Saturday, November 07, 2015

Broken water main


i) Why is the admission of divorced and remarried Catholics to communion such a big deal, anyway? That's a bit complicated to answer. 

From an outsider perspective, most Protestants don't think marriage is indissoluble. There is clearly one, and arguably two grounds for divorce in the NT. And some Protestants think there are probably more.

In addition, even if the second marriage was sinful, Protestants generally think that effectively dissolved the first marriage. So it becomes a question of contrition. 

ii) On paper, there are huge differences between Catholicism and classical Protestantism. Just consider Trent or the Marian dogmas. Yet modernism has eroded the foundation for traditional Catholic dogmas. Like a broken water main that washes out the foundation of a road, the road may still look solid on top, but that's deceptive. 

Why would bishops still believe in the Assumption of Mary if they doubt the historicity of Christ's Ascension? Why would they still believe in the Immaculate Conception or perpetual virginity of Mary if they doubt the historicity of the Virgin Birth? Why would they still believe in Marian apparitions if they doubt the historicity of the post-Resurrection appearances? And so on and so forth. They can't erect a wall between their skepticism regarding the Bible and traditional Catholic dogmas. 

iii) So that throws emphasis on externals that demarcate Catholicism from its rivals. Unless there's something distinctive about a denomination, what's the justification for its separate existence? Why not consolidate or go out of business?

iv) Apropos (iii), the Mass is the central sacrament of Roman Catholicism. Although Rome has seven sacraments, the Mass is the most corporate of her sacraments, 

[by which communicants] participate with the whole community (1322). 
1324 The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."136 "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." 
1327 In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith.

As the showcase of Catholicism, who's permitted to participate becomes all-important. That's a defining sign of Catholic identity, in contrast to Protestant bodies. 

Of course, enforcement has been slack for decades. So the real question is whether to make the practical status quo official.  

3 comments:

  1. "As the showcase of Catholicism, who's permitted to participate becomes all-important. That's a defining sign of Catholic identity, in contrast to Protestant bodies." Would that were so, as we LCMSers have the Galesburg Rule, stating that Lutheran pulpits and sacraments are for Lutherans only. One can believe and do just about anything provided one remains on the rolls and chants the Real Presence mantra, hence the Matthew Becker debacle.

    Steve, papistry has always proclaimed itself immutable, and the theme is oft repeated in the RC blogosphere. They've been taex defending their fli-flop on creation; do you think that a change on divorce will negatively impact their appeal?

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  2. Why is the admission of divorced and remarried Catholics to communion such a big deal, anyway?

    Early bishops of Rome set up marriages in ways contrary to the reigning laws of the Roman empire, and in ways that seemed to be illegal in those days. Here is Peter Lampe, citing Hippolytus:

    When women from the noble class were unmarried and in the heat of their youthful passion desired to marry and yet were unwilling to give up their class through a legal marriage, he [Callistus] allowed them to choose a partner, whether slave or free, and to consider him to be their husband without a legal marriage.

    So from the beginning, one of the most solidly-"traditioned" of Rome's "papal traditions" is that of "marriage outside of existing legal channels" and customs. To give this up would be to sacrifice an important early tradition.

    Lampe continues, "Young Christian girls who belonged to the upper class and possessed great wealth had difficulty finding partners from their own social class in the Christian community... The ladies helped themselves by joining to men of lower rank without marrying" (pg 120).

    Lampe notes that "this option received the blessings of Callistus in Rome. In this way he prevented two things: mixed marriages with pagans and the social decline of Christian women. Both were in the interests of the community" (pg 121).

    Of course, a later superimposition to this illegality, a cover, was "Christian teaching on marriage". If they give up the latter, they'll have to admit to the former, which shows this "bishop of Rome" in an obviously bad light, with respect to something that is "doctrinal".

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  3. By the way, Steve, the imagery of "a broken water main that washes out the foundation of a road, the road may still look solid on top, but that's deceptive." -- I read some time ago that Giovanni Montini (as "Pope Paul VI") had a copy of "The Naked and the Dead" on his bookshelf. My intention isn't to give away any spoilers, but I wonder if back then he saw the hollowing-out phenomenon.

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