I DO! (sort of)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

What if God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone, or the
woman either. I will make an abundance of sex partners for them to experiment with, as often as they get in the mood to do so. They will hook up briefly with little emotional depth, remaining completely separate persons, no commitment required.’??

Today's first reading from the second creation story of Genesis and the passage from the tenth chapter of Mark's Gospel address the issue of marriage permanence. Actually they are about more than whether divorce is allowed. In fact Jesus changes an exception to the law in the Jewish tradition. In the male dominated culture of Palestine in Jesus' day, a man could receive a divorce if his wife was unfaithful. Jesus tells them that God's intention from Creation was that a commitment is a commitment, always and forever. He even goes so far as to say that neither men nor women can ask for a divorce. (In Jesus' world women could never ask for a divorce, since they had no clout.) So Jesus stretches the minds of the law making Pharisees. He tells them that women and men are both equal in the eyes of God, but both are required to live up to their commitments.

Today divorce is a plague. I believe this stems from our insistence on individualism in our culture. We all know what the rules are and what the ideal is. But we also believe that we each have circumstances that cause us to be the exception to the rule. I figure that State Troopers are lenient, so I put my cruise control on "76" rather than "70". I make excuses for friends who fall "in love" and leave the priesthood. I've consoled my aunts and uncles when they tell me of family members choosing divorce over counselling and forgiveness. Don't get me wrong. There are definitely life threatening and unhealthy occasions where the best thing that can happen to a couple is that they divorce. But too many times divorce is chosen as a first option, or at least it is chosen way to quickly.

Jesus' statement on divorce happens in the chapter following where he twice told His disciples what His commitment to them was. He told them twice and again later that He would suffer, die, and rise for them. He asks them to do the same as His followers. Commitment is important in all of the Gospels, but especially in the Gospel of Mark. Today he tells the Pharisees and us that commitment is important in marriage as well. That is the way God intended it from the beginning. God hasn't changed.

peace and blessings,
Fr. Chuck