God’s plan for marriage
Twenty Seventh Sunday - Year B
Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16 (10:2-12);
In the first reading, God realizes that the man, although placed in the Garden of Eden, is lonely. Moreover, none of the animals brought to him can alleviate his loneliness. It is only when he meets the woman, “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” that the search for a companion is over. Her presence makes his life meaningful. Now he can cultivate the Garden of Eden for her and their future family. This aim is worth leaving his parents behind and attach himself to his wife.
The beauty of marriage and family is further proclaimed in Psalm 128. It is seen as a reward for righteousness. “Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!” (Ps. 128:1). Blessed with what? Success, prosperity, spouse, and children. The fear of God reverses the curse proclaimed in Eden, that by the sweat of his brows man will get the bread to eat (Gen. 3:19). Psalm 128 is used in the liturgy of the Church as a blessing for brides and newlyweds. How did then divorce come about?
“Because of the hardness of your hearts” (Mark 10:5). In the ancient world, male-initiated divorce was the norm, and the wife’s opinion was not taken into consideration. Moreover, the law was open to different interpretations. What does it mean, that a husband can divorce his wife “when she fails to please him because he finds something obnoxious about her” (Deut. 24:1)? Was lack of cooking skills a sufficient reason for divorce? The world went even further than Moses introducing so-called “no-fault divorce”. It allows the dissolution of a marriage on a finding that the relationship is no longer viable, without any need to show “fault” or marital misconduct. Then, the avalanche of divorce rate began.
The further we stray from God the less we hear His voice declaring through the prophets: “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16). Marriage is a sacrament, and a sacrament is a visible sign of a reality that is invisible. God put the man into a deep sleep, took one of his ribs, and fashioned the rib into a woman (Gen. 2:21-22). Our Lord was put “into a deep sleep” on the Cross and a spear pierced His side (John 19:34), then the Church is born. A man leaves his parents and clings to his wife (Gen. 2:24) and so the Word leaves His Father, becomes flesh, and clings to the Church. Marriage is indeed “a profound mystery” (Eph. 5:32) and divorce destroys this mystery.
In their discussion about marriage, the Pharisees side with Moses, while Jesus states: “whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her” (Mark 10:11). Paradoxically, it is Moses’ dispensation and not Jesus’ tough stand that is preferable among many Christians. Most of the churches permit “to write a certificate of divorce” (Mark 10:4), and there is strong pressure on the Catholic Church to do the same. One does wonder who is the Lord of Christians: Jesus or Moses? “But, it was not this way from the beginning” (Matt. 19:8). Jesus wants to restore this ideal beginning to his Church and through the Church to the world.
The one who spoke against divorce in the Gospel is the author of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9) to transform our stony hearts into a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). As our brother, He understands us well; as our God, he loves us too much to allow us to remain in sin. The grace of salvation brings “charity” (1 John 4:12) into our hearts allowing husband and wife to love one another and this love can reach perfection in their faithfulness to their marriage vows, albeit through sufferings.