GOD SO LOVED HE GAVE

FROM A HEART OF GRATITUDE
WE GIVE OUR
TIME, TALENT & TREASURE

Everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God.
Stewardship is the ability to share our gifts of life – Time, Talent & Treasure with others, no strings attached and no conditions. We share these gifts out of our love for God and gratitude to Him.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matt 6:23

Our Lenten Journey of Faith

Divorced? Married outside the Church?

On this Third Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading is a conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. In the course of their discussion, Jesus reminds her “for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.” Jesus does not pass judgement on her as he leads her to conversion—a conversion that results in her becoming his disciple to the town’s people.

Since the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has often spoken of reaching out, as Jesus does in this Gospel account, to those who feel they have been pushed away from the Church because of divorce or being married outside the Church for whatever reason. We hear people talk about “irregular” marriages and often wonder why they are not in full communion with the Church.  Maybe you are in this position, or maybe you know of someone who feels the Church is not welcoming because of a divorce or a marriage outside the Church. Like the Samaritan woman at the well, there is hope and an opportunity heal and grow in faith.

The Church teaches that marriage, within God's plan, is an intimate partnership of love and life.  The Church expects a man and a woman to commit themselves to each other for life. They are to be faithful to each other and open to having children.  Husbands and wives render mutual help and service to each other.  In short, marriage is a union of two persons, an interpersonal relationship which includes the sharing of the whole of their lives.  This commitment of spouses presumes sufficient maturity, freedom, knowledge and psychological capacity at the time of marriage. And, we know that marriages “go wrong.”

All marriages are presumed valid until the contrary is proven.  In considering whether a marriage bond is valid, the Catholic Church looks at five things: the form of the marriage, the freedom of the parties, their capacity for entering into marriage, their knowledge of marriage and of each other, and their intentions in entering into marriage.  A marriage can be declared invalid if something is lacking in any one of these areas.

You may have heard a parishioner or friend mention a church annulment.  The term “annulment” is a popular, but not entirely accurate, word for a declaration of nullity which is the official declaration by the Church that what appeared to be a marriage was in fact, not a true marriage as the Church understands it.  A declaration of nullity does not deny that a relationship existed, nor does it imply that the relationship was entered into with ill will or moral fault. 

Rather, the Church issues a declaration of nullity, after careful study when it is proven that some ingredient necessary for a true marriage (e.g. proper intention, sufficient psychological maturity, capacity, freedom and knowledge) was lacking when consent was exchanged. Divorce itself does not prohibit a Catholic from receiving the sacraments.  However, Church discipline holds that divorced Catholics who remarry without a declaration of nullity (an annulment) may not receive the sacraments. If this sounds confusing or legalistic, it can be. And, this is why the Church, in our case the Archdiocese of Seattle, has certified archdiocesan Advocates are able to journey with and guide a person, in a confidential environment, in discerning and seeking an annulment in the Church.

Deacon Clark Goecker is one of the Advocates at our Parish with over 30 years of experience ministering with individuals seeking an annulment. He can be reached at goeckerc@aol.com or his cell (530) 219-4708 if you have questions or wish to begin the process of nullity of one or more marriages.

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www.marriageuniqueforareason.org

www.21stcenturycatholicevangelization.org
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