Divorce/remarriage

What about divorce and remarriage? Quick review: Once a marriage occurs, it is presumed to be sacramental until shown otherwise. When a couple divorces, they are still considered married in the eyes of the Church. If one or both attempt to remarry without having an annulment (see last week’s article for more on this), they are possibly married to two people simultaneously. Because of this, they are to refrain from the reception of the Sacraments until they get their situation straightened.

Annulment

What is an annulment? At times, marriages fail. Every marriage enjoys the presumption of being sacramental until determined but a church court (called Tribunal) declares otherwise. A person who is divorced (a legal ending of married that does not affect the sacrament), more appropriately called a declaration of nullity, declares that a sacramental marriage never occurred, though of course a legal on did (assuming a marriage license was signed, and neither was legally married to someone else at the time, etc.) Because a sacrament did not occur, the person is free to marry. Annulments do not change the legal rights of children or affect the divorce decrees in any regard.

Divorce

What does the Church teach about divorce? Marriage, again, is a sacrament in the Church. Assuming the couple was free to marry, and had the correct intentions (wanting to be married, knowing what they were entering, etc), they are married until natural death. Once the sacrament occurs, it is only ended in the death of one of the spouses. When a couple divorces, it only ends a legal marriage, and does not affect the sacrament. This means that they are presumed to be married until it is shown that the sacrament did not occur. A divorced man or woman (who remains unmarried) remains in good standing with the Church and can receive the sacraments. The Church treats them as if they are little more than legally separated. See the next weeks’ articles for more on this.

Marriage

What does the Church teach about marriage? Marriage is a sacrament (visible sign of invisible reality) in which a man and a woman vow to each other and to God to give themselves to each other until death shall separate them. Marriage has as its ends procreation (the gift of children in the natural order) and union (the gift of the unity of the couple). It is a unique relationship, and remains as the first gift of God to humanity – the complementarity of the sexes for the rearing of children.

Sacraments

What are sacraments? Sacraments are gifts of Christ to the Church to help us experience His grace. They use things that can be sensed to help us encounter God which is beyond sensation. There are sacraments that make us members of the Church (Initiation: Baptism and Confirmation), help us live God’s call (Vocation: Marriage and Holy Orders), or bring us healing (Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick). The sacrament of Eucharist giving to us that we may receive Jesus Christ in Body and Blood (see John 6), and in reality brings us the fullness of initiation, vocation, and healing!

New Evangelization

The Catholic Church uses the term “the New Evangelization”. What is this? There are few who have not heard at least something of Jesus Christ, but there is at best an indifference among many, even baptized, to Him. The New Evangelization is the term given to the process of proclaiming why God is important, why we are created to know, love, and serve Him. Those involved in the New Evangelization seek to reengage people’s hearts and minds.

Evangelization

What is evangelization? Despite the images that the word conjures, evangelization is primarily the sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those around us. It is not of forcing conversions, telling how ‘awful’ other faith traditions are, or of even door-to-door visits. It is taking the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 (“Go, make disciples…”) seriously. We seek to do so when we comfort a grieving friend, give food to the hungry, teach, or provide care to the wounded; when all of it is done in Jesus’ name. It seeks to help the person encounter Jesus Christ. It seeks to remind others of God’s love for them, and our desire that they know and love God.