Sacramental Marriage - Essay Example

Sacramental Marriage Introduction A sacramental marriage is one whereby the ceremony is carried out in a church. Lawler d that it is between twobaptised people.1 On the other hand, a marriage is considered not to be sacramental if one of the parties is not baptised and hence, he or she is reffered to as a covenantal or natural. The Church’s teaching and law on marriage emphasise on the bond of marriage and even its validity. Throught out the church’s history, marriage has always been viewed as a holy bond that has been blessed by God and hence, it is meant to last till death. Sacramental marriage, which is between baptised persons is considered under the Code of Canon Law as “matrimonial contract that is valid owing to the fact that it is between two baptised people and hence, it is a sacrament”2. However, Rubio, stated that Catholics have to adhere to certain requirements in order to ensure that their marriage is sacramental of which one of them is to undertake marriage celebration as prescribed by the Catholic church3. This present paper seeks to answer the question of why and how did marriage become sacramental. In this regard, the paper will have five different sub-sections that seek to answer different questions relating to the main topic. When exactly did marriage become a sacrament? According to Hensley, long before marriage became a sacrament, it was part of the numerous cultures embraced by mankind. In addition, there were some great cultural values that were attached to matritimonial unions that occurred in the earlier centeries4. Before the 11th century, there was actually no standardized regulations for marriages that were conducted in the the Latin (Roman) Church. In the first few centuries of Christianity , the community and leaders of the church depended majorly on the civil government to provide regulations on divorce and marriage between Christians and non-Christians alike. Eventually, the Church slowly commenced to take control over marriage and thereby, ending up making it an official Church function. Married couples have been mentioned all through the New and Old Testament. It is quite clear that even Jesus’ parents were married. In particular, Murray stated that in the Middle Ages, St. Augustine’s teachings resulted in the Church focusing on the explict consciousness of the sacramentality of marriage amongst the baptised folks. In the 12th centurty, the idea of marriage as a sacrament was established since it was something that was now being regulated by the Church and the 16th century the Council of Trent instituted marriage as one of the seven sacraments of the church 5. The previous status of marriage Because of the weight that was given to marriage from the cultural, legal, and religious perspective, it is correct to argue that Marriage still held a special status in the early centuries. In this regard Thomas, stated that “marriage has always held a special status within the community since it is perceived as the source of generations or rather population, and hence it is a key root of the community.”6 Hensley on his part stated that marriage has always held a special status since it is considered the basic foundation of a strong family unit and therefore, an equal strong foundation for a desirable society7. The processes and formalities Richards stated that the decision so sanctify marriaged was obtained from the ancient Judaic notion that “sex needs to be confined within marriage” and hence, the enactment of religious rules that sex before marriage is a sin.8 Later on, Catholicism ritualised marriage and converted it into a sacrament. Once a sacramental marriage is consumated, it is absolutely indissoluble but under certain circumstances dissolutions may be granted upon application by the parties. This is because the Church has now authority over sacramental marrriages and it institutes diriment impediments to them, and also grants dispensations. Confirmation of the doctrine that marriage under the new law really confers grace and it is therefore encompassed among the true sacraments. The following elements belong to a sacrament of law on sacramental marriage: it needs to be a sacred religious rite, the rite needs to be a symbol of interior sanctification, it must also deliberate this interior sanctification, and lastly, this divine grace effect need to be produced in conjunction with respective religious act9. Initially, much of the laws for Church usage were in the Canon Law. Currently, marriage has been incorporated into public law and has become part of the Western legal codes. In the European legal systems, marriage has mostly been a matter of public family law and not the law of individual contracts10. The Family law now dictates who to marry and stipulates the minimum ages for marriage. Besides, it also governs custody of children, divorce and support relationship of the married couples11. A valid Catholic sacramental marriage results from the following core elements: the spouses are free to marry, they freely exchange their consent, in consenting to marry, they need to have the intention to marry for life and be faithful to one another as well as being open to children, and lastly, their consent is given in the presence of an authorised Church minister and two witnesses. The Church usually offers classes some months before marriage in order to assist the participants have an informed knowledge of what marriage is all about and how to stay in marriage for many years12. Grounds for debate and the materials used Although the doctrine of marriage as a sacrament has never been an issue of conflict between the Roman Catholic and any of the Oriental Churches, thus a convincing proof that this parcticular doctrine has been part of the ecclesiastical tradition and it originated from the Apostles. However, debates have arose in relation to certain issues in regards to sacramental marriage. Thomas argued that “divorcing a lawfully married spouse and marrying another person is breaking the indissolubility of the sacrament marriage, yet in the Catholic Church it was established that divorce does not dissolve a sacramental marriage”13. Some theologians asserted that marriage does not confer sanctifying grace, terming it as an effect since it subdues passion. They rejected this doctrine as new and opposed the teachings of the church. The debates came as a result of making marriage sacramental. Most Books in the Old and New Testament emphasise on the importance of marriage 14. For instance, we read in Eph. 5: 25-32, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church….This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church.” Brundage in his studies concluded that the permanent nature of the marriage union usualy symbolises God’s unending love for humanity. The sacrament provides the husband and the wife with the grace to love each other as Christ loves the Church 15. There were some obstractions to marriage in the Catholic Church including insufficient age, religious vows, blood relationship, crime, a previous marriage whether consumated or not needs to be anulled before remariage, and lastly, a marriage that occurs between a Baptised Catholic and a person who is not baptised would require a dispensation for ‘disparity of cult’ that would allow marriage to an unbaptised individual. There have been radical differences between the external form under which confirmation, baptism, and orders, on one hand, are administered , and on the contrary, those that characterize marriage and penance. 16. For a while marriage has taken the nature of a contract and penance in the nature of a judicial process, whilst the three first-mentioned take the form of the recipient’s religious consecrations. Hensley upheld marriage institution as a legal status. According to his view marriage was actually something that the law need to order- something which the state’s marital laws are currently doing 17. For example, the clergy are appointing state officials authorised to perform marriage ceremonies. Motive; divine inspiration The law of the Catholic Church is a based on divine revelation and natural law. Numerous canons gave been issued to govern the various aspects of life in Church. A view shared by Rubio established that the emphasis on sacramental marriage was divinely inspired since the Catholic Church held the exchange of consent between the spouses was the indispensable element that made a marriage18. When Two Catholics marry, they are obliged to exchange this consent in the presence of the Church’s minister and two other witnesses. The priest usually calls forth this consent and helps at the ceremony, even though the marriage itself takes place by means of public consent of the couple. If the consent lacks, there is no marriage. From the beginning the Bible also teaches us that marriage was regarded as part of God’s plan, “God said: ‘It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a suigtable partner for him.’ “ Gen 2:18. God required this union to be fruitful and lead a new life. According to his command, we tread in Genesis, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” Gen 1:28. The significance and attractiveness of marriage can be established throughout the Old Testament. The Law of the Old Covenant carries severe consequences adultery and other sins related to adultery. The faithful love in the Books of Tobit and Ruth are some of the inspirational examples of the goodness of marriage. In the New Testament the Pharisees approached Jesus and tested him on the legality of divorce. Jesus told them that a man will be joined with his wife and the two shall form a union to become one flesh (Mat 19:5-8). Conclusion Marriage is an instituiton that brings people together. Therefore, that is why the Catholic teaches that marriage is actualy a permanent bond. They argue that it was the Lord’s plan for the unity and indissolubility of marriage developed slowly among the people of ancient Israel. The kings and patriachs practiced polygamy and Moses allowed divorce. However, Jesus later repudiated the concession of Moses to human sinfulness or ‘the hardness of the human heart,’ and reiterated the original plan of God, ‘and the two shall become one flesh.’ The Catholic Church belives that the exchange of consent between the spouses is the indispensable element that makes the marriage. Summarily, although divorce leads to the breakage of the permanent union of the sacrament marriage, in the Catholic Church, divorce does not dissolve a sacramental mariage. Anyone who attributes the elements to Christian marriage declares it in the true sense of the word, St. Augustine placed marriage in the same level with Holy Orders and Baptism. He therefore considered the marriage of Christians as a sacrament in full and strict sense of the word 19. The present day Catholic canon law regulates the celebration of marriages in canons 1055-1166 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, although it allows for exceptions for those marriages of Christians validly contracted before the local parish priest or bishop and two witnesses20. To sum up, the importance and beauty of marriage can be established throughout the Old and New Testament. For instance in the Books of Songs of Solomon, Ruth, Isaiah, Mathew, and Tobit. Reference List Brundage, James A. Law, Sex, and Christian Society in Medieval Europe. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009 Driscoll, M. and Driscoll G. Real Marriage The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together. Nashville, Tenn: Thomas Nelson, 2012. Hauser, D. Marriage and Christian Life: A Theology of Christian Marriage. New York: Routledge Publication, 2005. Hensley, H. Christian Marriage. Charleston, South Carolina: BiblioBazaar, 2009 Lawler, M. Marriage and Sacrament: A Theology of Christian Marriage. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 1993. Murray J. 2001. Love, Marriage and Family in the Middle Ages. Ontario; Broadview Press. Richards J. Sex, Dissidence and Damnation: Minority Groups in the Middle Ages. Hove, UK: Psychology Press, 2013 Rubio, J, H, 2003. A Christian Theology of Marriage and Family. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Thomas, D. Christian Marriage: The New Challenge. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 2007. Witte, J. From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition. 2012. Read More