Many of you (okay, a small minority of you) already know what is meant by a “mystical marriage.” Master Catholic Apologist, Mr. Jimmy Akin recently re-published an article about St. Catherine of Sienna who said she had this kind of marriage with Jesus Christ. You can read about it here.
My question is this: How does the Church promote the Lord’s mystical marriage with a female saint, but when it comes to male saints, they don’t really discuss it? Wouldn’t it look like a same-sex marriage if the Church did promote it? I have the same question for ladies who become nuns and take vows which are intended to be like vows of marriage with the Lord, but men just don’t do that. Would it make sense for the male saints to be in Heaven as brothers or wards of the Lord, but a few select female saints as his mystical bride. No. It wouldn’t, and I don’t think the mystical marriage agreement is kept beyond earthly death of the saint. For, at the resurrection, we are neither married nor given in marriage; we are like the angels of God [Matthew 22:23-28].
Now, let’s review some of the things which may lead us to believe that we really are going to marry the Lord. Jesus Christ reaffirmed what the greatest commandment is. He said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” [Matthew 22:37]
Let’s match the Lord’s command also with the announcement that the Church is Christ’s holy Bride. Now, we’re thinking about real marriage, but the dogma is still not very clear, especially in light of the fact that female saints and religious talk about being married to Jesus in a rather direct way (but short of natural marriage), but male saints and religious don’t really “go there.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph number 796 summarizes the dogma in this way:
“The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist.234 The Lord referred to himself as the “bridegroom.”235 The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride “betrothed” to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him.236 The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.237 “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her.”238 He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body:239This is the whole Christ, head and body, one formed from many . . . whether the head or members speak, it is Christ who speaks. He speaks in his role as the head (ex persona capitis) and in his role as body (ex persona corporis). What does this mean? “The two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church.”240 And the Lord himself says in the Gospel: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.”241 They are, in fact, two different persons, yet they are one in the conjugal union, . . . as head, he calls himself the bridegroom, as body, he calls himself “bride.”242
We are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind. And “each of the faithful” are considered “as a bride ‘betrothed’ to Christ the Lord. We are each to become “one spirit with him.” Okay, something is getting more clear here: we are not joining our bodies with him (the Body is actually the whole Church); we are joining our spirits with his. That makes more sense. So, this is definitely not a natural marriage by any sense of the word.
Recap: mystical marriage looks like a man giving a woman a wedding ring – one man and one woman, and it’s imagery seems to be close to natural marriage because no one ever talks about a male saint or religious getting married to Jesus – that would be like same-sex marriage. The Church’s dogma is quite different: there is one Bridegroom but many Faithful betrothed together to him – their spirits joined, made one with his. This is spiritual, not physical. And, this is a sort of divine, spiritual polygamy (not in the positive, natural sense), and not monogamy (which mystical marriages seem to be like).
We can see how this spiritual marriage plays out in the parable of the Vine (Jesus) and the Branches (each of the Faithful) [John 15:5]. There is one Vine (Bridegroom) and many branches (each betrothed as if each were a separate bride). If we abide in [love] the Lord, we bear a lot of fruit! But, that is spiritual fruit we are bearing. Contrast that with having a lot of children in obedience to the will of God to be fruitful and multiply – naturally. Now, on a grape vine, it is not usually the vine itself that is directly involved in reproduction which leads to fruit. Remember: Christ is the Vine and we are branches. What comes from our own branches? Flowers bud from our branches if we are healthy. And what do our flowers do? Our flowers might cross-pollinate. But, that doesn’t mean that the Faithful are pollinating each other’s spiritual flowers. Grape flowers can be male, female, and hermaphroditic (many cultured vines have these). So, let’s say that since we are not given in marriage at the resurrection, but are like the angels of God, I’m thinking our spiritual flowers are hermaphroditic and it is Christ, the Vine, who is providing all of the life substance necessary for us to be healthy and bearing fruit – real fruit which lasts for eternity. As well, He is a bit far removed from the activity of the pollination which leads to germination and fruit,
So, we are all joined to Christ in one spirit. This is the true marriage with the Lord. We bear fruit from this marriage, but in a way which is a step or two removed from the direct interaction of the Lord (i.e., he’s not involved in the pollination, germination, maturing of the fruit – that’s our job).
Okay, it’s clearer to me now. And, I must say that I think that mystical marriages are GREAT, and have a truly good purpose, but I don’t think they are meant to last beyond our earthly lives.
What do YOU think?
Theo-Logis 