Dear Parishioners,
When I began writing this bulletin column many years ago, my intention was to take my pastoral responsibility to preach and to teach seriously. Hopefully, I can continue to shed some insight on particular topics in a simple, straightforward manner. I realize, of course, that that the final authority on all Church matters is the magisterium or teaching authority of the Church (essentially the pope united with his bishops). I try to be completely faithful to Sacred Scripture and to our over 2000 years of Church teaching and Sacred Tradition.
I think that Catholics need to be kept up-to-date on various matters concerning our faith and morality. One such hot button issue today is the definition of marriage. I have used the following working definition of marriage in the past in my high school classroom: Marriage is a covenant of love and of life, made by a man and a woman, that is permanent, exclusive and open to the possibility of children. Allow me to take this definition apart:
1. By saying that marriage is a covenant, it means that this pact or agreement goes beyond a legal contract mentality because God is involved in the process. Besides the priest (or deacon) and congregation, the vows exchanged in a marriage ceremony by the couple have God as a witness. The couple comes before God freely to promise their lives to each other. There is an exchange of persons. The couple should be aware of God’s presence in this process. For Catholics, the ordinary place where this sacred covenant is made is in a church building (a sacred consecrated place) rather than some other secular place.
2. The covenant is between one man and one woman. The Church, following Christ’s instruction (see Mt.
3. Marriage is permanent—“until death do us part.” Part of the marriage vow includes the couple’s promise to each other to remain with each other “all the days of my life.” The Church holds couples to this promise.
4. Marriage is exclusive meaning that there should be no infidelity or adultery. Monogamy is expressed in a “two shall become one flesh” experience.
5. Finally, marriage needs to be open to children. The contraceptive mentality in our culture tries to separate the love making act from any life giving possibility. It takes God’s design for human sexuality and tries to re-establish it as a pleasurable, sterile act. God gives the married couple the possibility of creating new life—a new human being with an immortal soul—and eliminating this possibility directly through artificial contraception is seen as immoral.
As the traditional definition of marriage is continually under the threat of being redefined, we need to understand the many implications of such an attempted change.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Pastor
Thank you!
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