In today’s Gospel Jesus is questioned about divorce. Jesus goes beyond the permissive stance assumed by Moses in his period of history. He moves to what God intended from the very beginning of time as an ideal marriage relationship.
There is no compromise on what Jesus holds out as the ultimate and ideal goal of marriage—two people should become one flesh; what God has joined let no one separate, whoever divorces and remarries commits adultery.
Ideally a marriage should be marked by unity— a total sharing of body, mind and spirit; it should be a permanent relationship—till death do us part.
However, we do not live in a ideal world. We live in a real world where to often selfishness overpowers love, taking dominates giving, and some marriages end in divorce. What does Jesus have to say about that?
To answer that question, recall how Jesus condemned adultery, but forgave the woman caught in adultery; how He showed compassion toward the Samaritan woman at the well who had lived with five husbands; and how he gave Peter a new start after Peter had denied Him and ran away.
Do we continue to strive for ideal marriage? Yes, with all our resources. Do we condemn divorced people whose marriage fell short of the ideal? No, we condemn divorce but not the divorcee. We deal with the divorce the way Jesus would— by balancing the law with love, firmness, with forgiveness and principles with practices.
Today let us pray for married couples that God keep them in His grace. Let us also pray for those whose marriages have failed, that God will continue to bless them and help them to always feel His presence in their lives.
God Bless,
Msgr. Powell