Joshua Bennett
Marriage is a unique partnership between two people that is designed for union, intimacy, and fruitfulness. However, according to the Bible, marriage ends with death, and there is no marriage in heaven. This is supported by Jesus' response to the Sadducees' question about a woman who had been married multiple times in her lifetime. Jesus replied, At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Despite this, it is believed that individuals will be reunited with their loved ones in heaven and experience a different type of love and union with them, as well as with God.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Marriage in heaven | No |
| Relationship with spouse in heaven | Holy friendship |
| Nature of friendship | Spiritual love and intimacy |
| Basis of friendship | Love and union shared on earth |
| Nature of love in heaven | Beyond sexual expression |
| Goal of marriage | Union with God |
| Marriage in heaven for those married multiple times | Holy friendship with all |
| Rivalry in love | None |
| Jealousy | None |
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What You'll Learn
Marriage in heaven is like being an angel
Marriage is a unique partnership between two individuals that brings an opportunity for deep companionship and self-sacrificial love. While marriage is not intended for eternity, it is a sacrament instituted by Christ to help achieve eternal life. In heaven, there will be no shame, and we will be in perfect union with God and others.
According to Jesus, "At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like angels in heaven." This statement is often interpreted to mean that marriage ends with death. However, it is important to note that Jesus is rejecting the idea that heaven is a simple continuation of earthly relationships. Instead, marriage is transfigured, spiritualized, and freed from the limits of earthly life.
In heaven, the love between spouses will endure, but in a different form. It will be a spiritual love and intimacy borne of the presence of God, similar to the friendship and love that angels share. This love will be endless, infinite, and free from flaws, such as jealousy or rivalry.
While the earthly pleasures of marriage are preludes to heavenly bliss, the relationships we form in heaven will be infinitely more fulfilling. Our love for our spouses can help guide us towards heaven, and the union with the divine will be the ultimate goal.
Thus, marriage in heaven is like being an angel, where love transcends earthly limitations and is transformed into a spiritual bond, free from the constraints of human existence.
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Holy friendships in heaven
While marriage is an earthly reality, it does not exist in heaven. However, this does not mean that spousal bonds are severed in the afterlife. According to Catholic teachings, holy friendships exist in heaven, and spouses can have these holy friendships with each other.
The concept of holy friendships in heaven is based on the belief that heaven is a place of love, unity, and eternal peace. In heaven, souls are drawn closer to God, and they help each other grow in understanding, love, and holiness. This spiritual love and intimacy borne of the presence of God is a friendship that angels in heaven share, and humans will experience this love in a way that we cannot currently fathom.
Saint John Chrysostom, in his "Letter to a Young Widow," consoled a woman who had lost her husband with the assurance that she would see him again in heaven. He wrote that she would be reunited with her husband, not for a limited time as on Earth, but for "infinite and endless ages." This idea of enduring love and connection in heaven is further supported by Saint Ambrose, who interpreted Jesus' words in John 15:15 ("I have called you friends...") as a model for the mutual recognition and sharing of secrets that define heavenly friendships.
Additionally, St. Jerome's saying, "The friendship was never true that can have an end," reinforces the belief that true friendship transcends death and endures eternally. A holy bishop, anticipating death, wrote to a holy pope, expressing his hope that their friendship would continue in the presence of God. This correspondence illustrates the belief that holy friendships in heaven are not only possible but also a source of comfort and strength for those facing mortality.
While the specific nature of these heavenly relationships is unknown, they are believed to be characterized by spiritual love and unity with God and each other. This understanding aligns with the idea that marriage, as an earthly institution, helps achieve the ultimate goal of eternal life and union with God. Thus, while marriage as a social construct may not exist in heaven, the love and connection between spouses can endure and flourish in the form of holy friendships.
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The meaning of the body in heaven
Marriage is an earthly reality, an image of the love God has for us in heaven. When we experience the fullness of God's love in heaven, there is no need for marriage. However, we will be reunited with our loved ones in heaven, and spouses because of the love and union we shared on earth.
According to the Catholic Church, the body is essential in heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 322 states that our bodies will be raised on the last day, and we will have bodies in heaven. This is also supported by the Bible, which describes heaven as having a physical world with white horses, gates, and pearls.
The Bible also speaks of the resurrection of the flesh, indicating that our immortal souls will live on after death, and our mortal bodies will come to life again. This concept is further emphasized by the Catholic belief in the Assumption of Mary, where Mary, the mother of Jesus, was assumed into heaven with her earthly body, now glorified and free from corruption.
The resurrected body in heaven is described as a glorified body, perfected, and without the confining limitations we experience on Earth. It is a spiritual body, different from our natural bodies, and it has attributes such as impassibility, subtlety, clarity, and agility.
In heaven, our love transcends the earthly union of husband and wife, and we participate in the creative power of God, fulfilling the deepest meaning of the body. Our relationships in heaven are like those of the angels, a spiritual love and intimacy borne of the presence of God, endless and perfect.
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The importance of marriage on earth
Marriage is a sacrament in the Catholic Church, and as such, it is a holy, good, and honourable thing. It is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love. They commit themselves completely to each other and to the wondrous responsibility of bringing children into the world and caring for them.
The Catholic Church considers marriage a sacrament, a vehicle for God's grace to the couple and the community. Husband and wife accept a role in God's plan for humanity. They are to be ambassadors of God's love. Through their love for each other, they show God's deep love for us, and they collaborate with God to keep humanity alive.
Marriage is also an earthly reality and an image of the love God has for us in heaven. It is a pathway to holiness, and when a couple chooses to marry in the Catholic Church, they are choosing to have God at the centre of their marriage. This can have a positive impact on the rest of their married life.
While marriage ends in this life, the noblest aspiration of the married couple is achieved in the next. It is in Heaven that couples, joined by God on Earth, experience the indissolubility of love. They will have holy friendships with their spouses in heaven, though in a different way. Their love will go beyond the sexual expression of married love to the fulfilment of love in union with the Trinity, participating in the creative power of God.
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The joy of union with God
Marriage is a sacred union, instituted by Christ, to help us achieve eternal life. While marriage ends with death, the love shared between partners continues in heaven. This is because God wants us to share in the blessed life that he, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit share. The Bible is loaded with this theme of union.
St. John the Evangelist has a thought that runs throughout his Gospel: Jesus wants us to abide in him. That is sometimes translated as “remain in him.” To walk with, live with, and stay with Jesus. St. Paul uses the term of being “IN” Christ Jesus throughout his many letters. As a fish is in water, Christians should be in Jesus.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks about mysticism as a process. “Spiritual progress tends toward an ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called ‘mystical’ because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments — ‘the holy mysteries’ — and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity."
The process of growing in mystical union with God is not reserved for priests and other religious figures alone, it is a goal for every disciple of Jesus. The Program of Priestly Formation describes the goal of the seminary’s spiritual formation program in similar terms. “The heart of spiritual formation is personal union with Christ, which is born of, and nourished in, a particular way by prolonged and silent prayer.”
The great Saints, mystics, and ordinary disciples suggest the best way to ensure union is with a life of prayer. The most important element is to just do it. Talk with God. And listen. Allow time for silence. Some pray the Rosary or a Chaplet, novenas or the Psalms; others sing or meditate, walk or kneel. In any instance, allow time to listen. And make a consistent commitment.
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Frequently asked questions
According to the Bible, "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven" (Matthew 22:30). This suggests that marriage, as an earthly reality, ends with this life. However, it is believed that the love and union shared between spouses on Earth will be transformed and continue in a different way in heaven.
While marriage as an institution does not continue into heaven, it is generally believed that spouses will be reunited and have a special connection in heaven. This connection will be different from earthly marriage, as it will be freed from the limits of physical existence and transformed into a spiritual love.
Marriage is a unique partnership designed for union, intimacy, and fruitfulness (Genesis 2:18, 2:25). It serves as an image of the love God has for us and prepares us for eternal life. The primary purpose of marriage is to help us achieve union with God, and this union is the ultimate goal, both in this life and the next.
