An Examination of the Role of Faith in Matrimonial Consent and the Consequences for the Sacrament of Marriage

Abstract

An Examination of the Role of Faith in Matrimonial Consent and the Consequences for the Sacrament of Marriage1 Lawrence J. Welch and Perry Cahall Introduction The desire to clarify the relationship between personal faith and the sacrament of Matrimony arose in part from a renewed understanding of the sacraments as sacraments of faith. This renewal was spurred on especially in light of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which stated in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, that sacraments "not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called 'sacraments of faith.'"2 Subsequent to the Council, theologians tried to articulate how to understand the role of faith in marriage as a sacrament of faith without making the sacrament dependent on the subjective faith of the couple. This question has most recently reemerged in the 2014 and 2015 synods on the family. This paper provides a brief overview of the post–Vatican II history [End Page 311] of the state of the question regarding the role of faith in the act of consent to sacramental marriage, an issue about which there is more clarity than people may realize. We will then comment on one recent essay by José Granados, who proposes to offer a way forward in developing our understanding of the relation of faith to the valid celebration of the sacrament of Matrimony. We contend that, while Granados offers some valuable insights regarding the role of faith in matrimonial consent, his proposal is problematic as a potential way forward for doctrinal development with regard to the sacrament of Matrimony. After presenting a summary and assessment of Granados's proposal, we will offer some of our own reflections on the role of faith in the valid administration of sacramental marriage, highlighting some aspects of the question that often receive too little emphasis. History of the State of the Question It is often pointed out that the question of the relation of faith to the sacrament of Matrimony emerged with pressing concern in the years following the Second World War.3 In this period that witnessed the secularization of Western society, many theologians and pastors began noting the phenomenon of the "baptized nonbeliever," a term designating those who were validly baptized but lived lives apart from the Church and whose personal faith was all but nonexistent. This led some to ask what degree of faith is necessary in order to validly confect the sacrament of Matrimony, of which the spouses are the ministers, according to the Latin tradition. The statement of the Second Vatican Council that the sacraments are "sacraments of faith" that presuppose, nourish, strengthen, and express faith4 further caused speculation regarding the level or degree of faith necessary to exchange valid consent to sacramental marriage. The 1969 introduction to the Rite of Marriage for the Roman Rite, citing Sacrosanctum Concilium §59, stated: "Priests should first of all strengthen and nourish the faith of those about to be married, for the [End Page 312] sacrament of marriage presupposes and demands faith."5 In the 1970s, a number of theologians argued for the need to demand explicit faith for a couple to enter sacramental marriage, or at least for a minimal level of faith that would be necessary to administer the sacrament.6 In 1977, the International Theological Commission (ITC) published a document entitled Propositions on the Doctrine of Christian Marriage, in which the problem of personal faith and the sacrament occupied the concern of commission members. This document maintained that, like the other sacraments, matrimony confers grace "by virtue of the action performed by Christ."7 It also noted, "according to classical principles," the difference between the validity of a sacrament and its fruitfulness, pointing out that "faith is presupposed as a 'disposing cause' for receiving the fruitful effect of the sacrament." However, the ITC went on to comment on the "new theological problem" and "grave pastoral dilemma" of "baptized nonbelievers" for whom lack of or rejection of the faith seems clear. The Commission affirmed, "the problem of the intention and that of the personal faith of the contracting parties must not...