“It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Gen 2:18)

Marriage, as a Sacrament, belongs to an entirely different order than the mere union of man and woman through civil contract. It basically regards a husband and wife as symbols of another marriage; namely, the marriage of Lord Jesus and the Church:

• “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord … therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” (Eph 5:22,24)
• “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it … so husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.” (Eph 5:25,28-29)

Institution of the sacrament

Holy Scripture does not explicitly mention when our Lord instituted this Sacrament. Nevertheless, some fathers have said that He instituted it when He attended and blessed the wedding at Cana of Galilee (Jn 2:1-11) others have said that the Lord instituted it during His discussion with the Pharisees about divorce when He said, “What God has joined together, let no man separate.” (Mt 19:6).

In any case, St. Paul explicitly calls marriage “a great mystery [Sacrament]” (Eph 5:32)

Characteristics of orthodox marriage

• No mixed marriages: “Do not be equally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” (2 Cor 6:14-16)
• Monogamy: “Let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.” (1 Cor 7:2)
• Divorce is allowed only for sexual immorality reasons, “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Mt 19:9)