THE GIFT OF MARRIAGE AND CONSEQUENCES OF DIVORCE
27 ^th Sunday in ordinary time Gen 2:18-24; Mk10:2-16

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If two human persons have become one flesh how could they be separated without killing each other’s life? When this one body is separated nothing but only some dead organs remain. In the same way the separation of man and woman in a marriage bond leaves nothing but some dead bodies. Though they look alive apparently, still they are dead for once they were one flesh (body) and now have been separated like the organs of one’s body are being removed. Therefore, they are only few dead organs. There is no life in it. Jesus also wants to stress that there is no power and authority on this earth that is higher than God’s authority. That is why he says in Mk10:9 “what God has joined together, no human being must separate”.

As the church teaches, Unity and indissolubility ate the two properties of Marriage. If a person seeks for divorce in a marriage then that marriage loses its property. Unity means that Marriage bond cannot be broken or dissolved. But divorce goes against this property of marriage. It does break the marriage bond. Indissolubility means monogamy relationship. As God willed in the beginning a man and a woman marry each other and they have their marital union only with his or her partner not with anyone outside marriage bond. But divorce leads one to polygamy relationship.

Well being of the partners, procreation of children and bringing the children up are the three purposes of marriage. Divorce first of all affects the well being of the partners. If I promise to take care of the well being my partner, how can I think of asking him or her to depart from my life? Secondly, divorce destroys children’s lives in many ways. First, there is no father or mother picture in the life of a divorced parent’s child. This can create man psychological disorders in the child. It can make the child to live an immoral life as he or she grows. In nutshell, marriage unites and divorce divides. Marriage builds up life and divorce destroys life. Divorce affects not only the parents, but their children, surrounding and ultimately ruptures the nature of God’s creation.

Like the Pharisees in the Gospel, today many non-believers, atheists, anti-Catholics, and anti-Christians could ask us the same question about marriage. Since the state law permits, is it lawful to divorce? Is it lawful to have same sex marriage? Is it lawful to use contraception? As believers in Christ our answer will be the same that of Jesus. It was not so from the beginning. It is so now, because of your hard heartedness. Every human being must follow what was from the beginning, for God’s law is above every other law.