Marriage in Christianity A ritual is “the performance of ceremonial acts, prescribed by tradition or sacerdotal decree,” (Hans 2012) which have symbolic value to the participants. In most cultures rituals solemnise the important religious and life-cycle moments of people’s lives. In religion, rituals are performed in significant places and at particular times to symbolically strengthen religious values and the participants’ relationship with god. However, a life cycle ritual usually marks life changes in an individual or a group and acknowledges rites of passage into a next stage of life’s experiences such as: birth, death, marriage, and social transformation such as transition from childhood to adulthood. The ritual of marriage is rich with …show more content…
Similar to the Catholic tradition, Orthodox Christians recognizes marriage as one of the seven sacraments; it’s God’s gift and a point of contact, between God and his followers. The meaning of marriage is to support humankind’s spiritual, economic and social needs. (Joanides 2012) Marriage is seen as an eternal gift from God. St John Chrysosm (early Church Father) said, “From the beginning God in His providence has planned this union of man and women… There is no relationship between human beings so close as that of husband and wife.” (Chrysostom 2011) “An Orthodox perspective of marriage is not based on secular, legalistic concepts such as justice and egalitarianism.” (Joanides 2012) Orthodox Christians believe marriage should be based on Christ-like self-sacrifice, forgiveness and mercy. The purpose of marriage is for each person in the couple to assist each other into God’s kingdom. In the marriage ritual, diverse symbols are associated in the service, reflecting the theology of the Church. (Joanides 2012) The significant symbols are the exchange of the ring, crowning and the common cup. In preparation for exchanging the ring, the priest asks God’s blessing on the bride and the groom symbolized with the ring. In Orthodox tradition, the ring is placed on the right hand. The priest blesses the couple three times to emphasize their lives are being entwined into one …show more content…
Both consider marriage is supported by God, and acknowledge the importance of being one flesh and honoring each other. This is supported by the Bible, “…It is not good for a man to not marry. But since there is so much immorality each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:1-2) The two diverse practices, share the overall meaning of marriage, being a union ordained by God between a man and a woman. Furthermore as can be seen in the description of the marriage ceremonies there are common elements in both traditions. The ring exchange, for example, symbolizes the love and faithful commitments to marriage. Although, Catholics and Orthodox Christians consider Marriage an important sacrament, there are significant differences as