Marriage and 'Mulieris Dignitatem'

Abstract

This article considers the theology and canon law of marriage in light of 'Mulieris Dignitatem'. The article was a talk given at Catholic University of America on this twentieth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter. One of the document's central themes is the universal call to holiness lived out through sacramental marriage or virginity. In the first part of the article, I discuss Saint Augustine's teaching on the relation between marriage and virginity. In the second part, I mention several prominent features of 'Mulieris Dignitatem', including the complementarity of marriage and virginity, the personalist interpretation of Ephesians 5, and the Eucharistic understanding of marriage and virginity. I discuss these features in relation to the Augustinian tradition.

Keywords: Marriage, Canon Law, Augustine, John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem