Marriage in the Lord
1612 The nuptial covenant between God and his people Israel had prepared the way
for the new and everlasting covenant in which the Son of God, by becoming incarnate
and giving his life, has united to himself in a certain way all mankind saved by him,
thus preparing for "the wedding-feast of the Lamb."104
1613 On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first sign - at his mother's
request - during a wedding feast.105 The Church attaches great importance to Jesus'
presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of
marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of
Christ's presence.
1614 In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of
man and woman as the Creator willed it from the beginning permission given by
Moses to divorce one's wife was a concession to the hardness of hearts.106 The
matrimonial union of man and woman is indissoluble: God himself has determined it
"what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder."107
1615 This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may
have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize.
However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy -
heavier than the Law of Moses.108 By coming to restore the original order of creation
disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new
dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and
taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of
marriage and live it with the help of Christ.109 This grace of Christian marriage is a
fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life.
1616 This is what the Apostle Paul makes clear when he says: "Husbands, love your
wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify
her," adding at once: "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. This is a great mystery, and I mean
in reference to Christ and the Church."110
1617 The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the
Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is
so to speak the nuptial bath111 which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist.
Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the sacrament of the
covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies and communicates grace,
marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the New Covenant.112
V. The Goods and Requirements of Conjugal Love
1643 "Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter -
appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the
spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one
flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness
in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the
normal characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance which
not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them
the expression of specifically Christian values."150
The unity and indissolubility of marriage
1644 The love of the spouses requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility
of the spouses' community of persons, which embraces their entire life: "so they are
no longer two, but one flesh."151 They "are called to grow continually in their
communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage promise of total mutual self-
giving."152 This human communion is confirmed, purified, and completed by
communion in Jesus Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened
by lives of the common faith and by the Eucharist received together.
1645 "The unity of marriage, distinctly recognized by our Lord, is made clear in the
equal personal dignity which must be accorded to man and wife in mutual and
unreserved affection."153 Polygamy is contrary to conjugal love which is undivided
and exclusive.154
The fidelity of conjugal love
1646 By its very nature conjugal love requires the inviolable fidelity of the spouses.
This is the consequence of the gift of themselves which they make to each other. Love
seeks to be definitive; it cannot be an arrangement "until further notice." the "intimate
union of marriage, as a mutual giving of two persons, and the good of the children,
demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable union between
them."155
1647 The deepest reason is found in the fidelity of God to his covenant, in that of
Christ to his Church. Through the sacrament of Matrimony the spouses are enabled to
represent this fidelity and witness to it. Through the sacrament, the indissolubility of
marriage receives a new and deeper meaning.
1648 It can seem difficult, even impossible, to bind oneself for life to another human
being. This makes it all the more important to proclaim the Good News that God loves
us with a definitive and irrevocable love, that married couples share in this love, that it
supports and sustains them, and that by their own faithfulness they can be witnesses to
God's faithful love. Spouses who with God's grace give this witness, often in very
difficult conditions, deserve the gratitude and support of the ecclesial community.156
1649 Yet there are some situations in which living together becomes practically
impossible for a variety of reasons. In such cases the Church permits the physical
separation of the couple and their living apart. the spouses do not cease to be husband
and wife before God and so are not free to contract a new union. In this difficult
situation, the best solution would be, if possible, reconciliation. the Christian
community is called to help these persons live out their situation in a Christian manner
and in fidelity to their marriage bond which remains indissoluble.157
1650 Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to
civil divorce and contract new civil unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ -
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if
she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery"158 The Church
maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If
the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively
contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as
long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain
ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be
granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant
and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence.
1651 Toward Christians who live in this situation, and who often keep the faith and
desire to bring up their children in a Christian manner, priests and the whole
community must manifest an attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider
themselves separated from the Church, in whose life they can and must participate as
baptized persons:
They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice
of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to
community efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to
cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's
grace.159
The openness to fertility
1652 "By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the
procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning
glory."160
Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of
the parents themselves. God himself said: "It is not good that man should be
alone," and "from the beginning (he) made them male and female"; wishing to
associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and
woman with the words: "Be fruitful and multiply." Hence, true married love
and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without
diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the
spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who
through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day.161
1653 The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and
supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education. Parents are the
principal and first educators of their children.162 In this sense the fundamental task of
marriage and family is to be at the service of life.163
1654 Spouses to whom God has not granted children can nevertheless have a conjugal
life full of meaning, in both human and Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a
fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice.
A quote from Pope Francis:
“Perfect families do not exist. This must not discourage us. Quite the
opposite. Love is something we learn; love is something we live; love grows
as it is 'forged' by the concrete situations which each particular family
experiences. Love is born and constantly develops amid lights and shadows.
Love can flourish in men and women who try not to make conflict the last
word, but rather a new opportunity. An opportunity to seek help, an
opportunity to question how we need to improve, an opportunity to discover
the God Who is with us and never abandons us. This is a great legacy that
we can give to our children, a very good lesson: we make mistakes, yes; we
have problems, yes. But we know that that is not really what counts. We
know that mistakes, problems and conflicts are an opportunity to draw closer
to others, to draw closer to God.”
-- Address to Festival of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia,
Sept. 27, 2015
Question:
Can a woman who was divorced by her first husband (he left her and
married again) receive Holy Communion?
Answer:
Yes. If a divorced person has willfully destroyed a valid marriage, or
if that person has entered into another romantic relationship, that
person is barred from Communion until he has regularized his status
in the Church through confession and/or an annulment. As neither of
these circumstances apply in this case, the person is able to receive
Communion, assuming she is otherwise in a state of grace.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
It can happen that one of the spouses is the innocent victim of a
divorce decreed by civil law; this spouse therefore has not
contravened the moral law. There is a considerable difference
between a spouse who has sincerely tried to be faithful to the
sacrament of marriage and is unjustly abandoned and one who
through his own grave fault destroys a canonically valid marriage.
(CCC 2386)
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in Concerning the
Reception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried, has
said that a divorced Catholic who has not remarried can receive
Holy Communion after receiving the sacrament of confession and
living in complete continence.
Guidance About Civil Marriages
Question: If a practicing Catholic marries a non-Catholic in a civil marriage ceremony is that considered a
valid marriage in the eyes of the Church? If a couple who is Catholic and non-Catholic marries without a
religious ceremony and lives together, is the Catholic partner committing a mortal sin if they receive
Communion?
Answer: Thank you for writing and asking questions about the teachings of the Church in two important
areas – civil marriage and a marriage between a Catholic and non-Catholic.
All Catholics (and in the situation you raise, namely a Catholic and non-Catholic) who exchange vows in
the presence of civil officials are not considered validly married in the eyes of the Catholic Church. If
they marry in a civil ceremony and are living with their spouse, they should not present themselves to
receive Holy Communion.
The Catholic Church invites couples who are married civilly to the graces of the Sacrament of
Matrimony, to bless them in the vocation of marriage and dedicate themselves to sharing God’s love.
This is called a convalidation.
The couple should contact a priest who can assist them in preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony.
More information about convalidation can be found by clicking here.
You also ask a question about marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic. The Church supports
interfaith marriages where one of the spouses is a baptized non-Catholic or a non-baptized non-
Christian, but recognizes many of these couples face unique pastoral challenges.
Someone who is Catholic should marry in a Catholic ceremony. Out of pastoral care for the couple and a
respect for the faith of the non-Catholic party, there are occasions when a Catholic and non-Catholic are
permitted to be married in the Church of the non-Catholic spouse.
In these cases, the Bishop of the Diocese grants a special dispensation (permission) for the wedding to
validly take place outside of the Catholic Church.
According to the Code of Canon Law, the Church’s legal system, “Any
baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to holy
communion.” (Canon 912). However, Canon 915 further clarifies that those
“obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy
communion.”
These guidelines are in place to ensure that the sacrament of communion
is received with the utmost reverence and understanding of its
significance. It is not a mere ritual, but a profound act of faith that requires
the recipient to be in a state of grace, free from mortal sin.
Civil Marriage and Receiving Communion
While civil marriage is a legally recognized union between two individuals, it
may not always align with the religious doctrines of the Catholic Church.
The Church views marriage as a sacrament, a covenant between the
couple and God, which is more than just a legal contract. This difference in
understanding often leads to questions about the eligibility of civilly married
couples to receive communion.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), “The matrimonial
covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a
partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of
the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant
between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity
of a sacrament.” (CCC 1601)
From this perspective, a civil marriage, without the sacramental
element, may not fulfill the Church’s requirements for a sacramental
marriage. This difference is significant when it comes to receiving
communion, as the Church’s guidelines stipulate that one must be in a state
of grace, free from mortal sin, to receive communion. The Church views
entering into a non-sacramental marriage, such as a civil marriage without a
Church’s blessing, as a state of mortal sin.
However, it’s important to note that the Church’s stance is not a judgment on the individuals
involved, but a reflection of its understanding of marriage and communion. The Church
believes that the sacraments are gifts from God, and they require certain dispositions to be
received properly.
This is why the Church encourages civilly married couples to regularize their situation and
receive the sacrament of marriage in the Church, thus enabling them to fully participate in the
sacramental life of the Church, including receiving communion.
Can Civilly Married Couples Receive Communion?
As previously discussed, the Church views marriage as a sacrament, a covenant between the
couple and God. Therefore, a civil marriage, without the sacramental element, may not fulfill
the Church’s requirements for a sacramental marriage.
According to the Code of Canon Law, “Those upon whom the penalty of
excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who
obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy
communion.” (Canon 915).
In the context of this canon, the Church views entering into a non-
sacramental marriage, such as a civil marriage without the Church’s
blessing, as a state of mortal sin. Therefore, civilly married couples, unless
they have regularized their situation with the Church, are typically not
admitted to holy communion.
The Catholic Church and Civilly Married Couples
The Catholic Church’s teachings on marriage and communion are deeply
intertwined. This sacramental understanding of marriage is central to the
Church’s view on the eligibility of civilly married couples to receive
communion.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Eucharist is ‘the
source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed
all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with
the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is
contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our
Pasch.'” (CCC 1324)
From this perspective, receiving communion is not just a ritual, but a
profound act of faith that requires the recipient to be in a state of grace, free
from mortal sin.
The Church views entering into a non-sacramental marriage, such as a civil
marriage without the Church’s blessing, as a state of mortal sin.
Therefore, civilly married couples, unless they have regularized their
situation with the Church, are typically not admitted to holy
communion.
However, the Church recognizes that there can be complex
situations and encourages civilly married couples to speak with a priest or
a knowledgeable person in the Church.
They can provide guidance based on the specific circumstances of the
couple. The ultimate goal of the Church is to help individuals live in
accordance with its teachings and fully participate in the sacramental
life of the Church.
Can Cohabiting Couples Receive Communion?
Cohabiting couples in the Catholic Church are generally advised not to
receive Communion if they are engaged in a sexual relationship outside of
marriage, as this is considered inconsistent with the Church’s teachings
on sexual morality.
However, each situation can be complex, and the Church encourages these
individuals to seek guidance from a priest. If couples are living
together for non-sexual reasons (like financial hardship), and if they are
committed to living chastely, they may be allowed to receive Communion
after proper discernment and confession.
The Church urges cohabiting couples to regularize their situation in
accordance with Catholic teachings, either by marrying sacramentally or by
living chastely.
Conclusion
The Catholic Church’s stance on communion for civilly married couples is
rooted in its understanding of the sacraments of marriage and communion.
The Church views marriage as a sacrament, a covenant between the couple
and God. Therefore, a civil marriage, without the sacramental element, may
not fulfill the Church’s requirements for a sacramental marriage.
The Church views entering into a non-sacramental marriage, such as a civil
marriage without the Church’s blessing, as a state of mortal sin. Therefore,
civilly married couples, unless they have regularized their situation with the
Church, are typically not admitted to holy communion.
However, the Church recognizes that there can be complex situations and
encourages civilly married couples to speak with a priest or a knowledgeable
person in the Church. They can provide guidance based on the specific
circumstances of the couple. The ultimate goal of the Church is to help
individuals live in accordance with its teachings and fully participate in the
sacramental life of the Church.
For civilly married couples wishing to receive communion, the Church
typically recommends speaking with a priest, exploring the possibility of
having their marriage recognized by the Church, going to confession, and
making a firm resolution to live according to the teachings of the Church.
