261 THE MAN AND WOMAN MUTUALLY ADMINISTER THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

YOUCAT Lesson 261

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

261  How does the sacrament of Matrimony come about?

The sacrament of Matrimony comes about through a promise made by a man and a woman before God and the Church, which is accepted and confirmed by God and consummated by the bodily union of the couple.  Because God himself forms the bond of sacramental marriage, it is binding until the death of one of the partners.  [1625-1633]

…….Photo above: …..Setting the table for a family Christmas dinner. …..Rose at left and son-in-law Mark Valaskey behind the kitchen counter. …..”So faith, hope, love remain, these three;^h but the greatest of these is love.”  -- 1 Corinthians 13:13. …..261

The man and the woman mutually administer the sacrament of Matrimony.  The priest or the deacon calls down God’s blessing on the couple and furthermore, witness that the marriage comes about under the right circumstances and that the promise is comprehensive and is made publicly.  A marriage can come about only if there is marital consent, that is, if the man and the woman enter marriage of their own free will, without fear or coercion, and if they are not prevented from marrying by other natural or ecclesiastical ties (for example, an existing marriage, a vow of celibacy).

“How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the Church…?  How wonderful the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service…undivided in spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh, Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit.”  Tertullian (160-after 220, Latin ecclesiastical writer)

III. MATRIMONIAL CONSENT

…….1625   The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage, who freely express their consent; "to be free" means:

- not being under constraint;

- not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1626   The Church holds the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element that "makes the marriage."(Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1057 § 1.)¹²⁷    If consent is lacking there is no marriage. –CCC

…….1627   The consent consists in a "human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each other": "I take you to be my wife" - "I take you to be my husband."(Gaudium et Spes 48 § 1; Ordo Celebrandi Matrimonium 45; compare Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1057 § 2.)¹²⁸    This consent that binds the spouses to each other finds its fulfillment in the two "becoming one flesh."(Genesis 2:24; compare Mark 10:8; Ephesians 5:31.)¹²⁹ –CCC

…….1628   The consent must be an act of the will of each of the contracting parties, free of coercion or grave external fear.(Compare Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1103.)¹³⁰    No human power can substitute for this consent.(Compare Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1057 § 1.)¹³¹    If this freedom is lacking the marriage is invalid. –CCC

…….1629   For this reason (or for other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed.(Compare Codex Iuris Canonici, cann. 1095-1107.)¹³²    In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged.(Compare Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1071.)¹³³ –CCC

…….1630   The priest (or deacon) who assists at the celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the name of the Church and gives the blessing of the Church. The presence of the Church's minister (and also of the witnesses) visibly expresses the fact that marriage is an ecclesial reality. –CCC

…….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(Compare Council of Trent: Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1813-1816; Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1108.)¹³⁴

- 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. –CCC

…….1632   So that the "I do" of the spouses may be a free and responsible act and so that the marriage covenant may have solid and lasting human and Christian foundations, preparation for marriage is of prime importance.

The example and teaching given by parents and families remain the special form of this preparation.

The role of pastors and of the Christian community as the "family of God" is indispensable for the transmission of the human and Christian values of marriage and family,(Compare Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 1063.)¹³⁵   and much more so in our era when many young people experience broken homes which no longer sufficiently assure this initiation:

It is imperative to give suitable and timely instruction to young people, above all in the heart of their own families, about the dignity of married love, its role and its exercise, so that, having learned the value of chastity, they will be able at a suitable age to engage in honorable courtship and enter upon a marriage of their own.(Gaudium et Spes 49 § 3.)¹³⁶ –CCC

Mixed marriages and disparity of cult

…….1633   In many countries the situation of a mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) often arises. It requires particular attention on the part of couples and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater circumspection. --CCC