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Eternal marriage is very Mormon.

The question of divorce, annulment and remarriage contains an important and interesting issue: How does God's grace reach out to people in their fallen state while also trying to raise them to God's level of living?

On the one hand, Jesus clearly reaches out to everyone: even the divorced and the remarried. Consider the woman by the well, who had five husbands and who was living with a man whom she was not married to. Jesus spoke to her, and He gave her one of the greatest teachings on living the Divine life. He started with her present understanding (regular water) and then tried to move her to a higher level of understanding (living water) and then to faith and action.

He did so by asking her to do something that she should be able to do but was unable to do without Him. (Jesus said to her, "Why don't you go and come back here with your husband?")

That, in turn, guided her to face the truth about her current condition. (She said, "I don't have a husband." And Jesus replied, "You have answered correctly. You have had five husbands, and the man you are living with is not your husband.")

That, in turn, elicited her faith in Jesus; and that faith, in turn, enabled her to bring herself and all of her neighbors to receive Jesus and to listen to Him.

This, I believe, is a powerful lesson on how to live the Life in Christ. It is not merely an exposition of Jesus' teachings, power and omniscience. It is not merely an example of how Jesus reaches out to anyone and everyone. It is also --and especially-- an illustration of how Jesus redeems souls. He reaches out to us, at whatever level of understanding and moral condition we are at. He then guides us to facing the truth of our lives by asking us to do something we cannot do ourselves. And if we accept that fact --if we face the truth that "without Me you can do nothing"-- *that* becomes the opportunity for accepting the presence and grace of Jesus: first in our own lives and also by inviting our neighbors to receive Jesus.

Hence, applied to marriage, it is clear that the standard of Jesus is "no divorce." It is also clear that people get divorced. And thus, the issue of annulment should be seen as therapeutic: therapy for the weak and failing soul to face the truth and to accept the grace of Christ to repent and to be redeemed and to be healed.

Just my two cents.

-- John

My wife says her marriage is eternal...does that make her Mormon? :p

Gordo

No Gordo! Just very sweet.

Dear Gordo,

You stated:

It depends. Which wife said it? :p :p


On a more serious note,

If a couple was married by a Justice of the Peace, who gave blessings of God (generic protestant type), I realize the couple is not "officially" married within the Church.

Once the couple found the True Church though, should they or could they ask for a formal crowning? Is it too late? Are they living in sin? What is the view of this within the Eastern Church [BCC or BO]?

Would it be okay to ask for blessings from their priest on a major anniversary?

Thanks.

Michael

hmmm....lots more questions than answers on this topic. Anyone out there? Maybe these questions all have to be addressed by the relevant hierarchy?

FYI

Fr. Joseph Allen a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America was allowed by Metropolitan PHILLIP to remarry after ordination and after the death of his wife. He served as editor for the text Vested in Grace: Priesthood and Marriage in the Christian East. He also contributed a chapter which examined the question of remarriage after ordination.

I have come to realize that nothing is certain except that Hierarchs certainly do exercise a great deal of economy.

Yes, he also wrote a book about his whole experience.
However, just because it happens does not mean it is the norm.
This issue of the re-marriage of priests, after their death of their wives, has been a topic for discussion for almost 100 years in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

I assume that the couple in the process of formation in the faith would have ceased 'living in sin' and would have arranged to be married in Church after they had been received. This would be their wedding day, so bring on the crowns.

Yes it is called "Widowed Priest" and is published by Light and Life in Minneapolis.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/18.../102-0519044-6671341?ie=UTF8&s=books

For Eastern Catholics, if Rome is willing to dispense deacons frequently, why not presbyters? Both together make up the "two hands of the bishop"... Is it because the deacon, as part of a "lesser order" because his ministry is non-sacerdotal, while the presbyter's ministry is sacerdotal and is thus held to a higher standard and should reflect the apostolic ideal?

Gordo