Pope John Paul the Great on Marriage and the Family #2

Marriage, with its character as an exclusive and permanent union, is sacred because its origin is in God. Christians, in receiving the sacrament of marriage, share in God's creative plan and receive the graces they need to carry out their mission of raising and educating their children, and to respond to the call to holiness. It is a union different from any other sort of human society, for it is based on the mutual giving and receiving of husband and wife in order to become "one flesh" (Gen 2:24), living in a community of life and love, the vocation of which is to be a "sanctuary of life." By their faithful and persevering union, the couple contributes to the good of the instituion of the family and shows that a man and a woman are capable of giving themselves to one another forever...

Homily at Santa Clara, Cuba, 1998