Saint Michael the Archangel,
But see, I don’t necessarily believe that either… Who is anyone to say what is right or wrong other than God. It may in fact be correct but it also may not. That’s where I am confused.
Let me ask you this. If you were married in a civic courtroom by a judge, would it be valid under the eyes of the Church and/or God? The answer is no. Now what about this. I am very involed in the Catholic Church, very active with the homeless and i love God with all my heart. Does that mean that I can marry people in Church and/or a small chapel and God would be pleased and it would be valid? The answer is no. Why, because like T40 said, i’m am not part of the Apostolic Chain that the Catholic Church follows. Likewise, the minister who married you was not part of the Apostolic Chain, from which Jesus started with Peter and passed down to all the Popes, Bishops and Priests.
Ok, this here makes sense… I’m getting it a little more now
Why? Is it because you are not a Catholic and will be against anything that is said by a Catholic.
And confused is where they want you.
I want to believe so badly, I really do. I felt an emptiness being away from the Church. But after having those beliefs for so long, it’s hard to change them. That’s what I’m suffering through now. I just have a hard time believing that the Catholic church is THE church.
To commit a mortal sin one must have full knowledge of the grave nature of the offense and choose the action or behavior despite the understanding that it will separate one from God. So if you and your husband intentionally decided to defy the Church on this matter, knowing what the teaching is on marriage, you may be culpable. However, if you understood your wedding by a minister to be the same as or equal to a Catholic marriage in the eyes of God, your responsibility may be lessened.
Catholic teaching tells us that God does not condemn us to hell. WE condemn ourselves. Christ left behind His Church and She continues His mission. The Catechism provides us with the structure by which we can fulfill our obligations to Christ to live as His disciples while here on this earth. When we choose to defy or reject the doctrines of our Church, we are essentially telling God that we don’t agree with Him, or we know better.
There is no “better than” in God’s eyes and that is not the issue in the case of priests and ministers. Christ left behind His Church and appointed His apostle Peter as it’s head. From Peter, we have apostolic succession which gives the Catholic Church it’s direct link to Christ Himself. In a sense, the priest is directly appointed by Christ. This is not the case with other Christian denominations. While their ministers may be very good and holy men who have been called to devote their lives to God, we, as Catholics, believe that they have yet to reach their true homes, which is the Church. It may be that God is moving them toward the Church in stages and that their ministries bring them closer. But the fact is they are men who minister without the benefit of a “See”, or unified governing body. They are working on interpreting God’s will and Word on their own.
You don’t have to believe that because that is not Church teaching. Referring back to my explanation of mortal sin, which is the only thing that separates us from God, most non-Catholic Christians who are married in their own churches by their own ministers believe completely that they are doing God’s will. The Catholic Church understands that such people have yet to understand the fullness of the truth and are earnestly seeking to do God’s will in the only way they know. More importantly, the Church NEVER presumes to tell anyone they are “going to hell”. The Lord is the only judge. The Church tells us how to avoid it.
I only pray out of love.
I think that was a bit much. You don’t know that the poster you replied to is evil???!!! They just believe in what they believe.
Good points.
No, it would definitely not be valid, and I would never do that. And I understand where you are coming from with the rest… Thank you
No, I truly believe that I didn’t commit a sin. I am trying to understand why the Catholic church thinks I did but that I am beginning to understand.
I’m glad to hear this. The Lord never abandons His children, and I’m sure He’s happy to know that you are willing to learn about your faith.
Rom 14:4 “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”