For a Catholic, the preparation for marriage involves even more than understanding the civil laws regarding marriage, applying for a license, and having a medical examination. In one way marriage is a legal contract, a civil act regulated by the government. A contract is initiated by people and can be terminated by people. In a contract each party’s responsibilities are spelled out, and the contract is good for a certain period of time. But in the church'’ understanding, marriage is more that a contract. Marriage is also a sacred covenant, that is, an agreement or pact between the couple themselves and between the couple and God. A covenant is initiated by God. In a marriage covenant, the couple agrees to love each other until death.
This covenant is modeled on the faithfulness God exhibited in his covenant with the Israelites. It also reflects the new covenant: at the Last Supper and with his death on the cross, Jesus established a lasting covenant with all people, sealed in his blood.
In marriage two people make a solemn agreement before witnesses that they will love each other for the rest of their lives. At the wedding, they join right hands and exchange vows, that is, sacred promises which bind them together permanently. A common formula for marriage vows takes the following form:
I, ________, take you ________ to be my wife (husband). I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.
This free consent, this mutual personal commitment, is the element that makes a marriage. In marriage, the couple gives to each other the gift of themselves, body and soul. They vow to each other a special love that they will have for no one else. They pledge a love that will be lasting, in the words of the traditional vow formula, “for better or for worse, until death do us part." Accompanying the vows, is the exchange of rings. A ring – a circle with no beginning or end – represents the newly married couple’s love for and fidelity to each other.