What EXACTLY is a non-sacramental valid "natural" marriage?

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Elianne623

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I was just introduced to the concept that a couple may validly marry in the Church without their marriage actually being a sacrament. This seems antithetical to me. My very understanding of marriage is that it is a sacrament. Period. Can anyone shed some light on how a union between a Catholic and a non-Catholic can be a “marriage” without being a sacrament?

:confused:
 
Christian marriage can be a sacrament. Marriage between a Catholic and a non-Christian can be a valid natural (but non-sacramental) marriage. A marriage between Christians cannot be valid and yet non-sacramental …
 
Marriage is a natural institution that predates the Church and all other human institutions. In the beginning, God made them male and female, and the two became one flesh. Within the Church, for the members of the Church, Christ endowed that natural institution with the supernatural grace of a Sacrament, but in doing so He did not thereby abolish the natural institution that is “the one blessing not forfeited by original sin nor washed away by the flood”. It is impossible for one who is not baptized to receive any other Sacraments, but a marriage is logically first valid in the natural order and then endowed with sacramental grace. When two Christians marry, these two things happen at the same time, but when both spouses are not baptized, the natural union occurs but the sacramental grace is not poured out upon the union unless and until both spouses submit to baptism.
 
An example of a valid, non-sacramental marriage in the Church would be when a Catholic gets a dispensation to marry someone that is unbaptized. Because they received a dispensation it is a valid marriage (i.e. conforms to canon law). Since their spouse is not baptized it would be a natural, but not sacramental marriage.

The reason it is not a sacrament is that baptism is the gateway sacrament. Without baptism we cannot receive any other sacrament. In the above example, if the unbaptized spouse were to receive baptism their marriage would automatically become sacramental at the moment of baptism. That is what happened to my wife when she became Catholic. At the Easter vigil she essentially received four, not three sacraments (baptism, matrimony, confirmation and Eucharist). The graces of matrimony were essentially poured out upon both of us upon her baptism even though I was a fallen away Presbyterian at the time.
 
Elianne623 said:
I was just introduced to the concept that a couple may validly marry in the Church without their marriage actually being a sacrament. This seems antithetical to me. My very understanding of marriage is that it is a sacrament. Period. Can anyone shed some light on how a union between a Catholic and a non-Catholic can be a “marriage” without being a sacrament?

:confused:
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Marriage involving one or two unbaptized people is valid and a natural marriage. It would become a valid, sacramental marriage if the parties were ever to become baptized.
 
Elianne623 said:
I was just introduced to the concept that a couple may validly marry in the Church without their marriage actually being a sacrament. This seems antithetical to me. My very understanding of marriage is that it is a sacrament. Period. Can anyone shed some light on how a union between a Catholic and a non-Catholic can be a “marriage” without being a sacrament?

:confused:
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A Sacrament can only occur between two Baptized people. For those where the couple is not Baptized, or where one person is Baptized and the other is not, the marriage, by definition cannot carry Sacramental Graces.

But that does not mean that the marriage does not happen. Just about every marriage before Christ was non Sacramental, including that of Mary and Joseph, Joachim and Anne, Abraham and Sarah.

Does anyone really want to be in a position to be telling the Blessed Mother that she was not validly married to Joseph, or that her parents were not validly married (and thus calling Mary herself a bastard :eek:)

A valid marriage is just that. The parites are joined, by their consent, in the eyes of God. He Blesses the marriage, just not with Sacramental Graces, makes it fruitful and their conjugal relations are pleasing to God and do not bear the the sin of fornication.
 
I was first married in a natural marriage. Valid, but not sacremental as neither I or my former spouse was ever baptized.

I am now married sacramentally in the Catholic Church. This required me to have a nullity case opened with my archdiocese to examine my first marriage.

Since I had left the first marriage (among other reasons) to join the faith, the Pauline Privilege was applicable: a natural marriage (two unbaptized people) can be dissolved in Favor of the Faith.

The Petrine Privilege, with agreement from Rome, dissolves a natural marriage between a baptized and non-baptized party.

Sacramental marriages (validly baptized parties, Catholic or non-Catholic) must be reviewed by a diocese on the marriage’s validity (whether it was properly undertaken and consummated, not for marital issues after the wedding) before any of that party would be allowed to marry in the Church to another. A sacramental marriage that had the proper form cannot be dissolved.
 
I never thought of that before… even Jesus was born outside of sacramental wedlock!
 
Blue_Horizon said:
I never thought of that before… even Jesus was born outside of sacramental wedlock!
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Yep, prior to the foundation of the Church, they only marriage that had a Sacramental Grace was that of Adam and Eve.

Every marriage done between Adam and Eve and AD 33 was non-Sacramental. Even that of Mary and Joseph. Mary, was of course, filled with all Grace, but Joseph was unbaptized. So their marriage was a valid natural marriage, but not Sacramental.

But that was not to say the marriage of Abraham and Sarah, or Joachim and Ann were not valid marriages in the sight of God. They were all valid, natural marriages.
 
Brendan said:
Which part?

That Sacramental Grace cannot be bestowed on those who do not have the Charism of Baptismal Grace, or that the preternatural gifts included Salvic Grace?
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The latter - that Adam and Eve’s marriage is considered sacramental.
 
Elianne623 said:
I was just introduced to the concept that a couple may validly marry in the Church without their marriage actually being a sacrament. This seems antithetical to me. My very understanding of marriage is that it is a sacrament. Period. Can anyone shed some light on how a union between a Catholic and a non-Catholic can be a “marriage” without being a sacrament?

:confused:
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This explains it:

traditioninaction.org/religious/k001rpMarriage1.html
 
Actually, God told St. Joseph to take his wife Mary into his house. So, that plus Jesus being Mary’s son, makes their marriage Sacramental. Jesus is the Sacrament. God’s word to St. Joseph sanctified their marriage.
 
bsroufek said:
Actually, God told St. Joseph to take his wife Mary into his house. So, that plus Jesus being Mary’s son, makes their marriage Sacramental. Jesus is the Sacrament. God’s word to St. Joseph sanctified their marriage.
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No. Joseph was unbaptized, so the marriage was natural.
 
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