From Forums of the Virgin Mary [translated]:
How it is used and the angel that protects the marriage.
The Jews, the Romans, and other pre-Christian peoples had the custom that the man placed a ring on his future wife’s little finger, signifying a legal agreement.
But with Christianity, the ring began to be placed on the fingers of the man and the woman, and it became a symbol of the indissoluble alliance between the two spouses and acquired supernatural powers.
Wedding rings were customary from the sixth century, and the phenomenon spread throughout the planet, to this day.
Here we will talk about the sacramental symbology of wedding rings, the supernatural protection they provide, and we will make revelations about the wedding ring of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary.
Wedding rings are the sign of the covenant of love between husband and wife, the fidelity they promise to each other, and fidelity before God, who will bless the marriage.
In some countries, they are called alliances, which sounds more eloquent.
Wedding rings are also the universal sign that the wearer is engaged to another.
For each individual, the ring provides a tangible reminder of the promises made in marriage, that love should never end.
But the rings will not always shine with the same intensity. Because, like the marriage relationship, they are subject to the wear and tear of daily life, and to the spiritual attacks that the spouses will receive during their family journey.
The bridal ring has the status of a true sacramental, like the fisherman’s ring that is placed on the new Pontiff, and the one received by religious from cardinals and bishops, to nuns, when they are ordained.
It goes from being a simple ring to becoming an instrument of profession of life, of renunciations and sanctifying sacrifices.
It is also a sign of the Church’s prayer for its children, and it disposes to receive graces and other effects for the spiritual life.
Always carry that wedding ring with you, not only is it an act of love, fidelity, and conjugal duty, but it is also an element of protection.
Because tradition indicates that once the conjugal couple is constituted, God assigns a special angel for it, in order to protect that union and each member, based on the fact that the marriage functions as “one flesh.”
Its use comes to have the force of an exorcism against temptations and attacks by evil spirits, which lead to adultery and fornication.
Rings are so important that their delivery constitutes a highlighted episode at a wedding.
It is usual for the rings to solemnly enter the temple on an elegant cushion or a small box, carried by a child.
And during the marriage sacrament, the priest blesses them and sprinkles them with Holy Water.
Then he invites the couple to place them on each other, repeating words of commitment, fidelity, and love.
However, this ceremony is not mandatory nor will its absence invalidate the marriage.
The construction of the ring also has its symbology.
It is created from a material that will never tarnish, symbolizing that your love will remain solid throughout all your years.
The ring is also created in a perfect circle, which has no end, meaning that your love will remain forever, without end. [scroll for more:]
Some traditions call for the wedding ring to have an open center, like the inside of a pipe, through which the constant stream of love flows from one spouse to the other.
A stream of patience, kindness, humility, courtesy, self-control, forgiveness, truthfulness, patience, compassion, and meekness.
And it’s worn snug, so it stays in place and doesn’t slide over your knuckle.
The perfect fit represents the close bond between husband and wife.
Furthermore, their firmness represents the restrictive nature of marriage, a chaste love that is shared exclusively with each other and with no one else.
The rings are customarily placed on the ring finger of the left hand, on a middle finger, where the pulsation of the powerful organ that symbolizes love for one’s spouse and for God is most felt.
Was it ever believed that there was a nerve, or a vein of blood, that ran from this finger to the heart?
The intertwined rings one with the other, are the most common graphic symbol of marriage.
Sometimes a Cross is placed between the rings, signifying that Jesus is the center, the binding force of a Christian marriage, and that the spouses will carry their crosses together.
And occasionally, two white candles are added, one inside each ring, indicating that your baptismal faith is the foundation of your marriage and that your joint membership in the body of Christ will act as a unifying force in your life together.
Mary and Joseph are often depicted exchanging rings before a priest in the Temple.
Because since the Middle Ages, the wedding rings of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary have held a fascination in popular religiosity, because the Holy Family is the ideal of the Christian family.
And there are at least seven rings that claim to be the relic of that sacred wedding ring.
But the one that enjoys the most predilection is the one that has been preserved since 1473 in the chapel of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Perugia, Italy.
Although centuries before he was in the city of Chiusi, Italy, coming from Jerusalem.
According to tradition, the Virgin ordered it to be delivered to the Apostle John before he died.
For many centuries it was not heard from until a Jerusalem merchant sold it to a Chiusi goldsmith.
[scroll for more:]
The ring was delivered to the church of Santa Mustiola once the goldsmith died.
But for reasons of jealousy between congregations, he was taken to the Cathedral.
And in the fifteenth century one of the friars of the convent of San Francisco, Fray Winter, of Mainz, stole the relic.
It is not clear if he really wanted to take her to Germany or sell her to Perugia.
Legend has it that when the friar was on his way to Germany, passing by Perugia, he was surprised by such a dense and long-lasting fog that it prevented him from continuing, and by Divine inspiration, he was forced to hand over the precious garment to the city government.
The Perugia ring is a light green, translucent, chalcedony ring, previously believed to be onyx.
The relic is exhibited on July 29 and 30, on the occasion of the Holy Ring festival, in the ceremony known as ‘The descent of the Holy Ring’.
After the opening of the safes, the reliquary is lowered to the level of the altar of the chapel, by means of a mechanical procedure and then the solemn ostension is carried out.
Ana Catalina Emmerich never saw the ring in person, but she had a vision that it was not made of gold or silver or any other metal.
That it had changing reflections, and that it was quite thick, like a finger wide, smooth, and with triangles embedded with letters.
He also saw a party in a city in Italy where this ring was kept.
And during this feast he saw Mary and Joseph appear, in their wedding garments, on both sides of the altar of the ring.
And it seemed to him that Joseph placed the ring on the finger of Mary.
At that moment he saw the ring all luminous.
When these visions became known, the cathedral became a point of pilgrimage for many devotees.
Well, so far what we at Forums wanted to talk about the supernatural value of the wedding ring and the bridal ring of Mary and Joseph.
And I would like to ask you if you consider that the wedding ring indeed has supernatural power or is it just a pious resource.