Unlike many of the steps taken in the perilous journey called life, the step into marriage is one that cannot be retraced. Marriage endures "until death." It is a relationship, which can and should propel each partner toward heaven. Too often married people fail to work together with the special graces given to them. When Christ wished to give a sign of the union that exists between Him and His Church, he chose the sacred union of a married couple. Through the sacrament of matrimony, husband and wife receive graces which join them in the bonds of mutual love, aid them to share affection for one another, strengthen them to avoid illicit passions, strengthen them to become worthy parents, and help them to keep their marriage honorable in all things. A marriage that is entered into with such proper nature will be blessed in many ways.

Faithfulness, or...