There are many different types of promises, and they have varying degrees of importance legally or culturally. In the Old Testament, there was a big difference between a promise, a contract, and a very special type of promise, known as a covenant. A contract often involves the exchange of property between two or more people. But a covenant involves the exchange of persons, or kinship. Even today, our society is built on promises in a way. Families and marriages are the building blocks of societies. Marriages are one of the most meaningful promises or oaths we can make today. In fact, marriage in the Church reveals how God is involved in this sacramental promise.

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