Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,<\/p>\n
A blessed beginning to August for you all! Over the last couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak with several married couples who are navigating through health challenges. These people have shared reflections ranging from limitations in their mobility and shifting expectations of what they can do\u2026all the way to thinking about having the soul at peace and ready if God\u2019s time should come. One of the things that has been so consistent in those conversations has been a couple\u2019s faith and concrete examples of how they experience God at work in their marriage.<\/p>\n
Continuing our review of the Sacrament of Marriage, this week we are looking at the Church\u2019s wisdom in having weddings take place in front of the altar. Did you know that Catholics are required to be married in a church? I have discovered through the years that people don\u2019t always know that Catholics who are getting married have requirements that the Church asks of them. First of all, marriage preparation is required\u2014as we reviewed a couple weeks ago the typical preparation is 8-12 months before the wedding. As noted by the Statutes of the Diocese of Peoria, elements of this required preparation can be \u201cdispensed\u201d by a pastor for a just reason (6.13.4). [As a side note, a \u201cdispensation\u201d is an exemption from a Church law by a competent authority\u2014typically it is the Bishop or someone he designates]. Another requirement for Catholics is being married in a church. \u201cCatholic marriage liturgies shall always take place in a church or oratory. The permission of the Bishop or vicar general is required in the extraordinary situation that a marriage celebration is requested in another location\u201d (Statutes of the Diocese of Peoria, 6.13.6). Most commonly, other locations requested are churches where a non-Catholic spouse grew up or has family history. These permissions are commonly given and the regular minister of that particular church is asked to officiate the ceremony. Generally, permission is not given to have Catholic weddings in a civil setting or an outdoor setting.<\/p>\n
Why is this a big deal? Why does the Church want weddings to take place in a church building? One simple explanation is that we understand Marriage to be a sacred covenant. In our Faith tradition, we celebrate sacred things in sacred places. Celebrating weddings within the sacred space designated for worshipping God and celebrating the sacraments conveys to us that marriage is not just a private act among two people. Rather, for Catholics, Marriage is a celebration for all the Church as we recognize God at work in blessing the sacred bond of the husband and wife. Celebrating a wedding in the same space where our Masses are celebrated also helps tie the sacred bond to the Eucharist.<\/p>\n
As our Catechism teaches, \u201cIn the Latin Rite the celebration of marriage between two Catholic faithful normally takes place during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the sacraments with the Paschal mystery of Christ\u201d (CCC, 1621). For Catholics, we believe that the altar at Mass is the place where we encounter the one perfect sacrifice of Christ\u2014the place where we encounter His perfect love. It is no accident, then, that the vows of husband and wife typically take place in front of the altar\u2014the vows happen at the place where we encounter the perfect love of Jesus and are strengthened by it to love one another as he loved us. \u201cIn the Eucharist the memorial of the New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself for ever to the Church, his beloved bride for whom he gave himself up. It is therefore 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 \u2018one body\u2019 in Christ\u201d (CCC, 1621; cf. 1 Cor 10:17). As mentioned before, for marriages involving a Catholic and another baptized Christian who is not Catholic, the Church offers the option of having the Wedding liturgy in the midst of the Mass or in a vows ceremony with a Liturgy of the Word. For marriage involving a Catholic and a non-baptized person, the wedding typically occurs within the vows ceremony.<\/p>\n
Following up on this connection to Christ\u2019s sacrifice, the altar, and Communion for those who are able to receive\u2026one thing I often share with couples in marriage preparation is how being regularly at Mass is very truly a renewal and strengthening of their vows. As a recap, the vows are made in front of the altar, where we encounter Christ\u2019s perfect love and are strengthened by it. So, in a very real way, every time the couple then comes to the altar (for Mass or for prayer) they return to the place where God strengthened their bond. That is, being there at the altar with Christ is a renewal of the vows! What amazing wisdom to set up husband and wife with an opportunity to renew their vows every time they are in the church! What a gift to help couples live the love of Christ together!<\/p>\n
Next time, we\u2019ll look at how the Church envisions this gift extending to the home life for a couple and their family. Know of my prayers and blessing for you all this week!<\/p>\n
In Christ,
\nFather Luke<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"