Do we go to the Wedding?

[DJgang]

Chris G:

My main concern is whether or not his marriage will be a valid sacremental marriage.

From the Canon law cited, it would appear that even if he is not a practicing Catholic, he would need to formally renounce it in order for him to not be bound by Church law.

And I can’t even assume that he is a Christian for that matter. Many men marry in a church just because it’s the wish of their future bride. I’m not sure if that is his case or not. All that I have heard so far is that he is “spiritual” meaning he believes in a God.

As far as “what’s wrong with attending a wedding between two Christians?”: As a Catholic I am passing my faith along to my children as I promised at their baptism. In the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I can’t pretend that it doesn’t matter what your beliefs are as long as both participants are Christian. Just like I couldn’t participate in communion at a Lutheran Church since it isn’t a valid sacrament.

And I believe you are sincere in your questions and I will do my best to sincerly answer them.

Okay, I’m starting to understand…really!

What a dilemna for you personally! So, how are you going to find out about your nephew? You know, whether he’s Christian or not…that would be a start…if he even attended church with his future wife…would that be renouncing the Catholic faith?

So, you will not attend a wedding between two christians.

 

[cheeto1]

I am Catholic, and I would attend a wedding between

2 christians. I would see them as stepping forward in faith,
and trust God that the prayers of all present will strengthen
them and lead them to all truth. I would not, however, attend
the wedding of 2 people who were already married and their
spouse is still alive. Many years ago, my husband and I
attended just such a wedding and while there, I suddenly
had the thought: “should we be supporting this wedding?”
My husband said, yes, they are stepping in the right
direction toward love and God. Now years later and the
wife has divorced him, I asked him the question: Are you
glad you were married, even though it ended this way?
He said “NO! This is the worst thing that ever happened to
me and I wish with all my heart that we hadn’t been married”.
If years ago, we said we wouldn’t go, who knows? He may have
changed his mind. If, as close friends, we told him we can’t
go to his wedding and why, maybe , just maybe he would
have changed his mind. I no longer believe in going to a
wedding of divorced persons, but I would go to a wedding of
christians who haven’t been divorced.

 

[Chris_G]

DJgang:

Okay, I’m starting to understand…really!

What a dilemna for you personally! So, how are you going to find out about your nephew? You know, whether he’s Christian or not…that would be a start…if he even attended church with his future wife…would that be renouncing the Catholic faith?

So, you will not attend a wedding between two christians.

I am going to try and ask him if and when the time is right. It’s going to be difficult because it’s hard to just go up to someone and say “so, are you Christian, Catholic, or what?” without their eyes glossing over and rolling back into their head as they say to themselves “here we go…”.

I don’t think attending another church would be “renouncing the Catholic faith” per se, but to answer your question, I think she seldom goes, if at all anymore because she doesn’t have the “time”.

I quit going to mass quite a while back, and even though I didn’t outright reject my Catholic upbringing, I didn’t embrace it either. I had gone to other churches as well.

(edit: to clarify, I am back to attending mass now!)

 

[Chris_G]

DJgang:

So, you will not attend a wedding between two christians.

I missed this part of you post the first time. Yes, I will attend a wedding betweeh two Christians. If their wedding is a valid, sacremental marriage, recognized by The Church. Anything less than this is questionable as to whether or not I would attend. That is what I am currently trying to discern.

 

[DJgang]

Chris G:

I missed this part of you post the first time. Yes, I will attend a wedding betweeh two Christians. If their wedding is a valid, sacremental marriage, recognized by The Church. Anything less than this is questionable as to whether or not I would attend. That is what I am currently trying to discern.

Gotcha!

Please forgive me…I thought that you wouldn’t go…just because he wasn’t going to be married in The Church… my bad.

Sounds like regardless if your nephew was being married in the Catholic church or not, you’ve got a problem with it…I understand.

I had a somewhat close friend whom I worked with. She had been married before and had told me that she simply wasn’t happy…the reason for her divorce. I was invited to her wedding (2nd marriage) …didn’t go. In my eyes she was still married to her “ex”…see…I’m not even Catholic and I see things that way

Gosh, Chris, hope you can be a good witness to your nephew somehow during this situation…hopefully without bugging of the eyes if you do ask any questions.