THE PADRE PIO PRAYER GROUP OF CLEVELAND
  • Faith Answers Home
  • Padre Pio Prayer Group of Cleveland Home
  • Faith Answers Home
  • Padre Pio Prayer Group of Cleveland Home

FAITH ANSWERS

My baptized son or daughter is not going to Mass anymore, is living with their partner and is looking to get married civilly rather than in the Catholic Church. Is it ok to let them do this or should I be encouraging them to get married in Church?

12/8/2016

Comments

 
There are a number of issues present here. First, Catholics are required to marry in the Church in order for their marriage to be considered valid. (Code of Canon Law, Canon 1108). This law is in place because of the significant difference between God’s understanding of marriage and our cultural perspectives of marriage. When couples marry outside the Church there is usually little to no preparation done with them. Getting married in the Church provides a privileged opportunity for the Church’s ministers to help couples assess their suitability and readiness for marriage. Second, there have been many independent studies conducted of couples who cohabitate before marriage and there is overwhelming evidence that shows that the longer a couple lives together before getting married the greater the likelihood is for divorce.
 
The best thing that a parent can do in this case is talk with them about God’s understanding of marriage and how it differs greatly from the civil understanding of marriage. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is an unbreakable sacramental covenant between a baptized man and woman that is ordered towards the procreation and education of children and the ultimate good of the spouses: eternal salvation in heaven. Marriage from a civil standpoint is merely a contract between anyone (male or female doesn’t matter, baptism doesn’t matter) that is ordered towards the feelings and happiness of the spouses (has nothing to do with having children or getting your spouse to heaven). Keep praying for your children that God may put someone in their lives who will bring them back to cultivating a loving relationship with Jesus Christ in the Church. Who knows, maybe your son or daughter’s future spouse may teach them about God and encourage them to have the marriage validated in the Church at a later date.
Comments

    Author

    "Building our Catholic faith one question at a time."

    The Padre Pio Prayer Group of Cleveland is a community of people dedicated to the devotion and works of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.