Daily Reflections ...

Today’s gospel sees Jesus once again tested by the Pharisees as they question whether it is permitted for a man to divorce his wife. To understand the test, it is important to understand the culture of the time, which was deeply patriarchal.  Men were considered superior to women and women had no rights.  Only a man could divorce his wife; she could never divorce her husband. 

Jesus radically challenged the views of the time.  Jesus came to establish a new Kingdom, a new way, declaring all people are equal.  Jesus chose not to debate the lawfulness of divorce, rather he asserts that marriage is a divinely ordained union and so taught that we are made equal, both male and female.   Jesus declared that in marriage “they are no longer two but one.  What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mark 10:8-9)

We are all aware that the ideal is one thing, whereas the reality in our lives can be another. The sadness that couples and families experience when marriages break down is real and often complicated. Here is not the opportunity to go into what the Church teaches on this and why. Instead, as we enter into prayer, let each of us quietly sit in the presence of God and humbly acknowledge that there are times when we struggle to live by our Christian ideals, and ask for God’s strength to live as God calls us to do. And in all things understand that ‘nothing can ever separate us from the love of God’ (Romans 8:38-39). 

By Lisa McKerr