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, man must not 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.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.I dont think that even 10% of catholics getting married understand what Jesus is saying here. I did not the first time I was married. That is probably the only reason why my annulment was granted. When you agree to have a sacramental catholic marriage, you are agreeing to something that is profoundly more than living together, and sharing household expenses. When the priest says that “I now pronounce you husband and wife” he is actually saying, behold a new creation under God.
This is because the sacrament of marriage is unique amongst all of the other sacraments, because it is the only one where the priest does not have a role, he is only a witness. In a true sacramental marriage, the husband bestows the sacrament on his bride, and the bride bestows the sacrament on her husband. They are both saying in essence that I give myself completely to you, and you give yourself completely to me. that makes this union something new, something unique in the world. And this new thing is knitted together by God, and man MUST not separate it.
A marriage is not a contract, it is a covenant, just like God made with man many times, and covenants are not to be broken. A covenant is an eternal pledge to God, and to each other. That is not something that can be easily thrown away. Our culture tells us that we must put oursleves first, and our happiness above all others, God teaches us just the opposite, and that is why it is so important that marriage is for life, because it reminds us of this fact, and what God expects of us.
We must never forget why we married our spouse, there was a time when the only thing we wanted in the world was that person, and we never wanted to be apart from them. We need to strive to regain that lost passion. And we start by putting the Lord first, and then the love of our neighbor will come next. Let us not forget these things, and lets live our real true sacramental marriages in our homes, communities, and the world.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh, lord, help me today to rekindle the love that I have for my wife, help me to love her by loving you first. Help me to live the sacrament of marriage, in the way that you had planned out for our lives. Amen.