What's amazing is that all this is just part of being human. It's not reserved for the few, the chosen, the secret number. It's written into the soul of man and woman — what John Paul called “the nuptial [marital] meaning of the body.” Being a man, being a woman, was intended by God to mean “made for each other in His plan.”
“Wherefore, both for the private good of husband, wife and children, as likewise for the public good of human society, they indeed deserve well who strenuously defend the inviolable stability of matrimony.” (37)
“A wall is like a rule; and the gates are like the exceptions that prove the rule. The man making it has to decide where his rule will run and where his exceptions shall stand. He cannot have a city that is all gates any more than a house that is all windows; nor is it possible to have a law that consists entirely of liberties.”
I may have to pull that quote out again, later.
I think it's not too much to ask that for a brief moment on an obscure blog in a dusty corner of the internet we just take a little while to think about what kind of wall serves our city best — before we fling ourselves back into the storm of where-do-the-doors-go.
Even better, what kind of wall did God give us to build the city with?
It's in paragraph 36 that the whole of this teaching turns: “The marriage of Christians recalls that most perfect union which exists between Christ and the Church: “Sacramentum hoc magnum est, ego autem dico, in Christo et in ecclesia…”
Later we will grapple with the exceptions and what-ifs and necessary hand-wringing. (Can you grapple with hand-wringing? Why not.)
We just have to have some criteria — some standards — and those standards should be rooted in who we are and how God made us — not arbitrary or based on our particular preferences. That's what the document has been about up until now.
Then it goes further.
For those of you who might not know what a sacrament is, or who might have only a hazy, somewhat metaphorical idea, let me just give you a quick primer.
efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.
The encyclical isn't too long for you to catch up with us! Won't you join us? Go here for a time-line of events leading up to the writing of the encyclical, and scroll down for a handy outline.
@byzcathwife says
beautiful! What does Christ think of marriage? the best example I can think of- The Miracle at Cana- His first!
Mary says
Dear Leila,
Oh, my goodness–I HAVE to ask–what kind of bread is that there in the photo? Okay, it's late afternoon and my thoughts are turning to providing nourishment. That lovely bread looks like it would provide DELICIOUS nourishment! Thank you for this and all of the Casti Connubii posts. God bless.
Pax,
Mary
_Leila says
Mary, it's my rosemary raisin bread — recipe here: http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org//2010/07/s…
Mary says
Thank you. I just may have found BREAKFAST! Take care and God bless.
Pax,
Mary
tacy says
this is encouraging. i'm not reading along but i love g.k. chesterton – i have been a longtime fan- and i hope to read the encyclical at some point soon.
Kathy says
This reminds me of a talk given by a Christendom professor about creating a 'vibrant life within the walls of your home' – it was very moving to me and full of wisdom, much like your series on Casti Connubii.
Now that I have adult and teenage children (as well as little ones), I'm so glad my husband and I prayed over this and became deliberate about life within the home, it has paid off in many, many ways (not that we are perfect) but we see how it has kept our teens out of dangerous paths thus far. It is like 'building that wall',
Jill W says
I LOVE your views on marriage and family. I am constantly coming back and reading them and soaking up the meaning. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful perspective. Each time I read your posts about CC I am reminded of this proclamation to the world shared by our LDS church with the world: http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lan…
It resonates with so many of the things that you have shared that I wanted to share it with you.
Thanks again (and forever) for the many ways that your thoughts have guided me to be a better mom and wife to this rowdy bunch!
Jill W.