Sacrament of Marriage

[H_Opey]

Something in our local Catholic Newpaper had us all wondering if we understand the history behind the Sacrament.
We have always understood that this sacrament was instituted by Christ but our paper says differently.

“Because marriage images the union of Christ’s love
for the church, it is a sacrament. But it was not always.
Marriage was officially recognized as one of the
sacraments at the fourth Lateran Council in 1215.
Prior to that, marriage was considered a religious
reality different from non-Christian forms of marriage,
according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.
And unlike the other sacraments, marriage predated
Christianity. It was not instituted by Christ but the
church teaches that Christ raised or elevated marriage to
the dignity of a sacrament because he recognized something
fundamentally good in the marital institution.”

We know that the Council of Trent stated the following:

“If any one shall say that matrimony is not truly and properly one of the Seven Sacraments of the Evangelical Law, instituted by Christ our Lord, but was invented in the Church by men, and does not confer grace, let him be anathema”

Can anyone help us sorth this out?

Marriage is a sacrament and always has been? Are we missing something?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Something in our local Catholic Newpaper had us all wondering if we understand the history behind the Sacrament.
We have always understood that this sacrament was instituted by Christ but our paper says differently.

“Because marriage images the union of Christ’s love
for the church, it is a sacrament. But it was not always.
Marriage was officially recognized as one of the
sacraments at the fourth Lateran Council in 1215.
Prior to that, marriage was considered a religious
reality different from non-Christian forms of marriage,
according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.
And unlike the other sacraments, marriage predated
Christianity. It was not instituted by Christ but the
church teaches that Christ raised or elevated marriage to
the dignity of a sacrament because he recognized something
fundamentally good in the marital institution.”

We know that the Council of Trent stated the following:

“If any one shall say that matrimony is not truly and properly one of the Seven Sacraments of the Evangelical Law, instituted by Christ our Lord, but was invented in the Church by men, and does not confer grace, let him be anathema”

Can anyone help us sorth this out?

Marriage is a sacrament and always has been? Are we missing something?

Your not reading that correctly. Marriage began with Adam and Eve. Christ raised the Marriage relationship of Christians to the status of a Sacrament, and the Church developed the Sacramental form. It may have been clearly defined in 1215, but that does not indicate that it was not recognized as a Sacrament prior to the Council. It even says that there always was a distinction between Christian and non-Christian form of Marriage.

 

[H_Opey]

Your not reading that correctly. Marriage began with Adam and Eve. Christ raised the Marriage relationship of Christians to the status of a Sacrament, and the Church developed the Sacramental form. It may have been clearly defined in 1215, but that does not indicate that it was not recognized as a Sacrament prior to the Council. It even says that there always was a distinction between Christian and non-Christian form of Marriage.

The Council of Trent states that Christ instituted the sacrament of marriage. So was it a sacrament before Christ or just contractual?

 

[Phemie]

The Council of Trent states that Christ instituted the sacrament of marriage. So was it a sacrament before Christ or just contractual?

Since it’s only a sacrament if it unites two Christians it couldn’t have been a sacrament before Christ made it so.

 

[jpjd]

A sacramental marriage requires that the spouses both have been baptized.

Christ instituted the sacrament of baptism, so marriages prior to that could not have been sacramental marriages. (Remember, baptism is the gateway to the sacraments.)

Christ did raise the instituion of marriage to the level of a sacrament, but it is a sacrament only when both spouses have been baptized.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

The Council of Trent states that Christ instituted the sacrament of marriage. So was it a sacrament before Christ or just contractual?

Marriage was never just a human contract, it was instituted by God with Adam and Eve. One man and One Woman, for life.

 

[H_Opey]

I think I am beginning to more fully understand. Thank you.

But I come to this quote from the article:

And unlike the other sacraments, marriage predated
Christianity. It was not instituted by Christ but the
church teaches that Christ raised or elevated marriage to
the dignity of a sacrament because he recognized something
fundamentally good in the marital institution."

Marriage began with Adam & Eve. We are made in the image and likeness of God. The marriages, union, reflected our covenant with God. But because of the sin of Adam, the faithful waited for the coming of a Savior, Christ.
Marriage did not BEGIN with Christ, but was instituted at that time as a sacrament.
Is my understanding correct so far?
So, in the article, when it states that “It was not instituted by Christ” is wrong. Because, Christ DID institute ALL the sacraments. That does not mean, necessarily that they began at that moment, but in the case of marriage was raised (or could I say restored to the original plan of God?) to a sacrament.

What is bothering me is the statement that Christ did not institute marriage because he did.

 

[Phemie]

What is bothering me is the statement that Christ did not institute marriage because he did.

Marriage existed before Christ, and marriage is not always a sacrament so, no, he didn’t institute it.

He raised it to a sacrament when it is contracted by a baptized man and woman.

 

[H_Opey]

If Christ did not institute the sacrament of marriage, then how do I reconcile the following by the Council of Trent?

“If any one shall say that matrimony is not truly and properly one of the Seven Sacraments of the Evangelical Law, instituted by Christ our Lord, but was invented in the Church by men, and does not confer grace, let him be anathema”

Of course the penalties are not the same, but the doctrine remains.
I suppose what is confusing me is instituted the SACRAMENT and instituted MARRIAGE.

I do not think that marriage BEGAN with Christ but the sacramental element did.
So in the article:
"And unlike the other sacraments, marriage predated
Christianity.
It was not instituted by Christ but… " has to be incorrect BECAUSE he did institute the sacrament.
You also have “types” of the other sacraments in the OT. Baptism - Holy Eucharist, etc.

:whacky:

 

[Joannm]

Christ didn’t come to earth and name 7 sacraments. In fact, in the early Church there were basically only two formal Sacraments, Baptism and Eucharist. Confirmation was part of Baptism, not a separate sacraments. Centuries later it became seperate. The Sacrament of Holy Orders was not like it is now. People chose their bishops and hands were laid on them…simple, The bishop chose deacons and laid hands on them. Priests came later. The Sacrament of Penance was nothing like it is today, that too evolved. In fact, in the early Church if you sinned (we are talking big sins here) you were simply excommunicated and asked not to come back. Then they realized that there needed to be a way to reconcile people to the Church and to God. COnfession as we know it now originated with Irish monks. Marriage was a formal civil contract usually between two families. Eventually people felt the need to have their marriages witnessed by priests and blessed by the Church. It was the last sacrament to be named a sacrament. Anointing of the sick is attested to in the NT (letter of James) but it too wasn’t named a sacrament until later on. So when we say they were instituted by Christ, we do not mean Christ gave us the formula and matter in an explicit sense. We can trace all the sacraments back to Christ and they do offer us God’s grace, that much is true. But the individual sacraments as we know them developed over the centuries.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I think I am beginning to more fully understand. Thank you.

But I come to this quote from the article:

And unlike the other sacraments, marriage predated
Christianity. It was not instituted by Christ but the
church teaches that Christ raised or elevated marriage to
the dignity of a sacrament because he recognized something
fundamentally good in the marital institution."

Marriage began with Adam & Eve. We are made in the image and likeness of God. The marriages, union, reflected our covenant with God. But because of the sin of Adam, the faithful waited for the coming of a Savior, Christ.
Marriage did not BEGIN with Christ, but was instituted at that time as a sacrament.
Is my understanding correct so far?
So, in the article, when it states that “It was not instituted by Christ” is wrong. Because, Christ DID institute ALL the sacraments. That does not mean, necessarily that they began at that moment, but in the case of marriage was raised (or could I say restored to the original plan of God?) to a sacrament.

What is bothering me is the statement that Christ did not institute marriage because he did.

The wording is confusing because it seems to imply that Christ was not involved in the Creation and the institution of marriage with Adam and Eve. He was. Second it says that natural marriage pre-dated the Sacrament of Marriage, of course it did. All Sacraments were instituted either specifically by Christ or generally by Christ and then developed by the Church. It is correct to say that Christ instituted the seven Christian Sacraments, to say otherwise is to state heresy.

 

[H_Opey]

The wording is confusing because it seems to imply that Christ was not involved in the Creation and the institution of marriage with Adam and Eve. He was. Second it says that natural marriage pre-dated the Sacrament of Marriage, of course it did. All Sacraments were instituted either specifically by Christ or generally by Christ and then developed by the Church. It is correct to say that Christ instituted the seven Christian Sacraments, to say otherwise is to state heresy.

Thank you.