+ Statistically, what kind of marriage lasts longer? A marriage bas
ed on love, or an arranged marriage? Well according to one of many sources, “The divorce rate for love marriages in America is currently somewhere around between 35 percent to 50 percent. The percentage of arranged marriages that end in divorce is about four percent. Arranged marriages also primarily still exist in cultures that absolutely do not believe in divorce.” —
Love! That is what and whom we say God is
It is also the most important commandment that Jesus proclaimed clearly and always. James, in his letter today, while not using the word love per se, is clearly speaking about a community of love that is kind, uncomplaining of one another, having the patience of Job, filled with mercy and compassion like the Lord, and capable of saying simply “yes” or “no” without any swearing or cursing.
If that isn’t a community of love, then it might be difficult to describe one that is. And that certainly is what church should be — and marriage, also, for that matter.
Jesus, who was never afraid to take on a difficult question or discussion, jumped right into a hot issue in today’s Gospel about divorce.
He came to the district of Judea. A group of Pharisees approached him and asked — “Is it lawful,” according to Moses, “for a husband to divorce his wife?”
The word says that they were clearly presenting this question as a test to see where Jesus would land on the question in relation to the Mosaic Code. And the Mosaic Code permitted divorce as they stated it to Jesus.
But Jesus, as usual, went deeper. He admitted that Moses did permit divorce, but only because of the “hardness of your hearts.”
Then, Jesus went on to describe the kind of love and unity that should happen between a man and his wife —
“The two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human must separate.”
Certainly, what Jesus spoke was true to his constant message of love. It also takes enormous maturity, clarity of purpose, constancy, humility, ability to communicate well, willingness to compromise, acceptance of suffering (which clearly is a part of life), willingness to make and share common goals, and a great amount of desire to forgive and be forgiven. Difficult? Like, yeah!
And me thinks that Jesus often spoke hyperbole; and idealistically, me also thinks that in this case, he was speaking that God hoped for a dream to come true.
Discarded wives were a huge problem of the time. At least now, in our present day and in this country, there are pretty much equal rights and opportunities for men to be equally discarded like women through divorce. And it is sad! But, Jesus’ viewpoint is certainly the hope and goal for all who enter into this love union.
