A Past Master on the Indissolubility of Marriage


Torch of The Faith News on Friday 20 March 2015 - 09:48:48 | by admin

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Archbishop Michael Sheehan was a renowned priest from Waterford in Ireland, who was made Coadjutor Archbishop of Sydney, Australia from 1922 - 1937. In that role, he demonstrated great love for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament, a genuine interest in the welfare of his priests and a strong care for the development of sound religious education.

A brilliant theologian and linguist, Archbishop Sheehan penned books in these fields and also on the theme of botany. In his pastoral zeal, he also wrote several books of religious instruction; the classical example being Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine. This text was originally printed as two separate volumes and sold over 450,000 copies in several countries, during a period of four decades. It helped generations of young Catholics around the world to know their Catholic Faith and also the reasons for it, sustaining them for a lifetime.

Indissolubility of Marriage: Here are just some of Achbishop Sheehan's words on this subject.

Marriage is indissoluble, or unbreakable, i.e., the bond of valid marriage cannot be undone either by the contracting parties themselves or by any merely human power. This is true of all marriages, whether between Catholics, baptized non-Catholics, or pagans. ''What therefore God has joined together'', says Christ, ''let no man put asunder'' (Mk 10:11-12; cf. Lk 16:18). It is more plainly so with Christian marriage, which is an image of the indissoluble union between the Lord Jesus and His Church. To say that a consummated sacramental marriage could be dissolved is equivalent to saying that Jesus could sever Himself from His Church and abandon Her.'

Apologetics and Catholic Dogma; p. 598.

As Archbishop Sheehan alludes, Jesus Christ could never do that to His Church. In our days, however, those pushing the Kasperian revolution are attempting the opposite; to sever the Church from Christ and abandon Him.

And that's just not on!    


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