On the Articles: Article XXXII

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

LORD we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

XXXII. Of the Marriage of Priests
Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, are not commanded by God’s Law, either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage: therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christian men, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness.

The prohibition on the marriage of priests and bishops in the Roman Catholic Church was an innovation of the medieval period, much like the administration of the Lord’s Supper in one kind only. While in the case of the Eucharist the full reasons behind the decision are no longer entirely clear, the decision to prohibit the marriage of priests and bishops is known and relates to abuses among families where positions were being inherited.

In the Scriptures, as noted in the Article which says that celibacy is not commanded by God’s Law, while St Paul does commend celibacy for those who are able to practice it, it is not commanded, and indeed in I Tm 3. 2-12 when St Paul gives qualifications for bishops and deacons, he mentions that they may be married.

While in the early Church celibacy was sought as Godly by many, it was never particularly enforced, and often those who promoted it did so for all Christians, not simply for the religious or clergy. Pope St Gregory the Great was the first to truly advocate it, given his monastic origins, though he was unable to enforce this on clergy in his time.

The Council in Trullo in 691, almost a century after St Gregory’s attempts to enforce celibacy, established the rule that married Christians could become priests, but priests could no longer marry, meaning that even if your wife died you could not be remarried, nor could a celibate priest be married after ordination. In addition, bishops were required to come from monastics and celibate priests (including priests whose wife had died). These canons remain in force among the Eastern Orthodox today, however the council was never ratified in the West, and its practices were not adopted.

In the West, then, both priests and bishops were permitted to marry, and often did. This led to dynastic tenures in various offices, where fathers would ordain their sons and offer them plum positions only for the son to later inherit the bishopric. This led to particular families becoming rather wealthy. In the West the First Lateran Council of 1123 sought to impose clerical celibacy, however despite the Pope’s efforts to enforce it, it was never wholly received, for instance in Ireland where married priests remained the norm.

At the time of the Reformation, the practice fell under challenge in the West. Martin Luther, a monk, had broken his vow of celibacy and married a nun. To justify this position, he attacked the authority of enforced celibacy by pointing to the freedom for clergy to marry in Scripture. Among Protestants, the practice soon became normative.

In England, it took until 1549 for clerical celibacy to be abolished, however during the reign of Mary I, celibacy was again enforced and married clergy were defrocked. It took some time for the practice of married clergy to again become normative, but it had by the early 18th century.

It should be noted that the Article does note that it is lawful for priests to marry, the Article concludes by saying that each individual should judge how best to serve godliness by either marrying or not. This passage is reminiscent of St Paul’s exhortation in I Cor 6. 12 that, “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.”

On the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

The Second Sunday in Lent

ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lent

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Unlike the Sacraments discussed so far, Matrimony is not a necessary sacrament for everyone. Some people are called to celibate lives of singleness. For those whom God calls into relationship, however, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is the means by which God’s grace and love are joined into the relationship, sanctifying it and strengthening it in holiness.

In Holy Scripture, God’s blessing of the unions between men and women play an important role throughout. In the Old Testament, the union between Adam and Eve is described in Genesis, and God’s blessing of other unions is mentioned with numerous other Biblical figures. In the New Testament, the Gospel of St John records Christ’s first miracle during the wedding at Cana. Today, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is one in which Anglicans, particularly in Canada and the United States, have recently devoted much debate and indeed controversy, namely over the amendment of canons concerning the Sacrament to allow for the marriage of same-sex couples. This piece will explore the sacramental and scriptural basis for Holy Matrimony, which finds no basis for conferring God's blessing on such partnerships, but will not seek to discuss the relationship of civil marriage to the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and what distinctions might be made with respect to civil marriage of same-sex couples.

Before delving into the question of the sacrament itself, a definition in terms might be useful. While the terms are often used interchangeably, in this article, the sacrament will be referred to as Matrimony or Holy Matrimony, while the civil institution, recognized by the state, will be referred to as marriage. While the two are entirely distinct, the failure to draw the distinction between one as a sacrament ordained by God to guard, hallow and protect the sacred gift of love he grants the couple, while the other is a civil institution granted by governments in order to provide a framework of legal benefits and rights intended to support families. One can be married, recognized by the civil government as such, and yet not receive God’s blessing. The criteria on which marriage is based are not in any way connected to God’s basis for estate of Holy Matrimony, and in discussing the subject, care should be taken not to confuse the two.

Matrimony, while not directly ordained by Christ, is mentioned several times in Holy Scripture, including by Christ himself. St Mark’s gospel has Christ responding to the Pharisees questioning him over marriage when he says:

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mk 10. 6-9)

In this passage, Christ quotes from Genesis and confirms the nature of the Holy Matrimony as being ordained by God from the start of creation. In the historic sense, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony has been one practiced since the early days of the Church. First century Rome was not well known for its chastity, and the morals of the Christians were viewed as a unique curiosity. It is clear then the importance that the hallowing of a union would have in the early Church.

In Anglicanism, the Thirty-Nine Articles also mention much the same definition of Holy Matrimony in Article XXXV which lists the homilies in the Book of Homilies, one of which is On the Estate of Holy Matrimony. This homily lays out nearly the same reasons for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony as does the Book of Common Prayer, 1662:

[Holy Matrimony] is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all men...

The Canadian Book of Common Prayer similarly outlines three reasons for Holy Matrimony:

Matrimony was ordained for the hallowing of the union betwixt man and woman; for the procreation of children to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord; and for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, in both prosperity and adversity.

Both are generally in accord, though the 1662 Book of Common Prayer had one additional reason for Holy Matrimony, “and to avoide Fornication,” as the Book of Homilies puts it. While the Canadian BCP does not list this particular point, it remains implicit simply through the scriptural reason for this argument, which is laid out by St Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians.

The three primary reasons for Matrimony are laid out in the Book of Common Prayer as follows. The first is the hallowing of the union between man and woman. This first reason therefore is to set apart the union between a man and woman as sacred. The emphasis here is on God blessing the union. It contrasts with the third reason--which has to do with the mutual support of the man and woman--which could just as easily be argued to be present in secular relationships. This makes it the key distinction between Matrimony and marriage or other forms of relationships. The second reason for Matrimony is procreation and the raising of children in faith. Procreation has often been listed among reasons for marriage, but it is the key component of raising children in faith and knowledge of God that is specified in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

These reasons, the traditional and scriptural basis for Matrimony, illustrate the ways in which God’s grace is extended to a relationship to promote a blessed union between man and woman, and further illustrate how Christian Matrimony is set apart from secular and civil marriage.

The Wisdom of Saints: St Valentine of Terni

The Feast of Valentine, Bishop and Martyr, 269

O GOD, who didst bestow upon thy Saints such marvellous virtue, that they were able to stand fast, and have the victory against the world, the flesh, and the devil: Grant that we, who now commemorate thy Martyr Valentine, may ever rejoice in their fellowship, and also be enabled by thy grace to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold upon eternal life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For many, St Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a Hallmark holiday, a holiday popularised by various corporations in order to sell greeting cards and candy. Yet the reality is that St Valentine’s Day finds its origins in the commemoration of the 3rd century Christian martyr St Valentine of Terni.

It should be noted that there are actually, in the Roman Catholic tradition, a number of saints named Valentine (Valentinus in the Latinized form) whose deaths are commemorated on 14 February. For two of the three, however, relatively little is known about them. The final St Valentine is understood to the one recognized by Pope Saint Gelasius I in 496 for veneration on the 14th. Of this St Valentine, some details still remain about his life and particularly the circumstances of his martyrdom. While more was believed to have been recorded at certain times, the complete records of St Valentine’s life were believed to have been destroyed during the Diocletian Persecution in the early 4th century.

The details of St Valentine’s early life are not known, however by the reign of Emperor Claudius II from 268 - 270, he had become the bishop of Terni in central Italy. When Claudius II initiated a religious persecution against Christians, St Valentine became a target. Also important to the story was an edict promulgated by the Emperor, who was a Roman general prior to becoming Emperor and is mostly remembered for his military victories against the Goths, which prohibited young people from marrying under the belief that unmarried men make better soldiers because they would not worry about their wife and family back home.

St Valentine defied this edict, and entered couples into the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. More than this, when Claudius initiated his persecution, Christians were arrested for maintaining their belief in Christ in contravention of the Emperor’s declaration that all citizens were to worship the Roman gods. Ultimately, St Valentine was caught, imprisoned and tortured before being sentenced to death in 269 AD.

St Valentine’s story continues with his jailor Asterius. While he was imprisoned, his jailer, seeing that St Valentine was an educated man, asked him to tutor his blind daughter Julia. St Valentine agreed, and over the course of tutoring her, the subject of religion was raised. As the story goes, St Valentine taught her that God hears our prayers, to which Julia described how she prayed to the Roman gods for her sight but they never heard her. St Valentine then laid hands on her and prayed over her sight. Her sight was miraculously healed, and Julia and her father Asterius came to faith through the miracle. In some accounts Asterius has his entire household baptised.

St Valentine continued a correspondence with Julia, and his last note, which urged her to remain close to God, was signed, “your Valentine,” which some link to the modern practice of sending valentines.

While St Valentine’s Day is more today associated with love, it is clear that the true message of this martyr is that of perseverance in faith in the face of persecution. That is not to say that his message concerning Matrimony is inconsequential. It’s clear that there is a similar message of the need to endure suffering and strife with God’s help in order to successfully enter into Holy Matrimony. In addition to being the patron saint of love, he is the patron saint of engaged couples and happy marriages.

When thinking of St Valentine’s Day, it should not be a day for chocolates, flowers and romance. It should be a day in which we remember his courage and perseverance in Christ, and how such attributes are essential in maintaining a healthy human relationship. No amount of commercial advertising should be able to convince us that a marriage can be fuelled by greeting cards, chocolates or flowers; rather marriage is fuelled by love, and there is only sufficient love for a permanent marriage when that love is drawn not from within the husband and wife, but from God, who renews and maintains the marriage each moment of each day.