3 Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” 7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?” 8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” 10 [His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept [this] word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” (Matt 19:3-12)
ONE FLESH
Last year there was a case of a separation of a high profile husband and wife that went viral. The couple announced that after three years of marriage, they were parting ways, even though their love and respect for each other remained. They were requesting for privacy in their difficult moment. The husband posted publicly his sentiments and admitted to having been unfaithful. Naturally, all of this was a bait to a lot of comments and numerous memes were made.
Then came posts that supported separation, or even more, calls for divorce. Online polls became popular: “Are you in favor of divorce?” Was this the solution called for by such marital relations? I have a friend who, as every follower of Christ should be, a staunch defender of the sanctity of marriage.
At the height of this issue surrounding the couple, he posted: “Perhaps we've forgotten—or never learned—the profound truth of what marriage is: the vocation to love your spouse freely, totally, faithfully, and fruitfully, that you may lead each other and your kids to heaven. It was never meant to primarily be our source of happiness or fulfillment, although married life does have such moments. We cannot attain eternal life in heaven without carrying our cross, and married life are full of days when couples are bound to their crosses. Married life is like the rosary. There are days of joy, and there are days of sorrow. The more we remain true to our marital vows, and the more we remain connected to God, the more we see days when God redeems us and renews us from the wounds of the crosses we bear. Then, we realize that God has manifested himself and his glory, especially in the quiet and mundane moments of our married life.”
These words reflect Jesus’ words that echo the most beautiful institution that God himself established from the beginning of time.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. What are my views on marriage? Are they in congruence with what the Gospel teaches?
2. How do I help in convincing people about the sanctity of marriage?
Lord, I pray for married couples, that they may be faithful to their vows.
תגובות