Getting things right

There are only two weeks left before we celebrate the Easter Triduum. These three days (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday) and of course Easter Sunday and the fifty days that follow, are filled with all kinds of significant moments and observations. Each of them merit their own special attention.

This year, there are three people from this parish, along with three more from a neighboring parish who are going to be received into full communion with the Church. All six of them have been baptised, some in other Christian faiths and some as Roman Catholics, but all six of them need to complete the Sacraments of Initiation (baptism, confirmation, eucharist). In addition, there is a seventh person who has never been baptised, but who has been faithfully exploring various aspects of our faith and is now ready to accept baptism (and the other sacraments mentioned above as well).

A few weeks ago, we did a class with these seven on the Catholic Church's teachings about Marriage. One of these teachings is that all Roman Catholics must be married in the Roman Catholic church, before a priest or a deacon in order for their marriage to be valid and licit. As it turns out, there are two of the people in our little group who are civilly married to Roman Catholics, but who have never had their marriages convalidated (blessed or recognized by the Church).

The problem is that if the Church were to continue with a baptism or a reception into full communion without first convalidating their marriage, they would end up in an irregular situation. How can we recognize the sacraments of initiation they celebrate without recognizing a marriage (which they have been living for all intents and purposes for a number of years now). The rush is on. We have a little less than two weeks now to put these situations right. It's not impossible to do, but it does mean that we have to work fast.

When all is said and done, perhaps on the outside, there won't be too much that changes for them. People who know them will see no change in their living situations, but sacramentally there will be an enormous difference because now the Church recognizes the union that they share.

These can be painful realizations for some, but the good thing is that we can put things right, and we can do this rather swiftly if we need to. The Church is not out to condemn, but to find ways to get things right. When someone comes to us and inquires about being part of our Church, these decisons should never be made lightly; we too take things seriously.