Conjugal love is not a fleeting event, but the patient project of a lifetime. Called to live a Christ-like love each day, the Christian family is a privileged expression of the church’s presence and mission in the world. As such, it needs to be accompanied pastorally and supported in its problems and difficulties.”  I agree with what Pope Benedict says completely and it just shows the importance and emotional connections in marriage. Most cases in our society do follow this, but sadly our society has altered the customs and true meaning of marriage, which is why divorce rates have increased so significantly. This article was really interesting and allowed to really reflect on how different our society has become when contrasting it to the Second Vatican Council.