THE WORD
Ez 16,1-15.60-63 / Mt 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, no human being must 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
A church wedding ceremony always evokes a personal feeling of delight at the thought that there are still individuals who believe in the sacrament of matrimony. Many Filipinos, and young couples elsewhere, no longer give priority to this sacrament. It’s expensive, the procedural requirements are time-consuming, and the legal processes of divorce when marriage turns sour costs a lot.
In the Philippines, one of every ten marriages ends up a failure. That’s still good news; in other countries, failure rate is much higher. In highly urbanized cities like Cebu and Manila, 50% of couples have not received the sacrament of holy matrimony. Marriage is an institution whose sanctity is seriously threatened. It is heavily influenced by selfish motives and affected by materialism and secularization resulting in disrespect and irresponsibility among its members. Where I worked as a missionary for years, divorce and adultery was legalized. The state argued that it had no business meddling into the private affairs of its citizens.
We believe that marriage is a very special institution. It is a union created and blessed by God Himself for people to participate in the loving act of procreation. A happy and loving family begins with the sacrament of matrimony. It provides special blessings to the couple and the gift of children. It assures peaceful living as a family and definitely sustains a bond that can only be dissolved by death.
The Philippines is one of the last nations in the world to have preserved the bond of marriage as an indissoluble institution. Is it perhaps the reason why the Philippines maintains a high happiness index? May we remain steadfast in our belief in the bond of marriage as we, as a nation of believers, promote responsible parenthood and family nurturance.
- Fr. Eugene Docoy, SVD | USC, Cebu City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
