Marriage Bond

Tom and Paula lived together as husband and wife on Rosecliff Avenue on the east side of Cleveland for more than seventy years. Tom worked at the post office. He retired when he turned 75. Paula worked as a bank teller. She planned on leaving her job as soon as they had their first child, but it turned out that they never had any children; Paula stopped working at the bank when she turned 75.

They led a simple life: they were never featured in the newspaper; they never got rich; they never took fancy vacations; but everyone on their street loved them. They were the neighborhood babysitters; they were the shoulders to cry on for young spouses having marriage troubles; they were the organizers of the yearly block party; their yard was more played in than any other on the street. Their home exuded happiness and joy, just like their happy, joyful faces.

Tom died in his sleep a few days before his ninety first birthday. He seemed to have been in perfect health, but his life had reached its conclusion. Paula seemed to be in perfect health too, and she seemed to withstand the loss fairly well. After three days without Tom she too passed away, unable, so it seemed, to let her husband get too far out of reach.

There are times when couples who share long and loving marriages die almost simultaneously, not for medical reasons, but for spiritual ones. The phenomenon eloquently illustrates something about marriage that you rarely hear people talk about, because that “something” is the most important thing about marriage. It’s called “the marriage bond.” Understanding what it is and where it comes from is the only way to understand Catholic teaching about divorce, remarriage, and annulment.