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mea_maxima_culpa
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| Joined: | Sat Nov 18th, 2006 |
| Location: | Concord, New Hampshire USA |
| Posts: | 16 |
| First Name: | Peter | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | U.C.C./Congregational, American Baptist, & now home in Rome! |
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Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2006 04:29 pm |
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Hi,
Quick question. I am in the RCIA program. I was married before, and am not now. I can accept the Eucharist when the time comes; yes? It is a no-no if I was remarried w/o an anulment; right?
Thanx,
P-
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 4981 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sat Nov 18th, 2006 04:48 pm |
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mea_maxima_culpa wrote: Quick question. I am in the RCIA program. I was married before, and am not now. I can accept the Eucharist when the time comes; yes? It is a no-no if I was remarried w/o an anulment; right?
If you are not currently living in a sexual relationship that is not considered a valid marriage by the Church, there is no problem in receiving the Eucharist. It doesn't matter how many times you might have been married before or under what circumstances.
Should you ever wish to be married again, you will have to have any and all previous marriages declared null by the Church. If you ever decide to be married outside the Church after becoming Catholic, or to cohabitate without marriage, you will be considered "living in sin" and no longer able to receive the Eucharist.
So your best bet is to begin the annulment process as soon as possible so that any future relationship can naturally lead to marriage in the Church, but you will not have to wait for the declaration of nullity to join the Church and receive the Eucharist.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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mea_maxima_culpa
Member
| Joined: | Sat Nov 18th, 2006 |
| Location: | Concord, New Hampshire USA |
| Posts: | 16 |
| First Name: | Peter | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | U.C.C./Congregational, American Baptist, & now home in Rome! |
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Posted: Sun Nov 19th, 2006 03:10 pm |
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Thank you~~
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JillD
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Visalia, California USA |
| Posts: | 600 |
| First Name: | Jill | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | heathen, EvFree, Messianic, LC-MS, Catholic 2007 |
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Posted: Sun Dec 3rd, 2006 08:02 pm |
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I was checking back at these old posts to see if I could find an answer to my question and Rick's response above may be it. If a couple who are currently married and not Catholic have divorce in their backgrounds, can they join the Church and receive the Eucharist without their previous marriages being annulled? I'm thinking not. Would you happen to know which section of the Catechism speaks most clearly to this question?
So your best bet is to begin the annulment process as soon as possible so that any future relationship can naturally lead to marriage in the Church, but you will not have to wait for the declaration of nullity to join the Church and receive the Eucharist.
The above is for an unmarried person, though, right?
Thank you!
Jill
____________________
"The alternative to obedience is to turn the conversation into a cacophony of Christians making it up as they go along." - Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1714 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Dec 3rd, 2006 10:50 pm |
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Jill, the article on Matrimonial Consent, which begins at §1625, is the closest you will find in the Catechism. It does not treat of a Protestant situation because the Catechism is intended for Catholics. The Code of Canon Law is more relevant:
Can. 1085 §2 Even though the previous marriage is invalid or for any reason dissolved, it is not thereby lawful to contract another marriage before the nullity or the dissolution of the previous one has been established lawfully and with certainty.
In plain English, this means that a marriage is always presumed to be valid until proved otherwise. Since non-Catholics can avail themselves of a Catholic tribunal to determine the state of validity of a current or previous union, it means that a Protestant couple with a previous marriage on the part of one or both parties not only may but must seek rectification if either or both want to come into full union with the Catholic Church and be eligible to receive the sacraments.
This rectification must basically assure the Church that both parties to a matrimonial union were eligible according to its canon law to marry on the day of the wedding. Either there must have been no previous union (never married or any and all previous unions terminated by death or declared null) or the current union is not active (no sexual component and no scandal due to cohabitation).
The case posed by mea_maxima_culpa is for a person who is divorced but not remarried. Divorce is not in itself a sin; remarriage while the former spouse lives is sinful if the first union is not first proved null.
DavidLast edited on Sun Dec 3rd, 2006 10:52 pm by David W. Emery
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