If someone married outside of the church, they would be considered to be living in sin. What if the couple has aged to the point that sexual relations are neither sought or possible. Can the Catholic member return to the sacraments now that the sinful aspect of the relationship is obviated?

I think that you are neglecting the possibility of scandal. Most people would not be aware that the couple are not sexually active.

Pope John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation on the ROle of the Christian Family in the Modern World Familiaris Consortio in 1981: "The Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried. They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist. Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: if these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church's teaching about the indissolubility of marriage" (#84). This last sentence gets at the responsibility of being an example to others and the possibility of scandaling others (leading others into sin).

The only situation where the Church envisions married couples continuing living in a common household as "brother and sister" is due to responsibilities to children. In such a situation, the needs of the children outweigh the concerns over scandal. However, this wouldn't apply in the situation of an older couple.

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