Choose a topic from Part 3 Suppl:
1. An irregularity, in the technical sense in which weuse the term here, is any physical or moral defect which, by decreeof the Church, prevents a man from receiving the sacrament of holyorders. Now, bigamy (that is, a plurality of wives, a plurality ofmarriages) makes a man irregular. For he who is to administer thesacraments, must not himself be deficient with reference to thesacrament of matrimony. For marriage as a sacramentsignifies the union of Christ with the Church, and this is a unionof One with one.
2. A man who has one wife in law, and anotherin fact, is a bigamist, and incurs the irregularitymentioned above.
3. One who marries a non-virgin is adjudged irregular.
4. Baptism does not remove the fact of bigamy, nor theirregularity consequent upon bigamy.
5. In certain cases, it is possible for a bigamist to bedispensed from irregularity. {-Most of thisdiscussion of irregularity from a cause of bigamy is whollyirrelevant or meaningless today.-}
"If, devout soul, it is your will to please God and live a life of serenity in this world, unite yourself always and in all things to the divine will. Reflect that all the sins of your past wicked life happened because you wandered from the path of God's will. For the future, embrace God's good pleasure and say to him in every happening: "Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed good in thy sight." "
St Alphonsus de Liguori
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"God gives us some things, as the beginning of faith, even when we do not pray. Other things, such as perseverance, he has only provided for those who pray."
St Augustine
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"To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think well and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom. Wherefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself.
"
Thomas á Kempis
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