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It is better not to marry? (Friday 19th Week Ordinary Time 2020)
Matthew 19
The question of divorce the Pharisees threw at Jesus in today’s gospel sounds nothing new. Many Catholics of this age call for the legitimization of divorce and remarriage in the Church. They ask for the Church to move on with the changes of times – modernization of the Church in the matters of sexuality and family.
The Pharisees asked a legal question – “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” But Jesus answered the fundamental nature and intention of marriage. God intended the union of a man and a woman. And God blessed this union as a permanent, exclusive, and indissoluble covenant. In the order of creation, this union existed before the marriage settled down as a social or a legal institution.
The marriage did not appear as an accidental or random phenomenon in human experiences. After innumerable trials and errors, mankind slowly realized and discovered it is a divine intention and a human ideal – in other words, it is a divine and natural law. We can see this in many civilized cultures, even non-Christian ones. And the Judaeo-Christian revelation enlightens and confirms us of the nature of this union between a man and a woman.
Of course, many Christians will still say, “But what can go wrong if changes satisfy everyone?” Or “Would it not be more peaceable if we expand the definition of marriage?” Or “This marriage law is too strict. Pastors should interpret and apply this law in such a way that more people feel accepted.”
But I don’t think these ideas will bring true happiness with changes. And changes according to these ideas will risk the eternal destiny of souls. Moreover, I believe any social experiments based on these thoughts will cause great harm to future generations.
Why? Because these changes go against the law of the Creator. Any law without enforcement loses its effect. In other words, a law without power is no longer a law. If marriage as the permanent, exclusive, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman were not divine and natural law, there should be no evil consequence as we change its definition to our tastes. But if it is a true law, we will bear the consequences of arbitrary changes.
It all comes down to the fundamental question – ‘whether God is alive or not.’ It’s a simple question.
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By Fr Swann KimMatthew 19
The question of divorce the Pharisees threw at Jesus in today’s gospel sounds nothing new. Many Catholics of this age call for the legitimization of divorce and remarriage in the Church. They ask for the Church to move on with the changes of times – modernization of the Church in the matters of sexuality and family.
The Pharisees asked a legal question – “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” But Jesus answered the fundamental nature and intention of marriage. God intended the union of a man and a woman. And God blessed this union as a permanent, exclusive, and indissoluble covenant. In the order of creation, this union existed before the marriage settled down as a social or a legal institution.
The marriage did not appear as an accidental or random phenomenon in human experiences. After innumerable trials and errors, mankind slowly realized and discovered it is a divine intention and a human ideal – in other words, it is a divine and natural law. We can see this in many civilized cultures, even non-Christian ones. And the Judaeo-Christian revelation enlightens and confirms us of the nature of this union between a man and a woman.
Of course, many Christians will still say, “But what can go wrong if changes satisfy everyone?” Or “Would it not be more peaceable if we expand the definition of marriage?” Or “This marriage law is too strict. Pastors should interpret and apply this law in such a way that more people feel accepted.”
But I don’t think these ideas will bring true happiness with changes. And changes according to these ideas will risk the eternal destiny of souls. Moreover, I believe any social experiments based on these thoughts will cause great harm to future generations.
Why? Because these changes go against the law of the Creator. Any law without enforcement loses its effect. In other words, a law without power is no longer a law. If marriage as the permanent, exclusive, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman were not divine and natural law, there should be no evil consequence as we change its definition to our tastes. But if it is a true law, we will bear the consequences of arbitrary changes.
It all comes down to the fundamental question – ‘whether God is alive or not.’ It’s a simple question.