Divorce

Do you believe in marriage?

They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. 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, let no one separate." - Mark 10:4-9

In today's Gospel, Jesus is asked about divorce.

I would like to believe that most people, when they choose to marry, plan to stay together for the rest of their lives.

Sure, there are those who view marriage as a social event, something a celebrity does to raise public awareness of them and their lives, and they don't really expect it to last.

But for the rest of us, I believe we want it to work.

When Jesus was asked about divorce, he was asked by those who were not so enamored with marriage.  It was a responsibility, and sometimes it was one they wanted to do away with for political or personal reasons.

But when a woman was divorced back then, she was marked.  She couldn't work so she had to live on whatever small amount she was given to go on her way.

And if she had no son to care for her, she could be in a lot of trouble, unable to support herself.

Now I am not trying to justify divorce in modern times, by pointing out how cruel it could have been in days of old, but I do believe Jesus understood the question and the reason it was brought to him, and it had little to do with marriage and divorce.

It was all about breaking the laws, laws designed to combat power plays and selfish desires.

So, it is better to intend to stay together and live as one, with love as the bond that holds us, and we can pray that is the type of relationship we find.

It is possible to live and love as one for life, so why not strive for that?

But it takes two, doesn't it?

If two cannot live as one, something in the mix isn't right.

In that case, one could argue that the vow was not fulfilled, and the marriage is invalid.

What it boils down to , I think is intent.  Do you truly love this person and want to live as one with him or her?

If so, it could and should work.

But if you fool yourself into thinking you can change him or her to be what you want, look elsewhere, because it will fail.

Divorce before marriage is somethings the better path.

More to come...