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Gospel Reading for October 6, 2024 – Mark 10: 2-16
DIVINE LAW
The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
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Jesus is very clear on the topic of Divorce. Both husband and wife who marry someone else commit Adultery. Therefore, the Sacrament of Matrimony is a DIVINE LAW and is IMMUTABLE.
The proponents of Divorce in the Philippines make these as grounds as to why it is needed: “the need to provide options for individuals trapped in ‘unhappy and irreparable marriages’ and liberation for Filipino wives who are entombed in toxic, abusive, and long-dead marriages.” In short, it provides couples who do not want to continue being together, to legally enter into another relationship, with no assurance that the next one will be better than the first. There are people who had been through more than 1 Divorce, a clear indication that Divorce is not the solution to a failed relationship. And if indeed, the relationship has become abusive, there are alternatives available under the law. Divorce is not the solution.
The problem lies in not understanding the sanctity of the Sacrament of Matrimony and the promise to make good their vows of “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” The marriage vows itself already describes the profundity of the relationship, and the need to make Christ/God the center of it in order to succeed. Many a marriage failed because the couple did not work it out when they were starting to have problems. They just gave up on each other and looked the other way. They did not care about their children and other people who will be victims of “collateral damage.” Whatever the reason, Divorce cannot be a solution to problems of couples.
In the gospel reading of today, Jesus rebukes his disciples for preventing people to bring their children for him to bless. In failed marriages, and most especially in Divorce, it is the children who suffer most. Seeing their parents not get along well already makes the children very insecure. It is far worst when they have to put up with their parents changing partners. Problems in the family is the major cause of Juvenile Delinquency in the U.S.A.. What parents do not realize is that their children were not given a choice of parents. They just had to accept their parents when they were born into this world. It is SO VERY UNJUST to let them go through this.
We pray Lord, for all couples who are having difficulty in their marriage. Send them your Spirit that they may be guided and strengthened through their difficult times.
