The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-08-12
MATRIMoNY.

AS sacrament IL was instituted ny
our Lord at the time of His sojourn
upon earth: but as a contract, or state
of life, it dates from the beginning OF
the world. AS the Sacrament of
Matrimony is based upon this marri-
age contract and cannot be separated
from it, it is necessary to consider it:
first, as a contract; and then, as a
Sacrament of the New Law.
We may define the marriage con-
tract as "a lawful union of man and
a woman, by which they give them
selves up one to the other for mutual
society and the begetting of children"
AS men and women bind themselves,
one to the other, by agreement for
divers purposes, so the essential part
of the marriage contract is the man
and woman binding themselves to one
another. For the validity of this con-
tract it is necessary that the agree
ment should be between persons who
are not lawfully hindered from max
ing such a contract; that it should be
absolutely voluntary on the part of
both else it would not be the parties
really binding themselves: and that
the mutual acceptance of the terms
of the contract should be expressed
by words or some outward sign, by
which the parties signify, not that
they intend or promise to bind them
selves to one another in the future,
but that at the moment when they
give assent they actually bind them
selves, with the intention of living to-
gether as man and wife.
We must remember that the matri-
monial contract was instituted by God
Himself when man was made. Gene
sis tells us that God created man in
His own image, male and
female created He them; and God
blessed them, and said, Increase and
multiply, and fill the earth And,
even before the institution of the Sac
rament of Matrimony, the marriage
contract was regarded as being indis-
soluble. We find, indeed, that direc-
tions concerning the divorcing of a
wife are recorded in the Book of
Deuteronomy, but, when the disciples
of our Lord referred to this apparent
permission for divorce, He assured
them that, moses, by reason of the
hardness of your heart, permitted you
to put away your wives, but from the
beginning it was not so.'
The Sacrament of Matrimony is
based upon the marriage contract
We may define the Sacrament as a
sanctifying of the natural contract
The Council of Trent decreed that
matrimOny is a true and proper Sac
rament, being one of the seven insti-
tuted by our Lord. The time of its
institution is not so easily determined.
Many have taught that our Lord
raised the marriage contract to the
dignity of a Sacrament, by assisting
at the marriage feast of Cana where
He worked His first miracle. Others
are of the opinion that the Sacrament
was instituted when our Lord spoke
the words, What, therefore, God hath
Joined together let no man put asun
der" Still others assert that it was
fully ordained as a Sacrament after
the Resurrection of the Saviour, when
He spoke to His disciples "of the
Kingdom of God"
The ministers of the Sacrament OF
Ma trimony are the contracting parties
themselves. The priest and two wit
nesseS, required for the validity of the
Sacrament, are but assistants; it is
the contracting parties who mutually
give themselves up to one another
which constitutes the matter of the
Sacrament; and who give outward
sign of their mutual consent-whicE
constitutes the form of the Sacra
ment.
Matrimony, entered into by persons
not lawfully hindered from validity re
ceiving the Sacrament, is indissoluble
Absolute divorce has never beer
granted to Catholics validity married
and it never will be granted. There
are occasions, however when the
Church is called upon to decide au
thoritatively whether or not particu
lar marriage was null and void at the
time the persons contracted it. This
declaration of the Church that there
never was real and true contracting
of marriage is often mistaken by many
to be what is commonly called divorce
Marriage entered into by Catholics
consummated by them and valid a
the moment they contract it, is valiC
forever. The Church could not, if she
would, nullify it.
There are, however, some apparent
though not real exceptions to this alb
solute rule. First, in case there wa:
some cause which rendered either o
the parties incapable of contracting
matrimony, at the time it was entered
into, the Church can, upon investigat
ing and finding such an invalidatins
cause to have been present, declare
the supposed marriage to have beer
always null and void This is nothing
more than declaring that there never
was any real marriage at all, because
of the impeachment which rendered i
invalid.
Secondly, the Church can grant {
divorce, but in this sense, not of dis
solving the bond of marriage, but o.
authorizing the separation of law
fully welded man and wife, and thi:
only for a grave cause. When sucf
an authorization is given it never con
tains a permission for either party tt
L