960310.02
> From: Ajig Alcalde <ajig@max.ph.net>
> Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 05:06:39 +0800 (GMT+0800)
> To: "Fr. Mateo" <cinaskf@catinfo.cts.com>
> Subject: Matrimony
>
> Dear Fr. Mateo,
>
> My younger sister got married recently and during the
> homily, the priest said that the sacrament of marriage is
> different from the other sacraments, for in this sacrament,
> it is the man and the woman who "performs" the sacrament,
> not the priest (I could not recall the exact word he used,
> but it is not "perform").
>
> I was aware of this even before. My question is, if it's
> the couple who marries each other, and it is not the priest
> who marries them, why is it sinful for a Catholic man and a
> woman to get married civilly?
>
> Regards,
> Ajig
Dear Ajig,
Marriage between baptized Christians is a sacrament of the New
Law. All the sacraments are in the keeping of the Church and
must be administered according to the requirements set by the
Church for the celebration of all liturgy.
The sacred quality of marriage is such that it served St. Paul as
an apt expression of the supremely holy union between Christ our
Head and all us members of His Mystical Body, the Catholic Church
(Ephesians 5:21-33). Hence it is absolutely unthinkable that
Christians should allow marriage to become the province of the
secular state. To do so would be a profanation, a sin of
irreverence to the sacrament and disobedience to the Lord's
Church.
Therefore, from the beginning the Church has carefully guarded
the sacred character of Christian marriage. The ministers of the
sacrament are the bride and groom. The priest's role is to be the
official witness on behalf of the whole Church and to surround
the celebration with all the beauty and splendor of the Church's
liturgy. In keeping with this St. Ignatius of Antioch in the
year A.D. 110 wrote to his fellow bishop St. Ploycarp:
"It is proper for men and women who wish to marry to be
united with the consent of the bishop, so that their
marriage will be acceptable to the Lord and not entered
upon for the sake of lust. Let all things be done for
the honor of God".
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Mateo
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit -
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