Folia Canonica 11. (2008)
STUDIES - George D. Gallaro: Oikonomia and Marriage Dissolution in the Christian East
122 GEORGE D. GALLARO fending God, and through a life of faith spent in the new cursed situation, man waits for redemption. For this reason, the guilty Christian, after a salutary penance, is readmitted without being asked to leave the partner of the new marriage.59 Thus, the individual relives in his own small world the great drama of the relationship between God and man, from the first sin to final redemption. It is here worthy repeating that this Council as well as the Eastern Fathers never had officially declared the application of economy for the second (or third) marriage of divorced Christians. It has been tolerated as a practice, but never changed into a true theological and ethical principle to be accepted by all. Hence, it is difficult to find in the Eastern Fathers formal statements of meaning. On the other hand, the texts affirming monogamy and indissolubility are countless and variegated. The casual easiness of some scholars collecting passages of the Eastern Fathers to demonstrate the legitimacy of divorce is not convincing because they seem out of their original context. This is almost always the result of a limited wealth of information, not of true knowledge gained by study. The very foundations of the theological thinking of the Greek Fathers demand the absolute indissolubility of marriage and exclude divorce. Such is the teaching of the Eastern Church. The Eastern Fathers illustrate for the believer the perfect Christian ideal. However, they are fully aware that, while all must strive towards the ideal, only some attain it, many do not achieve it at all despite their good will, and others struggle to walk amid frequent falls. For the imperfect members the Church opens her heart up to the extreme limit of tolerance leading them toward redemption.60 This merciful act of the Eastern Church has been always made easier by her profession of faith which reaches high levels unknown to the Christian West. In such spiritual setting it is easy to achieve benefits in Christian behavior to compensate for the unbalance brought about by the very act of economy. The Eastern ethos has always rejected the spirit of secularization. Having a deep sense of the sacred and the supernatural, the Eastern Church regulates the life of her faithful with ease. On this matter, the Christian East and the Christian West differ because of their historical and cultural backgrounds. This is also true for the growth of Christian conscience. In Western society scores of people uphold divorce as an affirmation of lay mentality and of distinction between sacred and secular. The Eastern faithful, on the other hand, in the very act of asking for a divorce, may break into tears because they do not intend to abandon their faith but also because are afraid that God might abandon them. In this different context of faith and culture, it 59 Provided there arc no other diriment impediments of another nature. 60 It must be kept in mind that the second marriage of a legitimate union that has failed is not always due to sensuality, but may be motivated by contingent and very honest needs.
