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Views from the Choir Loft

The Meaning of Marriage 1

Fr. David Friel · September 14, 2014

EWS OUTLETS EVERYWHERE are reporting the story that today, in Rome, Pope Francis is officiating at the marriage of twenty couples, including some who have been cohabiting and some who have children. Predictably, the reports seem to dangle these details as if to suggest that, by so doing, the Holy Father has declared cohabitation acceptable. (This is not true, of course; “living in sin” is still living in sin.)

What to do with cohabiting couples preparing for marriage is a problem that parish priests deal with on an incessant basis. Depending on the area in which one ministers, the percentage of cohabiting couples going through Pre-Cana sessions can range from 30% to 50% to 80% or more. Some priests abjectly refuse to perform marriages for couples who are cohabiting. Others try to have a conversation with the couples to demonstrate the ill effects (moral & practical) of “living together,” asking them to live as brother and sister until the marriage takes place.

There is no canonical impediment presented by cohabitation, but it remains contrary to the moral teachings of Jesus. The pastoral practice of priests—even the Pope—does not change these moral teachings.

NOTHER MAJOR RECENT CHALLENGE to the meaning of marriage is the conundrum of the divorced and remarried. This topic has garnered incredibly widespread interest in the last year, sparking discussions internationally in journals, newspapers, and on the web. The most significant voice to have weighed in thus far is Walter Cardinal Kasper, who has championed the idea of admitting remarried divorcees to Holy Communion since the 1990’s. Notably, Pope Francis has highly praised Kasper’s recent book, Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life. In an address at a consistory during February 2014, Cardinal Kasper made an explicit call for something to be done that could permit such persons to receive Holy Communion.

In response, a new book is due out from Ignatius Press next month. Entitled Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church, the volume is the work of five cardinals and four theologians. The cardinal contributors include:

1. Gerhard Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

2. Raymond Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura

3. Walter Cardinal Brandmüller, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences

4. Carlo Cardinal Caffarra, Archbishop of Bologna

5. Velasio Cardinal De Paolis, President Emeritus of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See

This sort of public debate among cardinals is an uncommon occurrence (at least in the 21st century). According to Ignatius Press, the contents of the new book “lead to the conclusion that the Church’s longstanding fidelity to the truth of marriage constitutes the irrevocable foundation of its merciful and loving response to the individual who is civilly divorced and remarried. The book therefore challenges the premise that traditional Catholic doctrine and contemporary pastoral practice are in contradiction.”

This will surely be a topic of discussion during the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family this October 5-19. It will also likely be addressed during the World Meeting of Families next September here in Philadelphia. How the Church chooses to proceed matters a great deal.

The Church teaches that marriage effects an unbreakable bond between husband and wife, such that the two become one; no person, moreover, who has entered into a prior bond possesses the freedom to enter into a subsequent bond with another spouse. The bond of marriage, we teach, lasts until the death of one of the spouses (or until the marriage is annulled). Only thereafter does one become free to marry another spouse. To enter into a new contract before the death of one’s spouse would place one in the state of sin, which would have the further effect of making one unprepared to receive Holy Communion.

Either what the Church teaches concerning the bond of marriage is true or it isn’t. If it is true, then simply overlooking the canonical implications of one’s marital status will not produce a useful resolution. It would, instead, alter the meaning of Christian marriage.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Nuptial Mass, Pope Francis, Raymond Cardinal Leo Burke Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The Church has always kept, and wishes still to maintain everywhere, the language of her Liturgy; and, before the sad and violent changes of the 16th century, this eloquent and effective symbol of unity of faith and communion of the faithful was, as you know, cherished in England not less than elsewhere. But this has never been regarded by the Holy See as incompatible with the use of popular hymns in the language of each country.”

— Pope Leo XIII (1898)

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