God does something wonderful and profound in the souls of the husband and wife at the moment the couple makes their vows: He re-creates them to be one.   No matter what happens or however far apart physically a couple may be, their souls are still united because it is a spiritual union, a real union of the souls that only God can cause, and only God can dissolve.  God has declared that the dissolution of vows will come only at the moment of the death of one of the spouses.

Many married couples think it is sad that they will be separated at death.  Marriage ends at death because something even greater, a union even more intimate, is awaiting them in Heaven.  In other words, marriage does not end at death because there is something lacking; rather, marriage ends so the persons can enter fully into the eternal marriage covenant foreshadowed and prefigured by the matrimonial covenant shared in by the couple.  In this heavenly marriage, the couple will be united not only with one another, but with every other soul in Heaven.