This presentation is about the Sacrament of Marriage

Sacrament

1. Marriage as a Sacrament

2. By definition The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.

3. Matrimony

4. Matrimony

5. Matrimony Marriage, a fundamental human right, comes about from the mutual consent of a capable  man  and a capable  woman,  while sacramental marriage (what I suggest we rigorously call Matrimony) is a theologically certain consequence of marriage occurring between a  baptized  man and a  baptized  woman.

6. Matrimony Insofar as marriage is fundamentally a contract, and Matrimony is a consequence of this contract between Christians (a consequence that allows a contract of marriage between persons to take on the special characteristics of a covenant between Christians), any time a marriage happens between the baptized, Matrimony also happens.

7. Council of Trent In short, in the wake of Trent’s law, the failure of Catholics to marry according to form (that is, if Catholics married “outside the Church”, typically “civilly”) means that their ‘marriage’—even though it is recognized under civil law—does not count before the Church and, given the implications of Matthew 18:18, does not count before God. Thus, if Catholics bound by canonical form go through only a civil (or even a religious, but still non-Catholic) wedding and thereafter present themselves to the world as “married” they give the scandal of falsehood and sexual relations on the pretext of a “civil marriage” is morally tantamount to fornication.

8. Marriage vs. Matrimony Governmental entity Married in the eyes of the law Between two people Can be dissolved No religious affiliation If two Catholics, invalid in the eyes of the Church Holy Roman Church Married in the eyes of God One man and one woman Dissolved by death It is a Sacrament

9. Non-Catholics (which is most of the world!) can exercise their fundamental human right to marry in a wide variety of ways, including by civil marriage, and the Church not only recognizes such marriages as binding, she even regards such marriages between baptized persons (say, between Protestants) as sacraments (even if those Protestants do not recognize marriage as a sacrament) and holds all persons in these marriages (including the merely civil ones!) to abide by them. It is all very logical legally, and itis within the Church’s authority to so act, but pastorally, the implications of canonical form lead many Catholics to, among other things, talk about “civil marriage” as if it were not real marriage—which it most certainly is for nearly everybody on earth except Catholics!

10. Marriage = One man + one woman Marriage can only exist between one man and one woman is a truth taught with infallible certainty by the Catholic Church, meaning that for a Catholic to endorse any other kind of union (same-sex, group, inanimate objects, etc.) as a form of marriage is for that person to be “opposed to the doctrine of the Catholic Church” (1983 CIC 750 § 2) rendering him or her liable to a just penalty (1983 CIC 1371 n. 1).

11. Traditional marriage While many defenders of “traditional” marriage may insist that marriage is and has always been by definition between a man and a woman, that now holds true only when talking about the sacrament. When it comes to civil marriage, both state legislatures and the courts have already changed the legal definition, just as they did in the matter of no-fault divorce laws, thus undermining the “lifelong” portion of the marital definition. History makes clear that, at least when it comes to civil marriage, the definition has been a moving target.

12. Catholic teaching in the past 100 years has itself undergone a similar shift. While Pius XI’s 1930 encyclical Casti Connubii continued to characterize marriage primarily as a contract with little specifically theological significance, Vatican II’s 1965 pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes and Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae shifted to the biblical language of marriage as a “covenant” between the spouses. Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body” elevated church language about the good of marriage, and sex within it, to a further dignity that would likely make Pius XI blush.

13. Unitive principle The so-called “unitive principle” of marriage that appears in contemporary Catholic teaching—what Gaudium et Spes calls the “mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions”—reflects the broader societal shift toward the companionate model of marriage. Where Catholic teaching goes beyond this model is in its emphasis on procreation as a critical dimension of marriage. While a strictly civil marriage need not include both dimensions—any more than it must include a lifelong commitment—they cannot be absent from the sacramental union of two baptized persons (at least when both partners are physically capable of having children).

14. Marriage Civilly married – first marriage Divorced and remarried Follow steps to get married on the following slides There needs to be annulment for the first marriage. Then follow steps to get married on the following slides

15. Marriage These steps provide a general overview of the normal requirements and procedures in the Diocese of Fort Worth, but they should not substitute a conversation with your priest or deacon about your specific situation or needs.

16. Steps to get married ONE Contact your parish 9 to 12 months in advance to discuss dates, the Nuptial Mass and Marriage Preparation. TWO Attend the Diocese of Fort Worth Pre-Cana Class THREE Actively participate in Fully Engaged FOUR Complete the Natural Family Planning course

17. Annulment The Tribunal is the office which adjudicates the marital status in the Catholic Church of any divorced person who has requested a declaration of nullity (an Annulment) of a previous marriage.

18. QUESTIONS?