Marriage and the Catholic Church

I receive many questions from family members and friends asking why the church doesn't just "get out of the marriage business?" Here is my answer: Marriage in the Church is a sacrament of the Church which makes it sacred. It is more than a business or a trial run. It is a commitment not only for two people to live together but for them to share a sacred bond. We learn about marriage from the beginning of scripture in Genesis chapter 2, where we read that man and woman are made to be suitable for each other and that the two become one. The first recorded miracle of Jesus was at a wedding in Cana where He was present for that couple in same way that He is present for every couple who gets married in the Church.  The commitment of the couple includes Christ. This doesn't mean that He is absent in civil relationships, it means that His Grace is being poured upon those who purposely include Him in their marriage. Revelation speaks to us about the "Wedding feast of the Lamb". Jesus is the groom and we are His bride. Marriage is so important that it is used as our relationship with our Lord. So for the people who ask that infamous question, "Were is that in the Bible?" There it is! Therefore, I think the Church has every right to be "in the marriage business!"
 I think that one the problems we have is that newly engaged people don't understand the sacredness of what they are committing to. Do they know that the job description of a spouse includes the responsibility of helping the other spouse to get to Heaven? To place the other person before themselves in the same way that Jesus gave Himself for His Church? I know we say the vows but do we really get it? There was a time when the ailing elderly were taken care of in the homes  more often than in nursing homes. Wars struck just about everyone and the mortality rate was greater. Children grew up with these things and might have had a better understanding of sacrifice. (opinion) Statistically, over half of young couples today come from divorced families. How are they able to understand a lifetime together if they have never witnessed one? Marriage is filled with every emotion imaginable. It is a mix between, great times and love and bad times and grrrs! But no matter the time, it is still sacred.
If you want to read more about marriage and the Catholic Church see the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1601-1637.