The holy mystery (sacrament) of marriage is one of the seven mysteries of divine grace, instituted by Christ. Christian marriage constitutes a vocation, a special call by God. Through the holy mystery, a baptized man and woman receive a “special gift of God” (1 Cor 7:7) and enter a perpetual union devoted to the service of a new life in Christ.
Marriage exists from the dawn of creation. Adam felt lonely, since there was “no suitable partner” for him (Gen 2:18). Therefore, God created a woman. When he sees the woman Adam recognizes a suitable partner equal to himself, and he exclaimed: “This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh! … That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (Gen 2:23-24).
God gives Adam and Eve the command to “be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). Humanity receives a vocation to cooperate with God in the propagation of the human race.
Jesus Christ sanctified and elevated Christian marriage to the dignity of a holy mystery (sacrament) by his presence at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. This is why the Byzantine Church reads the Gospel of the wedding feast at Cana during the marriage ceremony. (Jn 2:1-11) Marriage sanctifies and supports Christian family life.