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56. Spiritual Relationship as Impediment

1 & 2. Spiritual relationship is a bond arising, by churchlaw, from the administering and receiving of the sacrament ofbaptism. It exists between the person baptizing and the personbaptized, and also between the sponsors and the person baptized,but not between one sponsor and the other sponsor. It is a dirimentimpediment of marriage.

3. In an older day it was commonly considered that aspiritual relationship could arise from standing sponsor atconfirmation, and even from giving catechetical instructions. Butthe Church has definitely settled the matter, as explainedabove.

4. The spiritual relationship of a godfather to the personbaptized does not pass to his wife so as to make her also aspiritual relative of the person for whom her husband stoodsponsor. The same is to be said of a godmother and her husband.

5. Nor does spiritual relationship pass to the children ofa sponsor.

"Lord, here burn, here cut, and dry up in me all that hinders me from going to You, that You may spare me in eternity."
St Louis Bertrand

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"To do God's will -- this was the goal upon which the saints constantly fixed their gaze. They were fully persuaded that in this consists the entire perfection of the soul. "
St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"Whoever wants to stand alone without the support of a master and guide will be like the tree that stands alone in a field without a proprietor. No matter how much the tree bears, passers-by will pick the fruit before it ripens. "
St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church

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