308. (12) The marriage should be solemnized by a priest. That is because marriages regarded in themselves are spiritual and thus sacred; for they descend from the heavenly marriage between good and truth, and the various elements involved in marriage correspond to the Divine marriage of the Lord and the church. Marriages descend therefore from the Lord Himself, and are formed according to the state of the church in the contracting parties. Now, because the ordained clergy on earth administers matters which reflect the priesthood lodged in the Lord, that is, which reflect His love, thus also matters which require His blessing, it follows that marriages ought to be solemnized by His ministers. And because His ministers are also then the chief witnesses, a couple's consent to the covenant ought to be heard, approved, ratified and thus firmly established by them as well.