Church teaches ‘God himself is the author of marriage’

Article 124 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series
Paragraphs 1621- 1637

Like some of our readers, my parents were married prior to the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Although faithful Christians, however, my mom and dad were not permitted to exchange vows within a Nuptial Mass at my mom’s home parish, the Cathedral Church, because my dad had not yet converted to the Catholic faith. Instead, because my dad was a Methodist, my parents were married in a back chapel near the sacristy (reserved for those in “mixed marriages,” which means marriages between Catholics and Protestants, and “disparity of cult marriages” between Catholics and non-Christians). This, of course, was a compromise to what the Catechism calls “the celebration of marriage between two Catholic faithful [that] normally takes place during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the sacraments with the Paschal mystery of Christ” (ccc 1621).
For faithful Catholics, it would make sense to be married within the celebration of Holy Mass where Christ makes himself present through the Holy Eucharist. As the Catechism puts it: “It is 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” (ccc 1621).
All who know my parents would testify that they fulfilled everything outlined in paragraph 1621 of the Catechism with the exception of having received the Eucharist on the day they “sealed their consent” in the back of the Cathedral’s scantily-filled chapel. Part of the reason why my parents fulfilled the obligations of married love included the fact that they, as spouses, were the ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony. The Catechism explains: “the spouses as ministers of Christ’s grace mutually confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church” (ccc 1623). Unlike the Latin Rite (to which we belong), the tradition of the Catholic Church in the East affirms that the priests are the ministers of the Sacrament of Marriage and it is they who are the “witnesses to the mutual consent given by the spouses” (ccc 1623). In all cases, of course, it is not the couple but the Holy Spirit who seals their covenant: “In the epiclesis of this sacrament the spouses receive the Holy Spirit as the communion of love of Christ and the Church” (ccc 1624).
Matrimonial Consent is dealt with next, and it opens with this statement: “The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage, who freely express their consent” (ccc 1625). Here we are introduced to the norm that “a baptized man and woman” ordinarily approach marriage in the Church. (In the next section, however, the Catechism deals with marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics or non-Christians).
The other important point to mention is the matter of freedom to marry. The passage states that the couple “freely express their consent.” How does the Church establish that both the bride and groom are in fact free to marry? In the most ordinarily circumstance of marriage preparation, how would the priest or deacon (preparing the couple) guarantee that the couple is free to marry? Pregnancy, for example, is sometimes cited as a reason for marriage but pregnancy is not considered sufficient reason to enter marriage or shorten the marriage preparation process if a couple had not planned to marry. Why? Because pregnancy may create the circumstance of the couple being “under constraint” (ccc 1625).
The second point the Catechism highlights is that the freedom to marry means that the couple are “not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law” (ccc 1625). In short, this means that if the man or woman has already contracted marriage (even civilly), they are not free to enter into sacramental marriage. Additionally, if the man remains under the obligation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or if either the man or woman remains under the vows of consecrated life, they are not free to enter sacramental marriage. In short, “if consent is lacking there is no marriage” (ccc 1626).
The consent between the couple is no small matter. It must be free. The Catechism says it must be “free of coercion or grave external fear” (ccc 1628). The consent of the man and woman that binds them finds its fulfillment in what Sacred Scripture calls the two “becoming one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31). “If this freedom is lacking” says the Catechism, “the marriage is invalid” (ccc 1628). It is for this reason that the Church has the authority to grant an annulment; i.e., to declare “that the marriage never existed” (ccc 1629).
The Sacrament of Matrimony has taken a beating over the last several years. Priests and pastoral ministers, almost universally, have seen a significant decrease in couples coming forward to receive the Church’s witness to their sacramental nuptials. On the other extreme, people who sometimes choose the Sacrament of Matrimony, do so as a matter of custom because they want a church wedding or because they prefer the aesthetics of a particular church building. Still others choose a glamorous reception hall and by default choose the closest church to that location. For all these reasons and more, the Catechism tells us, “preparation for marriage is of prime importance” (ccc 1632).
The final four paragraphs in this section of the Catechism pertain to “Mixed marriages and disparity of cult.” The Catechism reminds us that both “mixed marriages” and “disparity of cult marriages” need the express permission of the ecclesiastical authority (i.e. the bishop or his delegate). Additionally, the non-Catholic party must always be made aware of the strict obligation that the Catholic party has to raise all children from the marriage in the Catholic faith.
Father Hillier serves as Director of the Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Censor Librorum and oversees the Office for Persons with Disabilities