This relationship is rooted in the will of God, who, by creating man and woman in his image and likeness, gave them the ability to love and give themselves to each other, to the point of being able to be “one flesh” (Gen. 1:22 and 2:24).

The free consent by which the couple gives and receives each other is the essence of the sacrament of marriage. This consent is concretized, within the marriage rite, in the formula that the spouses say to each other once and for all with words such as: “I receive you as my husband (wife) and I promise to love you, respect you and serve you, in health or sickness, in sadness or joy, in wealth or poverty, until death do us part.”

With this public declaration of surrender, the spouses constitute themselves for each other, they are the true ministers of this sacrament; The Church acts as an authoritative witness through a priest or a deacon and before the Christian community.

It is within this stable and generous relationship that God wants children to be conceived, so that love may be the cradle where new creatures are received and the family and society are constituted. Both by their mutual gift and service and by their mission, spouses are a living and permanent sacrament of Christ’s love for humanity.

The entire Church or “Christian Family” benefits from the sacramental yes that spouses give each other daily, because this is an invaluable testimony that supports all Christians on the path of dedication and service to which we have been called. For this reason, the renewal of marriage vows is an event of every day.