266. Celebrating the Church wedding

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic ChurchLesson 266

Ave Maria series

266  How is a Church wedding celebrated?

As a rule, the wedding must take place publicly.  The bride and groom are questioned as to their intention to marry.  The priest or deacon blesses their rings.  The bride and groom exchange their rings and mutually promise “to be true in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health” and vow to each other: “I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.” The celebrant ratifies the wedding and administers the blessing.  [1621-1624, 1663]

At a family wedding, my brother-in-law Fred (right) gives his daughter Frances to Donald at the beginning of their wedding Mass.…..266

Here are some excerpts from one form of the Rite of Catholic Marriage: Celebrant: “N. and N., have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?”  Bride and bridegroom: “Yes.”  Celebrant: “Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?”  Bride and bridegroom: “Yes.”  The celebrant then asks the bride and bridegroom together the following questions. “Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?”  Bride and bridegroom: “Yes.”

 “Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ.”  --CCC, 1634

A traditional Catholic wedding includes a Nuptial Mass.

[1621-1624, 1663]

THE CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE

1621 In the Latin Rite the celebration of marriage between two Catholic faithful normally takes place during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the sacraments with the Paschal mystery of Christ.(Compare Sacrosanctum Concilium 61.)¹²⁰  In the Eucharist the memorial of the New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself for ever to the Church, his beloved bride for whom he gave himself up.(Compare Lumen Gentium 6.)¹²¹  It is therefore fitting that the spouses should seal their consent to give themselves to each other through the offering of their own lives by uniting it to the offering of Christ for his Church made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by receiving the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same Body and the same Blood of Christ, they may form but "one body" in Christ.(Compare 1 Corinthians 10:17.)¹²²–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1622 "Inasmuch as it is a sacramental action of sanctification, the liturgical celebration of marriage . . . must be, per se, valid, worthy, and fruitful."(Familiaris Consortio 67.)¹²³ It is therefore appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare themselves for the celebration of their marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance. --CCC

1623 According to Latin tradition, the spouses as ministers of Christ's grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church. In the tradition of the Eastern Churches, the priests (bishops or presbyters) are witnesses to the mutual consent given by the spouses,(Compare Corpus Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, can. 817.)¹²⁴but for the validity of the sacrament their blessing is also necessary.(Compare Corpus Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium, can. 828.)¹²⁵ --CCC

1624 The various liturgies abound in prayers of blessing and epiclesis asking God's grace and blessing on the new couple, especially the bride. In the epiclesis of this sacrament the spouses receive the Holy Spirit as the communion of love of Christ and the Church.(Compare Ephesians 5:32.)¹²⁶   The Holy Spirit is the seal of their covenant, the ever available source of their love and the strength to renew their fidelity. –CCC

IN BRIEF

1663 Since marriage establishes the couple in a public state of life in the Church, it is fitting that its celebration be public, in the framework of a liturgical celebration, before the priest (or a witness authorized by the Church), the witnesses, and the assembly of the faithful. –CCC

Sacrament  Marriage Frances  Don

265. Virginity for the sake of the Kingdom

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 265

Ave Maria series

265  Are all people called to marriage?

Not everyone is called to marriage.  Even people who live alone can have fulfillment in life.  To many of them Jesus shows a special way; he invites them to remain unmarried “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19-12).  [1618-1620]

Pope Francis is embraced by a child at a home for former street children in Manila, Philippines. …..CNS photo,L Osservatore Romano via Reuters.…..265

Many people who live alone suffer from loneliness, which they perceive only as a lack and a disadvantage.  Yet a person who does not have to care for a spouse or a family also enjoys freedom and independence and has time to do meaningful and important things that a married person would never get to.  Maybe it is God’s will that he should care for people for whom no one else cares. Not uncommonly God even calls such a person to be especially close to him.  This is the case when one senses a desire to renounce marriage ‘for the sake of the kingdom of heaven”.  Of course a Christian vocation can never mean despising marriage or sexuality. Voluntary celibacy can be practiced only in love and out of love, as a powerful sign that God is more important than anything else.  The unmarried person renounces a sexual relationship but not love; full of longing he goes out to meet Christ the bridegroom who is coming (Matthew 25:6).

“Christ has no hands but ours to do his work today.”  Anonymous, 14^thcentury

“Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.”  1 Peter 5:7

“Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God; where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.  May the Lord do so to me and more also if even death parts me from you.”  Ruth 1:16-17

[1618-1620]

Virginity for the sake of the Kingdom

1618 Christ is the center of all Christian life. The bond with him takes precedence over all other bonds, familial or social.(Compare Luke 14:26; Mark 10:28-31.)¹¹³ From the very beginning of the Church there have been men and women who have renounced the great good of marriage to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, to be intent on the things of the Lord, to seek to please him, and to go out to meet the Bridegroom who is coming.(Compare Revelation 14:4; 1 Corinthians 7:32; Matthew 25:6.)¹¹⁴ Christ himself has invited certain persons to follow him in this way of life, of which he remains the model:–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

"For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."_{(Matthew 19:12.)}¹¹⁵–CCC

1619 Virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven is an unfolding of baptismal grace, a powerful sign of the supremacy of the bond with Christ and of the ardent expectation of his return, a sign which also recalls that marriage is a reality of this present age which is passing away.(Compare Mark 12:25; 1 Corinthians 7:31.)¹¹⁶ –CCC

1620 Both the sacrament of Matrimony and virginity for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself. It is he who gives them meaning and grants them the grace which is indispensable for living them out in conformity with his will.(Compare Matthew 19:3-12.)¹¹⁷  Esteem of virginity for the sake of the kingdom(Compare Lumen Gentium 42; Perfectae Caritatis 12; Optatam Totius 10.)¹¹⁸and the Christian understanding of marriage are inseparable, and they reinforce each other:

Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity. Whoever praises it makes virginity more admirable and resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would not be truly good. The most excellent good is something even better than what is admitted to be good.(St. John Chrysostom, De virg. 10,1:Patrologia Graeca 48,540; compare John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio 16.)¹¹⁹ –CCC

People Pope Francis and child

264. God in his infinite mercy provides grace to the married.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 264

Ave Maria series

264  What threatens marriages?

What really threatens marriages is sin; what makes them strong is prayer and trust in God’s presence. [1606-1608]

My parents, Julian and Irma Bragg. Married in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1922, Julian was 25 years old, and Irma had turned 18 just three days earlier. Julian died in 1986, having been married to Irma sixty-three years .  Irma died a year later.  I was their soldier boy about to leave for Korea when I took this picture. My camera back then had a “peanut flash” resulting in only partial illumination of the photo.…..264

Conflict between men and women, which sometimes reaches the point of mutual hatred in marriages, of all places, is not a sign that the sexes are incompatible; nor is there such a thing as a genetic disposition to infidelity or some special psychological disability for lifelong commitments.  Many marriages, however, are endangered by a lack of communication and consideration.  Then there are economic and societal problems.  The decisive role is played by the reality of sin: envy, love of power, a tendency to quarrel, lust, infidelity, and other destructive forces. That is why forgiveness and reconciliation, in confession as well, is an essential part of every marriage.

“If we are faithless, he (Jesus Christ) remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”  2 Timothy 2:13

[1606-1608]

Marriage under the regime of sin

1606 Every man experiences evil around him and within himself. This experience makes itself felt in the relationships between man and woman. Their union has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation. This disorder can manifest itself more or less acutely, and can be more or less overcome according to the circumstances of cultures, eras, and individuals, but it does seem to have a universal character. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1607 According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the nature of their relations, but from sin. As a break with God, the first sin had for its first consequence the rupture of the original communion between man and woman. Their relations were distorted by mutual recriminations;(Compare Genesis 3:12.)⁹⁶ their mutual attraction, the Creator's own gift, changed into a relationship of domination and lust;(Compare Genesis 2:22; Genesis 3:16.)⁹⁷ and the beautiful vocation of man and woman to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth was burdened by the pain of childbirth and the toil of work.(Compare Genesis 1:28; Gen 3:16-19.)⁹⁸–CCC

1608 Nevertheless, the order of creation persists, though seriously disturbed. To heal the wounds of sin, man and woman need the help of the grace that God in his infinite mercy never refuses them.(Compare Genesis 3:21.)⁹⁹  Without his help man and woman cannot achieve the union of their lives for which God created them "in the beginning.--CCC"

People  Family Julian and Irma

263. "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church…”

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 263

Ave Maria series

263  Why is marriage indissoluble?

Marriage is triply indissoluble: first, because the essence of love is mutual self-giving without reservation; second, because it is an image of God’s unconditional faithfulness to his creation; and third, because it represents Christ’s devotion to his Church, even unto death on the cross.  [1605, 1612-1617, 1661]

Embroidery on cloth: The Sacred Heart of Jesus in Saint Nicolas’ Church, Ghent, Belgium…”I will never forget you.” –Isaiah 49:15d.  The Sacred heart of Jesus, a devotion revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, represents Jesus’ love for all humanity.  It is for us to imitate Christ.…..263

At a time when 50 percent of marriages in many places end in divorce, every marriage that lasts is a great sign—ultimately a sign for God.  On this earth, where so much is relative, people ought to believe in God, who alone is absolute.  That is why everything that is not relative is so important: (as we find in) someone who speaks the truth absolutely or is absolutely loyal.  Absolute fidelity in marriage is not so much a human achievement as it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God, who is there even when we betray or forget him in so many ways.  To be married in the Church means to rely more on God’s help than on one’s own resources of love.

“Someone who loves a neighbor allows him to be as he is, as he was, and as he will be.”  Michel Quoist (1921-1997, French priest and author)

“To love a person means to see him as God intended him.”  Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky (1821-1881

“To love someone means to be the only one to see a miracle that is invisible to others…”  Francois Mauriac (1885-1979)

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.” Ephesians 5:25-26, 28

[1605, 1612-1617, 1661]

THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

MARRIAGE IN GOD'S PLAN

Marriage in the order of creation

1605 Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: "It is not good that the man should be alone."(Genesis 2:18.)⁹²  The woman, "flesh of his flesh," his equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a "helpmate"; she thus represents God from whom comes our help.(Compare Genesis 2:18-25.)⁹³  "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh."(Genesis 2:24.)⁹⁴  The Lord himself shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their two lives by recalling what the plan of the Creator had been "in the beginning": "So they are no longer two, but one flesh."(Matthew 19:6.)⁹⁵–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

Marriage in the Lord

1612 The nuptial covenant between God and his people Israel had prepared the way for the new and everlasting covenant in which the Son of God, by becoming incarnate and giving his life, has united to himself in a certain way all mankind saved by him, thus preparing for "the wedding-feast of the Lamb."(Revelation 19:7,9; compare Gaudium et Sps 22.)¹⁰⁴–CCC

1613 On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first sign - at his mother's request - during a wedding feast.(Compare John 2:1-11.)¹⁰⁵    The Church attaches great importance to Jesus' presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence. –CCC

1614 In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from the beginning: permission given by Moses to divorce one's wife was a concession to the hardness of hearts.(Compare Matthew 19:8.)¹⁰⁶    The matrimonial union of man and woman is indissoluble: God himself has determined it "what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder."(Matthew 19:6.)¹⁰⁷–CCC

1615 This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy - heavier than the Law of Moses.(Compare Mark 8:34; Matthew 11:29-30.)¹⁰⁸  By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ.(Compare Matthew 19:11.)¹⁰⁹ This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life.–CCC

1616 This is what the Apostle Paul makes clear when he says: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her," adding at once: "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church."(Ephesians 5:25-26,31-32; compare Genesis 2:24.)¹¹⁰–CCC

1617 The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath.(Compare Ephesians 5:26-27.)¹¹¹which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist. Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the New Covenant.(Compare Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1800; Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 1055 § 2.)¹¹²–CCC

IN BRIEF

1661 The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (Compare Council of Trent: Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1799). –CCC

JA JP JT JR

The Epiphany of the Lord, January 6, 2019

Adoration of the Magi by El Greco, 1568

Lectionary: 20

Reading 1   ISAIAH 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your sons come from afar,and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,your heart shall throb and overflow,for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you,dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;all from Sheba shall comebearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm   PSALM 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.

R. (cf. 11)  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Reading 2 EPHESIANS 3:2-3A, 5-6

Brothers and sisters:You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.  It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Alleluia MATTHEW 2:2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel   MATTHEW 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."  When King Herod heard this,he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child.  When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.  They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the housethey saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.  Then they opened their  treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

JC Adoration of the Magi