Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19, 3-12
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female 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?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
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.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
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.”
Understand in order to live
- ¿For any cause whatever? Jesus does not refer to divorce itself. Instead, he looks at the incredible commitment that marriage requires. Married life is difficult. There are times when you barely understand yourself, and then you are required to try to understand your spouse. Having two lives become one is not easy, but the key to a happy marriage is putting God in your marriage. When times are tough, try to recall why you fell in love with each other and why the two of you have stayed together. There are stages in married life that are hard and others which are beautiful. Before you consider separation, make sure the reason is not just any little thing, you need to look at the bigger picture and include God in your analysis.
- Divorce. There are situations when separating may be advisable. If there are physical, psychological, or moral abuses occurring, it is better to distance oneself from the other person. There is even the possibility of a marriage annulment if a marriage does end in divorce, but that does not mean that the Church simply says that you may now remarry. Nullity means that the marriage was not valid, that in the eyes of the Church that marriage never existed. We must always seek to care for the integrity and dignity of everyone involved, otherwise we can destroy each other’s hearts and lives. Marriage is difficult, so don’t add to the problems that may already exist.
- Celibacy. It’s another way of living a life of love. It is about transcending the sexual urge and expanding one’s heart to include everyone. The celibate person contemplates life. It is union with Jesus that leads them to express gentleness and affection to all. The characteristic of a celibate person is joy. That is why marriage is such a huge sacrament, it requires sacrifice for the other person every day. Each day you have to reaffirm your vows and say “I choose him” or “I choose her.” I want to make something clear here. You will not marry Superman or Wonder Woman, but together you can display God’s love to the world. Don’t destroy that grace over a trivial matter.
May God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. …and do not forget: Heaven is Our Goal!
