'The love of a man and a woman is made holy in the sacrament of marriage and becomes the mirror of your everlasting love.'

Marriage is a sacrament by which two people are united in love and become one.

A sacrament is the outward sign of something sacred. For many Christians, the sacraments as signs of the blessing of God, lie at the heart of worship.

For many people, marriage is simply a civil ceremony, a legal step confirming the union of a man and a woman. But most Christians believe that it is a sacrament, which conveys God's blessing onto the newly wedded couple.

In 1984 in Britain there were 396,000 marriages and over half of these took place in a Register Office, which shows a decline in the amount of couples that opt for the more traditional marriage. Why do people marry?

The main reasons for marriage are as follows:

*to commit yourself to the person you love for a lifetime

*to bring up children in a secure and loving home

*to control and direct the sex instinct

*for friendship and companionship through life

In the gospel of Mark Jesus gives an explanation about the meaning and purpose of marriage, '....

In a Register Office there are only two statements required from both the bride and groom:

Marriage is a public affair as it is carried out in your local community.

These vows are very sacred and are a guideline for all marriages. They are supposed to be undertaken by both partners in the marriage. When they are not followed properly a breakdown will occur within the marriage and both spouses will suffer because of it.

......And for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.'(Mk 10:7-8), '........So they are no longer two but one. Man must not separate, then, what God has joined together.'(Mk 10:8-9)

*help for couple who want to know more about natural family planning

*on the other hand they know that they need love, support and care for the people who have been divorced.

Some common words found in the essay are:
John Paul, Marks Gospel, Register Office, Divorce Act, BEHAVIOR MARRIAGE, Catholic Church, Paul-in York, Testament Deuteronomy, Council Relate-, UK CMAC, fourth finger, ring fourth, ring fourth finger, catholic church, register office, marriage advisory council, marriage lack, advisory council, fulfill duty, father son holy, divorce act, *by providing counselling, *on hand, name father son, *by providing,
Approximate Word count = 1558
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)