Reflection for February 28 Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 10:1-12

Gospel: Mark 10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached him and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” 

They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 

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.” 

In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

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Reflection:

Are you faithful to your marriage vows? 

When a man and a woman are wed in the Catholic Church, the priest poses this question to them: 

"Do you take [name] as your lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?" The man and woman will answer: "I do." 

The marriage bond is meant to last forever, but the reality is that some married couples separate. I know of three couples who were married in the Church: 

Couple #1: The husband simply left his wife and two very young children.

Couple #2: The wife left her husband, even though they already had a baby.

Couple #3: The wife carried on an adulterous affair for more than three years. During that time, her husband constantly reminded her to stop, but she refused to listen—until he fully discovered her infidelity. 

Oftentimes, couples separate for selfish reasons. They care only about what they want and feel, without giving an iota of concern to the feelings of their spouse and children. Instead of separating, why not walk away permanently from whatever leads us into sin, give love a second chance, and ask Jesus to heal the marriage? 

Jesus said to his disciples: 

"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" (Mark 10:7-9). 

Then he added: 

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery" (Mark 10:11-12). 

The Sacrament of Marriage is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. The first miracle performed by Jesus was turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. The priest who presides over a wedding ceremony does so in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus himself said: "What God has joined together, no human being must separate" (Mark 10:9). 

Are you doing something to preserve the sanctity of your marriage? — Marino J. Dasmarinas