...pulling that football out from under us!Pope Francis Suggests Most Catholic Marriages are Invalid!
Once again the pope, in an impromptu comment, throws the faithful for a loop with his confusion and ambiguity. Here's what he said yesterday during a Q & A session:
I heard a bishop say some months ago that he met a boy that had finished his university studies, and said ‘I want to become a priest, but only for 10 years.’ It’s the culture of the provisional. And this happens everywhere, also in priestly life, in religious life,” he said.
“It’s provisional, and because of this the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null. Because they say “yes, for the rest of my life!” but they don’t know what they are saying. Because they have a different culture. They say it, they have good will, but they don’t know.”Huh? How hard is it to understand that a promise is a promise? Obviously if a person marries a liar who has no intention of keeping the oath to God and spouse, the marriage is invalid, but if two people with no coercion take that serious step of affirming a lifelong union BEFORE GOD, don't tell me it's "null." But this statement fits perfectly with all the pope's actions undermining the indissolubility of marriage from the Synod on the Family to Amoris Laetitia.
"Well," someone might say, "Young couples don't really know what they're getting into." So? Let's say you sign a contract to build a new house for such an amount in such a length of time. The builder keeps his end of the bargain and presents you with the keys when he's finished. Hello! You are accountable for the agreed upon price. A judge doesn't want to hear that you, "Didn't realize what you were getting into and that you'd have to really come up with the balance at the end." Get ready to have all your assets seized to pay the bill.
Sacramental marriage is more than a legal contract; it's a sacred promise BEFORE GOD! Now the pope is implying that most Catholic marriages are null, not like Moses did because of the "hardness of heart," but because of the "provisional" culture. I think the opposite is true. Most couples are validly married but, like Woody Allen, decide that the heart wants what the heart wants. So...they just throw out their promise with, "I have a right to be happy," and move on. Are today's couples less capable of making a promise than the woman Jesus met at the well whom He challenged with, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” (John 4)
Reading the article, I can't say I disagree with the woman who questioned the pope about the ability of priests to get out of their vows and marry. Nevertheless, what others do isn't my problem. If I make a promise I keep it, no matter how many other break theirs. And I would continue to keep it even if my husband abandoned me. Fortunately, he's a promise keeper too. It's a question of integrity.
Over and over again, the pope's statements confuse the faithful and give fodder to the media grist mill. Please, Lord, rein in Pope Francis. Give him a prudent tongue and save us from his impromptu scandals!
My husband and I can't even pray for the pope's intentions any more without qualifying our prayer by saying, "if they be in accordance with Your holy will."
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
"give him a prudent tongue"............ Maybe duck tape would work??
ReplyDeleteI had no idea how college loans would interfere with fulfilling my vocations of wife & mother. I am still paying back every last cent. Consequences, but no one thinks they are required to stick around and clean up the mess they made. And Pope Francis just told them they shouldn't have to.
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