Adorn, Zion, your dwelling, and receive Christ the King; embrace Mary, who is the heavenly gate, for she brings the King of glory, of the new light. The Virgin pauses, holding in her hands the Son conceived before the dawn; and Simeon, taking him in his arms, proclaims to the nations that he is the Lord of life and death, and the Savior of the world.
Concubinage is the state in which a man and a woman live as if married without having received the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Concubinage is a crime (OF FORNICATION) before God, an abomination before the Church, and a public scandal before society.
CIVIL MARRIAGE
Since marriage is a Sacrament, its celebration among Christians lies completely outside civil jurisdiction.
In marriage between Christians, the contract cannot be separated from the Sacrament, because marriage is the very natural contract raised by Jesus Christ to the dignity of a Sacrament.
Therefore, for a Christian there can be no true marriage that is not a Sacrament.
For Christians, only religious marriage is valid, and whoever does not marry through the Church is not married. Consequently, for a Christian, so-called civil marriage is not a valid marriage and is null even when considered as a mere contract.
If one were to enter into it because it is obligatory or civilly necessary, it would be solely in order to give effect to its civil consequences.
The Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, Pope Pius IX, stated this very clearly in an Allocution with these words:
“Every other union of man and woman, outside the Sacrament, entered into by virtue of any civil law whatsoever, is not marriage among Christians and is absolutely condemned.”
Therefore, Christians who are united ONLY civilly (in reality, in concubinage) and live as husband and wife live in a continual state of mortal sin. The same applies to those who, having contracted a religious marriage, resort to the INVALID civil divorce and supposedly “remarry” civilly. Those who live in concubinage must either marry through the Church or separate. Those who were religiously married, divorced, and then united “conjugally,” whether by “civil marriage” or otherwise, must separate from that false conjugal union. In both cases, if death overtakes them in that state, their souls will be condemned to hell for all eternity.
The children of Christians united only civilly are illegitimate before God, before the Church, and before persons of upright conscience.
Where the law so requires, the marriage must be registered in the civil registry in order to grant and secure civil effects for the married couple and their offspring.
But the Christian who is instructed in matters of religion, when registering in the civil registry, does not intend to truly contract marriage, but merely to fulfill a formality imposed by law for civil effects.
The law of civil marriage, in the form established in some nations as a substitute for true sacramental marriage, is contrary and offensive to the Catholic Religion.
It is an affront to Catholics to oblige them to perform a civil marriage as a substitute for the religious one, since they can recognize no true marriage other than the religious marriage.
Only an ignorant or impious Catholic (the impious person is no longer Catholic, but a renegade) can recognize civil marriage as a true marriage. The state could, with reason, require that once the religious marriage has been celebrated, it be immediately registered in the Civil Registry.
But the state cannot in any way, without offending the religious sentiments of conscientious Catholics, consider the act of civil registration as the celebration of marriage. Evidently, in secular—indeed atheistic—governments, civil marriage is considered true marriage even for believers.
Even in non-Catholic nations, if freedom of conscience were respected, the state should have no other requirement for Catholics than the registration of the marriage in the Civil Registry.
Preach the word of God; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, plead, and exhort with all patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)
I. Although not all Christians are apostles, they should nevertheless have zeal for the salvation of their neighbor. But in order for this zeal to be well ordered, each one must begin by converting himself. You have zeal for the conversion of your relatives, your friends, your servants; you charitably point out their faults; this zeal is praiseworthy; but if you do not examine yourself, it is indiscreet; see if you do not have the faults that you reproach in others.
II. Contribute as much as you can, with your words, to the salvation of others. Jesus Christ did not hesitate to converse with little children, nor with the Samaritan woman, to show them the way to heaven. A kind word spoken to that relative, that friend, that servant, will win their soul for God. Jesus Christ shed all His blood to redeem that soul, and you refuse to say a word to prevent their damnation? Where is your charity?
III. Do you want to be a true apostle? Preach by your actions. Live an exemplary life; you will move people more when they see you than by listening to the most famous preacher; your modesty will restrain even the most libertine. How many opportunities to work for your neighbor do you let slip by? It is certain, says St. Gregory, that God will hold you accountable for the soul of your neighbor if you neglect to work for their salvation to the best of your ability.
Zeal for souls.
Pray for the clergy.
It is indeed irresponsible, and extremely so, the negligence of many families toward their sick members, whom they fail to properly prepare, in cases of serious illness, to receive the Holy Sacraments.
Providing the last rites of religion to the sick is not only an act of charity meritorious in the eyes of God, but also a sacred duty that cannot be violated without incurring a terrible responsibility. If one is guilty of homicide when one lets another die of hunger, what name should be given to the horrific crime of letting a soul perish by failing to provide the aid of our holy Religion?
And yet, how often experience shows us that this crime is committed even by Catholic families! Whether due to fanciful fears or inexcusable weakness, the priest is called as late as possible, and sometimes when the sick person is already unconscious. We are not speaking here of families who deliberately wait until the sick person is in agony and who treat religion as a vain formality of pure convenience. Let us turn a blind eye to such indignity! We are speaking of those families in whom enough faith remains to consider the sacraments as holy things, to desire that the sick receive them with a Christian disposition, and yet, they are not told about confession until all hope of recovery has been lost. And what often happens in this case? They hesitate, they delay; the terrible symptoms appear; then they rush, they run in search of a priest, but they arrive too late—it is all over! God forbid that you should be treated this way in your last hour!
But what is it that prevents the fulfillment of this sacred mission? — “I don’t dare speak to him about a priest,” you say, “I’m afraid of frightening him.” —And even if he were frightened, would you rather expose his soul to eternal damnation or a long period of expiation in purgatory? To frighten him! For if he were sleeping on the edge of an abyss or in a house engulfed in flames, would you hesitate to wake him so as not to frighten him?
You say that you will call the priest when the sick person asks for it. But are you unaware that the sick rarely realize the seriousness of their condition? It is your duty to prepare the sick person to receive the sacraments in a timely manner. Go to your parish or to a priest you know in advance, who will facilitate the fulfillment of this grave duty.
Banish from your mind the false worry that the sick person will be frightened if you speak to him about the sacraments.
Experience teaches that the sick person knows that the priest comes to their side to perform the sweetest and most beneficial of all ministries, to purify and console their soul, and ultimately, to bring them, in the midst of the most cruel anguish, the peace and gentleness of Jesus Christ. Note: In some countries, there are leagues whose members commit to notifying each other in case of serious illness, so that spiritual assistance can be received in time. Why could such leagues not be established here among us as well?
The first thing to do when you realize someone is in danger is to call the parish priest or confessor so they can administer the sacraments of Penance, Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick, and apply the plenary indulgence at the point of death (very few people know about this great grace. Ask the priest for it.
Note: In some countries, there are groups whose members commit to notifying each other in case of serious illness so they can receive timely spiritual assistance. Why couldn't similar groups be established here among us? Or perhaps members could make a mutual commitment to this with two or three family members. Another aspect to consider is always being in a state of sanctifying grace (having gone to confession) before any operation, even if the risk is low. Let us not forget that the commandments of Holy Mother Church require Confession at least once a year (minimum minimum) or if there is danger of death. Finally, it is important to ensure that the sick person is always wearing their scapular, and if it has not been conferred, to ask the priest attending them to do so. Every Catholic should wear it at all times.
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O Mother of Mercy, graciously hear the prayers of Christian families, so that no one may die in their home without having received Holy Viaticum!
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