“The Lord God said: ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.’ ” —Genesis 2:18

The first spoken words in the Holy Bible from man are about the topic of marriage. Adam rejoices that he has been given his beloved wife Eve: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gn 2:23). The last time a human speaks in the Bible is likewise a word of rejoicing about a marriage: the Bride, that is, the Church, together with the Holy Spirit say, “Come!” (Rv 22:17) The bride rejoices that she and her spouse are united in marriage. The Scriptures between the beginning marriage and the ending marriage are all interconnected in the ardent love of God for mankind and the human longing for union with the Lord. The entire Bible is sandwiched between two shouts of married joy (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1602).