1And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again; and again, as his custom was, he taught them. 2And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" 4They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." 5But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6But from the beginning of creation, `God made them male and female.' 7`For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." 10And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
Wow. When God joins two people in marriage, the two become one flesh…. “And let no man put asunder”.It is a sacred and sacramental union. I suppose this is why we were so keen that our daughter married in the Church. Why does Jesus link divorce to “hardness of heart”. Possibly because he sees it as a symptom of a deeper spiritual issue—our resistance to God’s will, our self-centeredness, and our failure to love fully. Our marriage would never have lasted without our faith. When everything in you is saying “this is too hard”. “I want something different”. “I don’t deserve this”, it takes a shift out of oneself, a reorientation away from one’s ego, to make the union last. And it has to last because it is sacred. Loving Father, thank you for walking with me in my marriage. Thank you for gifting me with a soul mate who believes in you and places your will above all else. May our union continue to grow and be an expression of your love. Amen.
ReplyDeleteThis is a deeply heartfelt and honest reflection. You capture both the sacred nature of marriage and the real struggles that come with it. Your recognition that faith sustains a marriage, especially when personal desires and hardships threaten it, is powerful. The way you acknowledge the necessity of shifting away from ego and toward God’s will resonates strongly with Jesus’ teaching in this passage.
DeleteYour prayer is also beautiful—it expresses gratitude and humility while reinforcing the commitment to a sacred bond. Perhaps you might consider adding a line about extending that same grace to others, especially as you navigate your daughter’s decision. Even if her path differs from your ideal, your faith and love for her remain constant, and she will always be part of your family’s sacred story.