Did you know...
The ministers of the sacrament of matrimony are the man and the woman - the priest is the witness authorized by the Church to present and bless the union of a man and a woman. Therefore, a Roman Catholic priest could never witness, much less bless the so-called 'union' of a same sex couple. Precisely because it cannot and does not exist. It's really very simple.
1601 "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."[84]
1602 Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb."[85] Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its "mystery," its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal "in the Lord" in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church.[86]I urge readers to read and study and reflect upon what the Catechism teaches in order to understand why there cannot be such a thing as same sex marriage. In the future, if civil law makes provisions for such a thing, it can never be permitted or recognized by the Church.
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1631 This is the reason why the Church normally requires that the faithful contract marriage according to the ecclesiastical form. Several reasons converge to explain this requirement:[132]
- Sacramental marriage is a liturgical act. It is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated in the public liturgy of the Church;
- Marriage introduces one into an ecclesial order, and creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children; - Since marriage is a state of life in the Church, certainty about it is necessary (hence the obligation to have witnesses);
- The public character of the consent protects the "I do" once given and helps the spouses remain faithful to it. - Catechism of the Catholic Church
Our Lord did not bless me with this vocation, but I really love and admire big families like the Santorums and the Duggars. I also pray for the sanctification of families and marriages.
ReplyDelete+God's blessings to you.
Just to be clear, because the Catechism is not, in the Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, the priest, and not the couple is minister of the sacrament.
ReplyDeleteA civil marriage however, is not the sacrament of matrimony. It's one recognized by law. Let's keep that distinction in mind as well.
Ace
Only a Padre can administer Sacraments. (unless fear of immediate Death; lay people can baptize someone).
ReplyDeleteOnly a living breathing Padre can forgive sins as well.
Two very good comments so far.
Anonymous 7:17, please pray for those in my intentions as well as we shall remember you.
Your comments show deep roots.
God be with you.
Que Dios te bendiga.
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This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I believe I made reference to the difference of civil as opposed to sacramental at the end of my post. The catechism makes note of the difference between the Eastern rite within the section I linked to in the post. As I said in the post, I recommend people read entirely what the CCC has to teach them.
ReplyDeleteAs a Roman Catholic I am really writing for Roman Catholics and those interested in sound teaching. The threat to religious liberty - specifically as regards Catholic teaching, was exposed by the recent threat posed by the HHS mandate. Similar civil actions threaten the Catholic Church should same sex marriage become law. In the fight to save traditional marriage, Roman Catholics need to know exactly what marriage is - as defined by the Catholic Church - and defend it.
Reality Check - you do not have a clue, do you. Not a question.
ReplyDeleteTerry if civil law isn't recognized by the Church then why the opposition to civil gay marriage? After all we have legal divorce w/re-marriage in this country and I don't see the Church pushing to have divorce outlawed!
ReplyDeleteRealityCheck-er,
ReplyDeleteIt isn't about numbers, it's about preserving the truth.
"The Church" (Militant) cannot change that to fit the ever changing tide.
I often wonder if Nancy Pelosi, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Lawrence O'Donnell & co even understand the whys of Church teaching.
The mind reels.
-Deuce
Lawrence O'Donnell is an atheist.
ReplyDeleteThe others, I guess, would consider themselves Cultural Catholics.
Terry, you really think that if same sex marriage was passed in the other 44 states that don't already have it as law, religious bodies would be required to perform them? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteOpposite sex marriages are not required to have a religious ceremony under law, why would there be an exception? I think that's really stretching for something that is not there.
RealityChick,
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense. The other night however, he played his Katholyc card when he said that he, as a Catholic, was outraged by this contraception issue.
If what you say is true, I have no way of truly knowing other than unreliable Wiki-crap, it confirms what I already assumed that most of these people (you included?) don't believe in the teachings of the Church, nor practice, nor actually care about the Church, they just play their katholyc cards to give themselves legitimacy when these issues arise.
Ecuse the run-on.
-Deuce
John, it's not that religious bodies would be required to perform them, but that religious bodies would get penalized for "discrimination" for refusing to perform them. Or, more likely, for refusing to have them performed on their property, etc.
ReplyDeletePlease excuse me from repeating myself from a previous post, but this is an article that Mark Shea had linked to:
http://catholiclane.com/gay-marriage-coming-after-the-church/
"Consistent with the law against discrimination [RCW 49.60], no religious organization is required to provide accommodations, facilities, advantages, privileges, services, or goods related to the solemnization or celebration of a marriage ***unless the organization offers admission, occupancy, or use of these accommodations or facilities to the public for a fee, or offers those advantages, privileges, services, or goods to the public for sale.***"
Basically, if you ever let non-parishoners use the the facilities (esp. for a fee), if you operate a school or daycare, if you have church fairs, bake sales, or even operate a soda machine, you have no protection under the anti-discrimination laws. This includes virtually EVERY church, whether Catholic or Protestant.
And if a government has the power to do this, you can bet they will use it to exert even more pressure in the future.
Anonymous--
ReplyDeleteI'm an atheist from a mainline protestant background.
Tametsi.
ReplyDeleteTametsi on the Sacrament of Marriage was issued by the Council of Trent in response to the Heresy of Martin Luther.
Many Catholics were marrying Heretics thus becoming polluted by those heresies.
Before the Tametsi, people could marry by contacting so usually before the Bride's father who gave his parental blessing to the union; afterwards, they could go to the Padre and register their marriage in the Parish books.
A follow-up of this Tametsi was decreed by Pope Saint Pius X.
It is worth reading.
http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/NETEMERE.htm
In declaring "Nonserviam!" Satan declared his mission to be like God.
Homosexual or same sex marriage is a mocking by Satan and his followers of God's will.
When we die and get to heaven, we are no longer married.
Are homosexuals still married in Hell?
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RC - I thought you were Jewish? Wasn't it you who once commented - 'as a Jew I am offended'? Reality Check has been discredited.
ReplyDeleteTerry--
ReplyDeleteMy mother is ethncially Jewish but I was raised as a Lutheran (ELCA).
That makes me both (1) Jewish and (2) from a mainline Protestant background.
So Dottie Henckel - you admit you are a liar.
ReplyDeleteSuch a liar.