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Type of Sacrament:
'Sacrament of the Living' (click
here for more info.)
Is Sacrament Obligatory?
No.
Recipients:
A
man and a woman who are unmarried
Can This Sacrament Be Repeated?
It
may be repeated only after the death of the first spouse, in
compliance with the laws of the Church. Note, however, that
Scripture recommends against subsequent marriages (wherever
applicable) and that the Church may not give a solemn blessing to
second marriages.
"Can. 1143 A
woman who has once received a solemn nuptial blessing cannot
accept it again in subsequent weddings." (1917 Code of
Canon Law)
"Although
the second marriage [i.e. remarriage of a widowed spouse], considered in itself, is a perfect sacrament,
yet if we consider it in relation to the first marriage, it is
somewhat a defective sacrament, because it has not its full
signification, since there is not a union of only one woman with
only one man as in the marriage of Christ with the Church. And on
account of this defect the blessing is omitted in a second
marriage. This, however, refers to the case when it is a second
marriage on the part of both man and woman, or on the part of the
woman only. For if a virgin marry a man who has had another wife,
the marriage is blessed nevertheless. Because the signification is
preserved to a certain extent even in relation to the former
marriage, since though Christ has but one Church for His spouse,
there are many persons espoused to Him in the one Church. But the
soul cannot be espoused to another besides Christ, else it commits
fornication with the devil. Nor is there a spiritual marriage. For
this reason when a woman marries a second time the marriage is not
blessed on account of the defect in the sacrament." (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church") [Note:
Second marriages refer to legitimate second marriages - i.e. after
death of a spouse - and not to subsequent 'marriages' in the
case of divorce (such 'marriages' are, of course, are
prohibited).]
When Should Sacrament Be Received?
In
accordance with Church guidelines and after proper preparation.
Solemn marriages may be forbidden at certain times (e.g. Lent,
Advent).
General
Prerequisites:
Free
consent of both persons, both persons free
from impediments, both persons not too closely related, appropriate
notification of pastor, sufficient
preparation, publication of the banns of matrimony, proper
intention, state of grace, attainment of specified age, both
parties must be "open to fertility", compliance with the
laws of the Church [including laws concerning mixed marriages -
e.g. marriages between Catholic & non-Catholics (see
below)], etc. (Note: Both
parties in a Catholic marriage should also have received baptism
and confirmation)
"Can.
1095 The following are incapable of contracting marriage: 1°
those who lack sufficient use of reason; 2° those who suffer from
a grave lack of discretionary judgement concerning the essential
matrimonial rights and obligations to be mutually given and
accepted; 3° those who, because of causes of a psychological
nature, are unable to assume the essential obligations of
marriage." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"To contract marriage lawfully it is necessary to be free from every impeding impediment to marriage; to be instructed in the principal truths
of religion; and, finally, to be in a state of grace; otherwise a sacrilege would be committed"
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
Ordinary
Ministers:
The couple confers the Sacrament on each other (in the presence
of the priest). Note: The presence of the priest (or deacon)
may be generally required for the Sacrament to be valid. Witnesses
are also required.
"The Ministers of this sacrament are the couple themselves, who together confer and receive the sacrament."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
"The blessing which the parish priest gives to the married couple is not necessary to constitute the
sacrament [although the priest's presence may be required for a
valid sacrament], but it is given to sanction their
union in the name of the Church and to invoke on them more abundantly the blessing of God."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
Form /
Matter: External declaration of consent of the man and
woman, in accordance
with the laws of the Church
"The
outward sign in the Sacrament of matrimony is the mutual consent
of the persons, expressed by words or signs in accordance with the
laws of the Church. The whole essence of the marriage contract
consists in the surrender by the persons of their bodies to each
other and in declaring by word or sign that they make this
surrender and take each other for husband and wife now and for
life." (Baltimore Catechism)
"[A]
perfect marriage has all the following conditions, - namely,
internal consent, external compact expressed by words, the
obligation and tie which arise from the contract, and the marriage
debt by which it is consummated; yet the obligation and tie
expressed by the word union alone have the force and nature of
marriage."
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)
Chief
Effects:
*
Enables proper procreation of children: "Marriage
itself among all races is for the one purpose of procreating
children, whatever will be their station and character afterwards;
marriage was instituted for this purpose, so that children might
be born properly and decently." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the
Church, 5th century
A.D.)
*
Creates a permanent bond between the spouses that is indissolveable
until the death of a spouse, and obliges them to live together. As
stated in the Catechism of the Council of Trent: "The third advantage is called the Sacrament, that is to say, the
indissoluble bond of marriage. As the Apostle has it: The Lord
commanded that the wife depart not from the husband, and if she
depart that she remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband;
and let not the husband put away his wife. And truly, if marriage
as a Sacrament represents the union of Christ with His Church, it
also necessarily follows that just as Christ never separates
Himself from His Church, so in like manner the wife can never be
separated from her husband in so far as regards the
marriage-tie."
*
Imparts grace:
"Can.
1110 From a valid marriage there arises between the spouses a bond
that by its nature is perpetual and exclusive; moreover, Christian
marriage confers grace on the spouses who do not oppose it."
(1917 Code of Canon Law)
"[Matrimony] is a Sacrament by which Christians enter the
marriage state, and receive the grace to live together in a holy
manner, and to bring up their children in the fear of God."
(Catechism of St. John Neumann)
*
"The sacrament of matrimony: (1) Gives an increase of sanctifying grace; (2) Gives a special grace for the faithful discharge of all the duties
of the married state." (Catechism of St. Pius X)
*
"The effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony are: 1) To sanctify the
love of husband and wife, 2) To give them grace to bear with each
other's weaknesses, and 3) To enable them to bring up their
children in the fear and love of God." (Baltimore Catechism)
*
"Matrimony is a sacrament, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, which creates a holy and indissoluble union between a man and woman, and
gives them grace to love one another holily and to bring up their children as Christians."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
*
"The
chief ends of the Sacrament of Matrimony are: (1) To enable the
husband and wife to aid each other in securing the salvation of
their souls; (2) To propagate or keep up the existence of the
human race by bringing children into the world to serve God; (3)
To prevent sins against the holy virtue of purity by faithfully
obeying the laws of the marriage state." (Baltimore
Catechism)
*
Three blessings of marriage:
"[T]here are three blessings of marriage: children, fidelity and
the Sacrament." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"Marriage has three blessings. The first is
children, to be received and raised for God's service. The second
is the loyal faith whereby each serves the other. The third is the
sacrament, which signifies the inseparable union of Christ with
His Church." (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church")
Three blessings are ascribed to
matrimony: "The first is the procreation and education of children
for the worship of God. The second is fidelity that each of the
spouses must observe towards the other. The third is the
indissolubility of matrimony - indissoluble because it signifies
the indivisible union of Christ with the Church. Although a
separation from bed may be permitted by reason of marital
infidelity, nevertheless is not permitted to contract another
matrimony since the bond of marriage lawfully contracted is
perpetual." (Council of Florence)
Additional
Information:
* "Marriage has God for its Author" (Pope Leo
XIII)
*
The Sacrament of Matrimony usually takes place during Mass.
"Catholics
should be married before the altar in the church. They should be
married in the morning, and with a Nuptial Mass if possible."
(Baltimore Catechism)
*
Marriage is a contract which imposes duties on both parties
(including that wives be submissive to their husbands and the "marriage debt").
"Wives
should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the
husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church,
he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to
Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in
everything." (St. Paul, Eph. 5:22-24)
"Wives,
be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord."
(St. Paul, Col. 3:18)
"Can.
1151 Spouses have the duty and right to preserve conjugal living
unless a legitimate cause excuses them." (1983 Code of Canon
Law)
*
The primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of
children:
"Can. 1013 § 1 The primary end of marriage is
the procreation and education of children; the secondary [end] is
mutual support and a remedy for concupiscence. § 2 The essential
properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility, which in
Christian marriage obtain special firmness by reason of the
sacrament." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Now, the truth is that matrimony, as an institution of nature, in
virtue of the Creator's will, has not as a primary and intimate
end the personal perfection of the married couple but the
procreation and upbringing of a new life. The other ends, inasmuch
as they are intended by nature, are not equally primary, much less
superior to the primary end, but are essentially subordinated to
it. This is true of every marriage, even if no offspring result,
just as of every eye it can be said that it is destined and formed
to see, even if, in abnormal cases arising from special internal
or external conditions, it will never be possible to achieve
visual perception." (Pope Pius XII, Address to Midwives)
Is it licit to have recourse only to infertile periods? As Pope
Pius XII stated: "[T]o embrace the matrimonial state, to use
continually the faculty proper to such a state and lawful only
therein, and, at the same time, to avoid its primary duty
without a grave reason, would be a sin against the very nature of
married life." (emphasis added) For more information on
(so-called) 'Natural Family Planning' ('NFP'),
try here
*
Sterility is not an impediment to marriage: "Can.
1068 § 3 Sterility neither impedes nor [renders illicit]
marriage." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
*
The solemn blessing of marriage may be prohibited at certain
times of the year.
"Can. 1108 § 1 Marriage can be
contracted at any time of the year. § 2 The solemn blessing of
marriage, however, is prohibited from the first [Sunday] of Advent
to the day of the Birth of the Lord, inclusive, and from Ash
[Wednesday] until Easter [Sunday], inclusive. § 3 Local
Ordinaries can, however, with due regard for the liturgical law,
also permit [solemn blessings] within the aforesaid times for just
cause, having warned the spouses to abstain from too much
pomp." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"The holy Synod
enjoins, that the ancient prohibitions of solemn nuptials be
carefully observed by all, from the Advent of our Lord Jesus
Christ until the day of the Epiphany, and from Ash-Wednesday until
the octave of Easter inclusively; but at other times It allows
marriage to be solemnly celebrated; and the bishops shall take
care that they be conducted with becoming modesty and propriety:
for marriage is a holy thing, and is to be treated in a holy
manner." (Council of Trent, Twenty-Fourth Session, 1563 A.D.)
*
Consummation is not strictly necessary for a marriage to be valid:
"Hence pastors should teach the
faithful that the nature and force of marriage consists in the tie
and obligation; and that, without consummation, the consent of the
parties, expressed in the manner already explained, is sufficient
to constitute a true marriage. It is certain that our first
parents before their fall, when, according to the holy Fathers, no
consummation took place, were really united in marriage. Hence the
Fathers say that marriage consists not in its use but in the
consent. This doctrine is repeated by St. Ambrose in his book On
Virgins." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
*
Marriage is often compared to the union between Christ and His
Church:
"The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the indissoluble union of Jesus Christ with the Church, His Spouse, and our holy Mother."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
"Thus
when Christ our Lord wished to give a sign of the intimate union
that exists between Him and His Church and of His immense love for
us, He chose especially the sacred union of man and wife. That
this sign was a most appropriate one will readily appear from the
fact that of all human relations there is none that binds so
closely as the marriage-tie, and from the fact that husband and
wife are bound to one another by the bonds of the greatest
affection and love. Hence it is that Holy Writ so frequently
represents to us the divine union of Christ and the Church under
the figure of marriage." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
*
In accordance with Scripture and tradition, the Church has
historically discouraged (and forbidden)
mixed marriages (marriages of Catholics with non-Catholics).
"Can.
1060 Most severely does the Church prohibit everywhere that
marriage be entered into by two baptized persons, one of whom is
Catholic, and the other belonging to a heretical or schismatic
sect; indeed, if there is a danger of perversion to the Catholic
spouse and children, that marriage is forbidden even by divine
law." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"The
Church can forbid the marriage of Catholics with persons who have
a different religion or no religion at all, because such marriages
generally lead to indifference, loss of faith, and to the neglect
of the religious education of the children." (Baltimore
Catechism)
"Catholic
truth and Church doctrine which forbids mixed marriages as
disgraceful because of the communion in holy things and because of
the serious danger of the perversion of the Catholic spouse and
the perverted education of the future children." (Pope
Gregory XVI, "Commissum Divinitus", 1835 A.D.)
"Other
reasons also proving that persons should turn with dread from such
marriages are chiefly these: that they give occasion to forbidden
association and communion in religious matters; endanger the faith
of the Catholic partner; are a hindrance to the proper education
of the children; and often lead to a mixing up of truth and
falsehood, and to the belief that all religions are equally
good." (Pope Leo XIII, "Arcanum", 1880 A.D.)
"Can.
1070 § 1 That marriage is null that is contracted between a
non-baptized person and a person baptized in the Catholic Church
or converted to her from heresy or schism. § 2 If a party at the
time of contracting marriage was commonly considered baptized, or
there is a doubt about the baptism, the validity of the marriage
is to be upheld according to the norm of Canon 1014 until it is
certainly proved that the one party was baptized and the other was
not baptized." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1086 §1 A marriage between two persons, one of whom has been
baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it and has not
defected from it by a formal act* and the other of whom is not
baptized, is invalid. §2 A person is not to be dispensed from
this impediment unless the conditions mentioned in can. 1125 and
can. 1126 have been fulfilled. §3 If at the time the marriage was
contracted one party was commonly held to have been baptized or
the baptism was doubtful, the validity of the marriage must be
presumed according to the norm of can. 1060 until it is proven
with certainty that one party was baptized but the other was
not." (1983 Code of Canon Law) [* This Canon was modified
in 2009 - "the elimination of the clause 'actus formalis
defectionis ab Ecclesia Catholica' contained in canons 1086 para.
1, 1117 and 1124" (VIS, 12/15/09)]
"Catholics
should avoid mixed marriages (1) Because they are displeasing to
the Church and cannot bring with them the full measure of God's
grace and blessing; (2) Because the children should have the good
example of both parents in the practice of their religion; (3)
Because such marriages give rise to frequent disputes on religious
questions between husband and wife and between their relatives;
(4) Because the one not a Catholic, disregarding the sacred
character of the Sacrament, may claim a divorce and marry again,
leaving the Catholic married and abandoned." (Baltimore
Catechism)
"Since
We must diligently safeguard the integrity of sound doctrine and
practice, We cannot help but be displeased with whatever might
imperil them. And yet what the Church has always thought about
marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics is more than
abundantly clear. Indeed she has always considered such marriages
to be illicit and destructive both because of the disgraceful
sharing in sacramental matters involved and because of the ever
present danger of the Catholic spouse and improper upbringing of
offspring. And this is the tenor of most ancient canons severely
prohibiting such marriages and more recent sanctions of supreme
pontiffs." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Quas Vestro", 1841
A.D.)
In
fact, the prohibition against mixed marriages is one of the six
"precepts
of the Church" (Precept of the Church #6"Not to marry persons
who are not Catholics, or who are related to us within certain
degrees of kindred, nor privately without witnesses, nor to
solemnize marriage at forbidden times.").
Traditionally, any dispensations given for mixed
marriages are issued only reluctantly, and under certain
conditions:
"The
marriages of Catholics with persons of a different religion are
called mixed marriages. They Church permits them by dispensation
only under certain conditions and for urgent reasons; chiefly to
prevent a greater evil." (Baltimore Catechism)
"The
Church [traditionally] shows its displeasure at mixed marriages by
the coldness with which it sanctions them, prohibiting all
religious ceremony at them, by forbidding the priest to use any
sacred vestments, holy water or blessing of the rings at such
marriages; by prohibiting them also from taking place in the
church or even in the sacristy. On the other hand, the Church
shows its joy and approval at a true Catholic marriage by the
Nuptial Mass and solemn ceremonies." (Baltimore Catechism)
"The
conditions upon which the Church will permit a Catholic to marry
one who is not a Catholic are: (1) That the Catholic be allowed
the free exercise of his or her religion; (2) That the Catholic
shall try by teaching and good example to lead the one who is not
a Catholic to embrace the true faith; (3) that all the children
born of the marriage shall be brought up in the Catholic
religion. The marriage ceremony must not be repeated before a
heretical 'minister'. Without these promises, the Church will not
consent to a mixed marriage, and if the Church does not consent,
the marriage is unlawful." (Baltimore Catechism)
"Can.
1061 § 1 The Church does not dispense from the impediment of
mixed religion, unless: 1° Just and grave cause so urge; ° 2 The
non-Catholic spouse gives a precaution to remove the danger of
perversion from the Catholic spouse, and from both spouses [there
is a promise] that all children will be baptized only Catholic and
so educated; °3 There is moral certitude the cautions will be
implemented. § 2 These cautions are regularly required in
writing." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1064 Ordinaries and other pastors of souls: 1° Shall discourage,
whenever possible, the faithful from mixed weddings; 2° If they
are unable to impede them, they shall studiously take care that
they not be contracted against the laws of God or the Church; 3°
In cases of mixed weddings already celebrated, whether in their
own or in another's territory, they shall be sedulously vigilant
that the spouses fulfill faithfully all the promises made; 4° In
assisting at marriage, they shall observe the prescription of
Canon 1102." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
Click
here for more information on mixed marriages
*
Catholics must not marry before a Protestant 'minister'.
"[Traditionally,]
Catholics who marry before a Protestant 'minister' incur
excommunication; that is, a censure of the Church or spiritual
penalty which prevents them from receiving the Sacrament of
Penance till the priest who hears their confession gets special
facilities or permission from the bishop; because by such a
marriage they make profession of a false religion in acknowledging
as a priest one who has neither sacred power or authority."
(Baltimore Catechism)
*
Impediments may prevent a marriage or render a marriage
invalid. For a "good and urgent reason", the Church may issue
dispensations regarding some impediments, but others cannot be
dispensed with.
"The
Church can dispense from or remove the impediments to marriage
that arise from its own laws; but it cannot dispense from
impediments that arise from the laws of God and nature. Every
lawmaker can change or excuse from the laws made by himself or his
equals, but he cannot, of his own authority, change or excuse
from laws made by a higher authority." (Baltimore Catechism)
"That
the Church may grant dispensations from the impediments to
marriage or from other laws, there must be a good and urgent
reason for granting such dispensations. The Church does not grant
dispensations without cause and merely to satisfy the wishes of
those who ask for them." (Baltimore Catechism)
*
Those who marry unlawfully commit a serious sin. "Persons
are lawfully married when they comply with all the laws of God and
of the Church relating to marriage. To marry unlawfully is a
mortal sin, and it deprives the souls of the grace of the
Sacrament." (Baltimore Catechism)
*
So called "civil marriages" are not true marriages for
Christians, and are considered sinful unions. Only Sacramental
marriages are valid for Christians.
"Among Christians there can be no true marriage that is not a
sacrament." (Catechism of St. Pius X)
"For a Christian, it is not sufficient to get only the civil contract, because it is not a sacrament, and therefore not a true marriage."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
"Spouses who would live together united by only a civil marriage would be in an habitual state of mortal sin, and their union would always be
illegitimate in the sight of God and of the Church."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
"But
considering the benefits of the Sacrament, besides the firmness
and indissolubility, there are also much higher emoluments as the
word 'sacrament' itself very aptly indicates; for to Christians
this is not a meaningless and empty name. Christ the Lord, the
Institutor and 'Perfecter' of the holy sacraments, by raising the
matrimony of His faithful to the dignity of a true sacrament of
the New Law, made it a sign and source of that peculiar internal
grace by which 'it perfects natural love, it confirms an
indissoluble union, and sanctifies both man and wife.' And since
the valid matrimonial consent among the faithful was constituted
by Christ as a sign of grace, the sacramental nature is so
intimately bound up with Christian wedlock that there can be no
true marriage between baptized persons 'without it being by that
very fact a sacrament.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Casti Connubii",
1930 A.D.)
"We
say nothing about that other decree in which, after completely
despising the mystery, dignity, and sanctity of the sacrament of
matrimony; after utterly ignoring and distorting its institution
and nature; and after completely spurning the power of the Church
over the same sacrament, it was proposed, according to the already
condemned errors of heretics, and against the teaching of the
Catholic Church, that marriage should be considered as a civil
contract only, and that divorce, strictly speaking, should be
sanctioned in various cases; and that all matrimonial cases should
be deferred to lay tribunals and be judged by them; because no
Catholic is ignorant or cannot know that matrimony is truly and
properly one of the seven sacraments of the evangelical law,
instituted by Christ the Lord, and that for that reason, there can
be no marriage between the faithful without there being at one and
the same time a sacrament, and that, therefore, any other union of
man and woman among Christians, except the sacramental union, even
if contracted under the power of any civil law, is nothing else
than a disgraceful and death-bringing concubinage very frequently
condemned by the Church, and, hence, that the sacrament can never
be separated from the conjugal agreement, and that it pertains
absolutely to the power of the Church to discern those things
which can pertain in any way to the same matrimony." (Pope
Pius IX, 1857 A.D.)
*
Authority regarding marriage rests with the Church. "The Church alone has power to regulate impediments to marriage, to judge of the validity of marriage among Christians and to dispense from
the impediments which she has placed." (Catechism of St. Pius
X)
*
Denying God's order in regard to marriage brings many evils:
"Now,
those who deny that marriage is holy, and who relegate it, striped
of all holiness, among the class of common secular things, uproot
thereby the foundations of nature, not only resisting the designs
of Providence, but, so far as they can, destroying the order that
God has ordained. No one, therefore, should wonder if from such
insane and impious attempts there spring up a crop of evils
pernicious in the highest degree both to the salvation of souls
and to the safety of the commonwealth." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Arcanum", 1880 A.D.)
*
The state has no authority regarding marriage outside of civil
matters: "[T]he
leaders of the state have authority in human affairs which led to
marriage and generally concern civil matters. However, in the
truly Christian marriage, they have no authority, for this matter
should be left to the jurisdiction of the Church, which is not
established by men. If the marriage contract is properly performed
- that is, as Christ established it - then they will be able
to see if anything which pertains to civil law might follow. It is
Catholic teaching that the dignity of the sacrament adds to the
marriage of Christians; nobody can depart from this without losing
faith. For that reason, these matters should be governed by the
divine authority of the Church alone. No marriage can be
considered firmly ratified unless it is joined according to Church
law and discipline." (Pope Leo XIII, "Quam Religiosa",
1898 A.D.)
*
One must be careful in choosing a spouse since marriage is for
life. As stated in the Baltimore Catechism: "Many
marriages prove unhappy because they are entered into hastily and
without worthy motives."
"But
he who has once entered into the matrimonial alliance, regret it
as he afterwards may, cannot possibly change, or invalidate, or
undo what has been done." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
*
Valid sacramental marriages cannot be dissolved, even by the
Church.
"[T]he bond of marriage...cannot be dissolved except by the death of either husband or wife, because God so
ordained from the beginning and so Jesus Christ our Lord solemnly proclaimed."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
"It should be
known that no power can dissolve the bond of Christian marriage
whenever this has been ratified and consummated; and that, of a
consequence, those husbands and wives are guilty of a manifest
crime who plan, for whatever reason, to be united in a second
marriage before the first one has been ended by death." (Pope
Leo XIII)
"In
the second place, if marriage could be dissolved by divorce,
married persons would hardly ever be without causes of disunion,
which would be daily supplied by the old enemy of peace and
purity; while, on the contrary, now that the faithful must
remember that even though separated as to bed and board, they
remain none the less bound by the bond of marriage with no hope of
marrying another, they are by this very fact rendered less prone
to strife and discord. And even if it sometimes happens that
husband and wife become separated, and are unable to bear the want
of their partnership any longer, they are easily reconciled by
friends and return to their common life." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)
"The
self-same testimony of Christ our Lord easily proves that the
marriage-tie cannot be broken by any sort of divorce. For if by a
bill of divorce a woman were freed from the law that binds her to
her husband, she might marry another husband without being in the
least guilty of adultery. Yet our Lord says clearly: Whosoever
shall put away his wife and shall marry another committeth
adultery. Hence it is plain that the bond of marriage can be
dissolved by death alone, as is confirmed by the Apostle when he
says: A woman is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth;
but if her husband die she is at liberty; let her marry whom she
will, only in the Lord; and again: To them that are married, not I
but the Lord commandeth, that the wife depart not from her
husband; and if she depart that she remain unmarried or be
reconciled to her husband. To the wife, then, who for a just cause
has left her husband, the Apostle offers this alternative: Let her
either remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. Nor does
holy Church permit husband and wife to separate without weighty
reasons." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"The
true origin of marriage, venerable brothers, is well known to all.
Though revilers of the Christian faith refuse to acknowledge the
never-interrupted doctrine of the Church on this subject, and have
long striven to destroy the testimony of all nations and of all
times, they have nevertheless failed not only to quench the
powerful light of truth, but even to lessen it. We record what is
to all known, and cannot be doubted by any, that God, on the sixth
day of creation, having made man from the slime of the earth, and
having breathed into his face the breath of life, gave him a
companion, whom He miraculously took from the side of Adam when he
was locked in sleep. God thus, in His most far-reaching foresight,
decreed that this husband and wife should be the natural beginning
of the human race, from whom it might be propagated and preserved
by an unfailing fruitfulness throughout all futurity of time. And
this union of man and woman, that it might answer more fittingly
to the infinite wise counsels of God, even from the beginning
manifested chiefly two most excellent properties - deeply sealed,
as it were, and signed upon it - namely, unity and perpetuity.
From the Gospel we see clearly that this doctrine was declared and
openly confirmed by the divine authority of Jesus Christ. He bore
witness to the Jews and to His Apostles that marriage, from its
institution, should exist between two only, that is, between one
man and one woman; that of two they are made, so to say, one
flesh; and that the marriage bond is by the will of God so closely
and strongly made fast that no man may dissolve it or render it
asunder.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Arcanum", 1880 A.D.)
*
Those are mistaken who think the state can dissolve a
marriage.
"[T]he bond of Christian marriage cannot be dissolved by the civil authority, because the civil authority cannot interfere with the matter of
the sacrament nor can it put asunder what God has joined together."
(Catechism of St. Pius X)
"Divorce
granted by courts of justice or by any human power does not break
the bond of marriage, and one who makes use of such a divorce to
marry again while the 'former' husband or wife lives commits a
sacrilege and lives in the sin of adultery. A civil divorce has no
effect whatever upon the bond and spiritual nature of the
Sacrament." (Baltimore Catechism)
*
For good reasons, the Church may allow a physical separation of
spouses, but this does not end the marriage or allow the spouses
to marry others.
"The
Church sometimes, for very good reasons, does allow husband and
wife to separate and live apart; but that is not dissolving the
bond of marriage, or divorce as it is called, for though separated
they are still husband and wife and neither can marry as long as
both are alive." (Baltimore Catechism)
*
The Church may declare a marriage invalid (or
"null"), but this is not the same as a divorce.
This declaration of nullity
means the marriage never existed in the first place, even
despite appearances to the contrary. Note that a marriage which is
valid at its beginning can never be declared invalid, even
if conditions later change.
"The
Church does not allow Catholics once really married to separate
and marry again, but it sometimes declares persons apparently
married free to marry again because their first marriage was null;
that is, no marriage on account of some impediment not discovered
until after the ceremony [that is, an impediment which already
existed at the time of the marriage ceremony, but was not
discovered until later]." (Baltimore Catechism)
*
Virginity is superior to marriage:
"[T]here no law rendering
marriage obligatory, but, on the contrary, virginity is highly
exalted and strongly recommended in Scripture as superior to
marriage, and as a state of greater perfection and holiness."
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)
"If
any one saith, that the marriage state is to be placed above the
state of virginity, or of celibacy, and that it is not better and
more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be
united in matrimony; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)
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