Christian marriage essay

After reading chapter 2 of the book A Christian Theology of Marriage and Family by Julie Hanlon Rubio, my response to the question “What is your understanding of Christian marriage?” should be reconsidered, because some important information is missing from my response. In accordance with Julie Hanlon Rubio, marriage is the God’s covenant of conjugal love chosen freely and consciously, while the relationships between a man and a woman should be focused on “the intimate community of life and love willed by God” (37). It means that the relationships between two partners should be based not only on love, but also on human mind.

Christian marriage can be viewed as a moral action that has an enormous impact on the community. Julie Hanlon Rubio states that “a marriage between two individuals is the beginning of a new community” (38). However, each of the partners contributes to the success of their marriage, and each family is a part of the community. Marriage deepens feelings and extends the unity between a man and a woman. What is more important is that the Catholic understanding of marriage is not limited to couples and their duties. It is focused on love and mutual understanding between all members of the family. I am sure that Christian marriage is a commitment to a particular person, but, at the same time it is a commitment to the community, which provides support to the couples. A success of any marriage depends on the crucial role of the community. It means that we should not ignore the community in which “strong relationship lives and grows” (Rubio 39).