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Can one Sacred Mystery (or Sacrament) be an impediment to another?

Of course...for example Holy Matrimory is usually an impediment to Holy Orders in the Roman Rite...but there are exceptions (the case of Married Anglican and Lutheran pastors). Marriage is also an impediment to Monastic Tonsure (usually)...and Monastic Tonsure (a Sacrament in the East) is a definite impediment to Marriage.

Those are the ones I can think of...there may be more. Maybe other priests and/or theologians have others?

In Christ Jesus Our Lord,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Joseph,

If one is married, one cannot be a bishop or, if one belongs to the Ruthenian Church, a priest . . .

Yes . . .?

Alex

Celebrating a marriage before Divine Liturgy (on any given day) would be an impediment as far as receiving the sacrament at THAT Liturgy, as the wine that would be consumed from the common cup at the marriage would break the fast necessary for Communing. (Not, of course, that anyone gets up at dawn to be married...but, one never knows)

Gaudior, whimsically

My thinking cap is on.

Holy Orders (even if the spouse is deceased) is an impediment to Holy Matrimony.

The correct answer is:

In the Orthodox Faith, Marriage is only an impediment to Monastic tonsure if one's wife is living. We have many bishops and monks who are widowers (or widows, if one is a nun). I also know of a few monastics who are divorced, although I am not sure of the specific rules, if any, about this.

Priest Thomas

Father Thomas, BLESS! Of course if one's wife is alive, but also willing to enter the monastery (or one's husband)...then a man or woman may enter upon the monastic path and be tonsured. It is rather common in Orthodox countries...but not so often here in America.

Kissing your holy right hand,
Your poor brother in the Lord,
+Gregory, priestmonk

About eight years ago when we lived in another town where there was a Byzantine Church the pastor-priest of the Byzantine Catholic Church we attended was divorced. He was ordained after the divorce. He may have also been a convert from Judaism, so not sure when he converted nor do I know whether his wife was living or not. Someone may wish to enlighten me on the options involved when this is the case.

In another Byzantine parish we visited a few times last year there was a former Anglican priest who was married. He had only converted to Catholicism a few years prior to that, and he was bi-ritual. His wife, also a convert, was living and very much involved in the parish. The few times we were visiting there(couldn't join because of great distance)he assisted in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. They were in their sixties. Lovely people - real servants of the Lord.

Blessings,

Mary Jo

Fr. Gregory,

Christ is in our midst!

Yes, I am aware of that situation also. I would be interested to hear of anyone's annecdotal evidence of an instance of this situation in our land. I am unaware of any although it certainly may exist.

Priest Thomas

Bless, Father Gregory,

I believe there was a Russian New Hieromartyr whose wife left him for another man.

When his wife refused to be reconciled to him, he received monastic tonsure.

As I understand it, monastic tonsure annuls marriages and every other contract made before the tonsure (?)

And this is where the phrase "Get thee to a nunnery" came from - it was basically medieval man's way of annulling his marriage by getting his wife to receive the monastic tonsure.

St Basil the Great said, I believe, that a married man may go to live the monastic life with the permission of his wife.

However, if she is intransigent, he may not need her permission.

St Paissy Velichkovsky also received a married man into his Brotherhood who had been thrown out by his wife.

The man travelled a long distance to see St Paissy and then tearfully recalled his story.

The holy Elder received him and had him tonsured, giving him an obedience in the bake-shop.

Good leaven, all around, I say . . .

Alex

Alex, are you saying then that the expression, "Get thee to a nunnery" came before Shakespeare used it in Hamlet when Hamlet says this to Ophelia?? I used to teach medieval history and don't recall this coming before Shakespeare, but I am always ready to be enlightened.

In Christ,

Mary Jo

I seem to remember hearing that when Hamlet said it, Shakespeare actually meant a whorehouse. ???

Pentha Tria, I'm sure you must have meant: a house of ill-repute???

Love in Christ,
+Fr. Gregory, who's getting old for sure!

One of the monks at Holy Resurrection Monastery is in the same situation. His wife divorced him and he became a monk.

Tammy

Dear Tammy,

Perhaps he was monkish when he was still married too . . .

Women can take everything but monks as husbands . . .

They're a terrible tease - getting up in the middle of the night . . . but then going to pray . . .

Alex