This statement from the U.S. Bishops’ document, Love and Life in the Divine Plan, is clear. The many blessings of marriage and family life extend to our Church and our world. But what does this mean?

The Catechism categorizes marriage and holy orders as “Sacraments at the Service of Communion.” So, while the purpose of each of the seven sacraments is to make us holy, the vocational sacraments in particular are “directed toward the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so.” (1534)

In other words, the primary purpose of marriage (and holy orders) is not to augment one’s individual experience of God’s love, but to serve as a conduit of his love to others – to the Church and to the world. As his love flows through us to others, we will receive more of it ourselves.

Here are some examples of how a couple’s marriage can channel God’s love to the Church and the world:

By generously welcoming and nurturing life.

The world desperately needs the witness of abundantly full and happy families. This is not limited to couples who can have children of their own. It could take on a variety of forms depending on a couple’s unique circumstances: adoption; serving as foster parents; caring for elderly relatives; or providing babysitting or respite care for a weary family.

By reaching out in love to the broader community.

A marriage and a family is not an insular, isolated unit, but an agent of service and hospitality, most especially to the poor, the lonely and the forgotten. Of course, the art of reaching out to others is learned and practiced through loving relationships cultivated in the home.

By making and sticking to a lifelong commitment.

Marital rates are in decline, both in the world and in the Church. By remaining together through thick and thin, by always treating each other with respect and tenderness – both in public and in private – spouses invite the world to see, and experience, what real love – God’s love – is all about.