Apparently there is such a thing. Turns out a vow, much less one before God, doesn’t take on the same meaning it used to. This, relayed to us by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus in the latest issue of FIRST THINGS:
Swiss couples are going to church to get divorced. The liturgy for finalizing a divorce, says Pastor Frank Worbs, “helps people get over the separation and achieve definite closure.” Ruedi Reich, president of the Zurich Reform Church, says, “Going through a ceremony like this is a way of showing God that the marriage is over.” So there, God. Now please stop bothering us with your antiquated ideas about marriage.
Ha! Typical Neuhaus humor (wit) while talking about something so sad in our culture. Whatever happened to keeping one’s word? Do we even have a clue what is meant by a vow anymore?
It strikes me as disrespectful to make a vow before God and then, when the vow is broken, go back before God to officialy let Him know. A divorce is a shame, not something to bring before God to get His implicit “seal of approval.”
I conducted a search for a liturgy to help me draw closure to a 34 year marriage.
In the marriage there were very few cross words. Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours were prayed almost every morning. 3 beautiful children were raised. My exspouse is an ordained Roman Catholic Deacon. Both of us were (& he still is) very active in ‘the Church’. One day he stated that he hadn’t been happy in 20 years and hadn’t even liked me for the last 5. A divorce followed 5 months after that statement. This was not my desire or intention. It was instigated by my husband.
It has been 6 years. I have had extensive therapy and feel that tremendous progress has been made. I will begin studying for priesthood in the fall and I feel the need to sadly say goodbye to my previous life and embrace and celebrate my new one with God’s Blessing. Therefore I was looking for a Eucharistic Celebration that would help.