Marriage — Advice from the Sages of Christianity
Articles on marriage from various perspectives
“I loved every minute of making this record. This album is very special to me and has been in the planning for a good few years, it's the first time my wife Sue had joined me on a recording trip to Nashville. If this were to be the last record I ever make then I would be pleased to leave this as my legacy.” — Tony Christie, ‘We Still Shine’ [Album]
Early Church Fathers
St. Augustine of Hippo
“The union of man and woman in marriage is a mystery that expresses the unity of Christ and the Church. Therefore, it must be approached with reverence and lived out with faithfulness and love.”
St. John Chrysostom
“When husband and wife are united in marriage, they no longer seem like something earthly, but rather like the image of God Himself.”
St. Ambrose of Milan
“The home should be the centre of faith and virtue, a place where children learn to love God and follow His commandments through the example of their parent’s marriage.”
Medieval Christian Thinkers
St. Thomas Aquinas
“Marriage is natural to man, and it is also a sacrament in the Church. Through it, husband and wife help each other attain holiness in their lives together.”
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
“The love between a husband and wife is a reflection of God’s love for His people. It should be selfless, sacrificial, and enduring.”
St. Bonaventure
“The union of man and woman in holy matrimony is a great sacrament. It signifies the mystery of the union of Christ with His Church.”
Reformation Era Thinkers
Martin Luther
“There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage.”
John Calvin
“Marriage is the highest degree of fellowship; it should be a bond of peace and friendship where each one helps the other to know and serve God better.”
John Knox
“The purpose of marriage is not to satisfy carnal desires, but to find in one another companionship and the means to serve God better together.”
Modern Christian Thinkers
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“It is not your love that sustains the marriage, but from now on, the marriage that sustains your love.”
C.S. Lewis
“The Christian idea of marriage is based on Christ’s words that a man and wife are to be regarded as a single organism — for that is what the words ‘one flesh’ would be in modern English. And the Christians believe that when He said this, He was not expressing a sentiment but stating a fact.”
G.K. Chesterton
“The nature of marriage is the nature of the Trinity. It is two people becoming one while still remaining two. It is a unity in diversity.”
Contemporary Christian Thinkers
Pope John Paul II
“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live. The foundation of the family is marriage, the sacrament of mutual love, which signifies and communicates divine love.”
Pope Francis
“Marriage is a precious sign, for when a man and a woman celebrate the sacrament of marriage, God is, as it were, ‘mirrored’ in them; he impresses in them his own features and the indelible character of his love.”
Timothy Keller
“In sharp contrast with our culture, the Bible teaches that the essence of marriage is a sacrificial commitment to the good of the other.”
Eastern Orthodox Thinkers
St. John of Kronstadt
“In married life, the union of husband and wife in soul and body is an image of the unity of Christ and His Church. Let this great mystery sanctify your marriage.”
Fr. Alexander Schmemann
“The joy of marriage is the joy of love, which is not just a human love, but the reflection of the divine love with which Christ loves the Church.”
Additional Quotes from Various Christian Sages
St. Teresa of Avila
“Let us realize that the love we have for each other is rooted in God’s love for us, and that the more we love one another, the closer we come to God.”
Henri Nouwen
“Marriage is a sacred bond that reflects the divine love between Christ and His Church. It calls for a commitment to love, serve, and forgive each other as Christ loves, serves, and forgives us.”
These quotes from Christian sages and prominent thinkers emphasize marriage's sacredness, the spouses' mutual responsibilities, and the reflection of divine love within the marital relationship.
