THE QUESTION OF MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE ('Is divorce permitted?')
First Reading: Genesis 2: 18 to 24
Second Reading: Hebrews 2: 9 to 11
Gospel Reading: Mark 10: 2 to 16
*First reading is from the book of Genesis. The Lord God creates man and woman. He brings the woman to the man. When man sees her, he readily acknowledges her as: "The bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." This implies a very intimate and very close relationship between man and woman. Hence, God made man and woman for each other and they are to live in unity and harmony. Thus the creation story in the book of Genesis tells us that man and woman share equally the same human nature symbolically stated as the 'bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh'.
*Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Hebrews. Paul narrates the humiliations, sufferings and the death of Jesus on the cross. Through Jesus' death, salvation of humankind is perfected through His sufferings. By entering fully into the human life and by experiencing the bitterness of death, Christ becomes a brother and a saviour to humankind. He reminds us that in order to be sanctified, we too need to undergo sufferings in our lives.
'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mark. While Jesus is teaching, some people put the above question to Jesus. Ever since, this question is repeated in various forums and on many occasions. Is divorce permitted by the church? Today's Gospel reading gives us some very interesting and deep insights regarding this rather difficult and very relevant question. Jewish law permits divorce. However, when asked, Jesus clearly and unequivocally states that it is allowed due to the hardness of their hearts. God never intended that a married couple should ever divorce. Hence the answer given by Jesus: "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder", is very important. His disciples asks for a clarification from the Master. So Jesus makes it clear and says that one who divorces his or her legally married partner and marries another, commits the sin of adultery. Hence, the indissolubility of the marriage bond is affirmed by Jesus. As we are aware, breakdown of many of the marriages is due to selfishness, lack of respect and acceptance of one another by their partners due to various reasons. Unfortunately, these breakdowns are very much on the rise every single day. Often, it ends up in endless blame games, court battles and finally divorce. When two people get married they bring to it their strengths and weaknesses, loves and hates, hurts and wounds, hopes and fears. This is the truth. But they also have a great potential for growth. This happens when they respect each other as they are - two imperfect and vulnerable humans. In any marriage, there will be hard times. In those difficult moments, they should not feel that God and the community have abandoned them. In this context St. Pope John Paul II says : "Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic Church." May the Lord Jesus, who wants every married couple to live in mutual trust and faithfulness, bless all of you and grant you the grace to overcome the many challenges of your married life. Amen.
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