Father Ricardo told us in his homily that today is world marriage day.
After Mass the girls asked me what makes a marriage valid?
How is a sacramental marriage different than a civil one?
Thanks so much for any advice you could provide.
God bless you!
ANSWER
Shalom Maria:
God bless you.
Great question.
Also a timely question.
What make a marriage valid?
(1) First: you need a real man and a real woman.
(2) Second: you need to tell the truth. No telling lies.
(3) Third: you need true love. Not a fake one. The LOVE that the Lord Jesus demanded in the Holy Scripture: "No greater love has one than this: to lay down your life for your beloved" (John 15:13).
That means the man must be willing to lay down his own life for his wife and family.
Saint Paul never required the wife to lay down her life for her husband at all! (See Ephesians 5:21-31).
(4) Fourth: Desire to have children.
Promise never to use contraception, artificial birth and never allow abortion. To procreate life is the marriage vow.
(5) Fifth: Witnesses from both sides if the families. Especially the Priest is the most important witness.
Now I would NEVER recommend the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony without a priest celebrating the Mass.
Personally, I DO NOT recommend the permanent deacon to officiate the wedding. Why?
Simply, because with the deacon there won't be the celebration of the Holy Eucharist - in which you find the Lord Jesus Christ, WHO is the Foundation and Founder of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
That ends the first part, that is the question about valid marriage.
Now as regard with the difference between the civil marriage and the Catholic Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, there is a tremendous difference.
A civil marriage could be natural as well as un-natural.
Here are some UN-NATURAL and sinful evil types of marriage:
Do you know in our present corrupt wicked culture ...
(1) That you could marry to yourself?
(2) That you could marry a dog or any animal?
(3) That a man could marry to a man and woman to a woman?
(4) That some even propose incestuous marriage?
(5) That some countries, such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola and Bahrain, polygamy is legal. That means a man could marry many women?
And in the State of Utah, a man could be legally married to one woman and spiritually married to many other women at the same time? That literally means polygamy!
Those five types of civil marriage are UN-NATURAL, even sinful, that is to say, they are not what God intended for marriage to be in the first place.
The only civil marriage that God always blesses is that between one (xy-male) man and one (xx-female) woman.
That is the only natural, legal and civil marriage that God approves.
Commentaires