Difficult Topics | Divorce & Remarriage
Teaching God's Plan for Marriage and How Catholics Can Marry in the Church
There are many options for teaching God’s plan for marriage and how Catholics can marry in the Church. They are listed below. We often try to "fix" challenges and impediments in an existing marriage without a scriptural foundation. In this light, we have included selected sections in Beloved that speak to the plan and permanence of marriage (along with some of the impediments in modern dating and cohabitation that might challenge the marriage bond) that could be ganged together, at least so the leader will know what is going to be addressed in all the Beloved videos.
Recommended Formed Content:
- The "A" Word: Journeys Through Annulment
- What about Divorce and Annulments?
- Catholic Teaching on Marriage & Annulments by Bishop Joseph Perry
- What's the difference between divorce and annulment?
- What Catholics Believe About Marriage: Divorce, Annulment & God's Design
Teaching Resources for Using Beloved
LARGE GROUP PRESENTATION
- Pick the time and location for a 6-week study
- Download and print promotional resources for Beloved.
- Provide drinks and a light snack
- Break into small group discussions after the video
- Order full-color guides for each participant.
“The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” Catechism of the Catholic Church #1131
DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS
- Take a group of 5-8 leaders through a Beloved 6-week small group study using the Leader's Guide.
- Order full-color guides for each participant.
- Invite the 5-8 leaders to lead another 5-8 participants through a study of Beloved.
PARISH WIDE STUDY
- Pick six weeks in the calendar for your Parish Wide Study
- Use the promotional materials for Parish Wide Studies
- Pick a weekend and use the pulpit pitch at the end of the masses to invite participation from all parishioners and encourage them to watch and discuss with their families and friends
- Print business cards and do a reverse collection at the end of all the masses
- Use the bulletin blurbs for each of the six weeks to encourage continued participation
MARRIAGE RETREAT
- Pick a weekend in the calendar for your marriage retreat with Beloved
- Download and print promotional resources for Beloved.
- Use the six sessions from "Living Marriage" throughout the weekend
- Break into couple discussions and small group discussions
- Order full-color guides for each participant.
Beloved Series Episodes on Divorce and Annulments
- Beloved (Session 1: Does Marriage Matter? Start at the 20-minute mark until the end of the video)
- Beloved (Session 2: Entering the Story of Marriage Start at the 23-minute mark until the 27th minute mark)
- Beloved (Session 4: Cohabitation and Frequency of Divorce (start at the 35-minute mark until the 38-minute mark)
- Beloved (Session 5: A Sacramental Bond (begin at the 7:27 mark with Dr. Ted Sri on the new aspects of a Catholic marriage until the 30-minute mark—this is probably the video on Beloved that most underscore the permanence of marriage).
Quotes for Inspiration
"The fruit of sacramental life is personal and ecclesial. For every one of the faithful, on the one hand, this fruit is life for God in Christ Jesus; for the Church, on the other, it is an increase in charity and in her mission of witness." Catechism of the Catholic Church #1134
"The sacraments push us to be missionaries and the apostolic commitment to bring the Gospel into every environment, even the most hostile, is the most genuine fruit of regular sacramental life, because it is a participation in the saving work of God, who wants to give salvation to all." Pope Francis, General Audience, November 6, 2013
Catholic Church Teaching
Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed., 2000)
The Catechism offers a comprehensive treatment of the Church's teaching and touches upon every facet of the Christian faith. This work is divided into four main sections: the profession of faith (the Creed), the celebration of the Christian mystery (the Liturgy), life in Christ (the moral life), and Christian prayer. While references to marriage and family can be found throughout the entire book, the following paragraphs are particularly applicable:
- Male and Female He Created Them (CCC 369-373 and CCC 2331-2336)
- The Sacrament of Matrimony (CCC 1601-1666)
- Nature of the Family; Family and Society (CCC 2201-2213)
- Chastity and Homosexuality (CCC 2357-2359)
- The Love of Husband and Wife (CCC 2360-2379)
USCCB Resources
- "Making a Case for Marriage" - Topics and Talking Points
- CARA National Study on Catholics and Marriage
- Dialogue with Social Scientists and Theologians
- Theological Colloquium on the Sacramentality of Marriage
- Consultation with Canonists and Tribunal Staff
- Consultation on the Practice of Marriage Preparation
- Consultation on Sustaining and Enriching Marriages
In Collaboration with Dioceses
- Analysis of Diocesan Marriage Preparation Policies
- Diocesan Focus Groups with Married Couples
- Diocesan Focus Groups with Priests
- FAQs on Marriage
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
Letter Concerning the Reception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful (1994)
This letter clarified canonical, sacramental, and pastoral principles regarding the situation of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics in the life of the Church. While not available on the Vatican website, the letter can be found together with commentaries in On the Pastoral Care of Divorced and Remarried Persons (LEV/USCCB, 2012).
Instruction Donum Vitae on respect for human life in its origin and on the dignity of procreation (1987)
This text is the predecessor to the above document, Dignitas Personae. Written amid significant medical innovation in reproductive technology, this document defends the gift and dignity of married love and human life (particularly in its earliest stages) against the onset of intrusive and immoral scientific innovation. See, in particular, sections II, A, and 1.