Today’s Gospel reading is not so much about the issue of divorce but about respect and equality between two people in marriage. We need to understand that during Jesus’ times in that culture, the wife basically had no rights. The husband could divorce his wife, with no strong reasons. For example, he found another woman more appealing, or his wife wasn’t obedient to him, or even she ended up not being a good cook. This is what Jesus is condemning, and it reminds them and us today that: “they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” Jesus teaches us that both parties in marriage are equal and they become one. That’s why a husband must love and respect his wife and wife must love and respect her husband. But if there is no respect, and one person is being abused or becomes a slave to the other, then marriage becomes like the one that Jesus condemns in the reading today. Let us pray today for equality, love, and respect among all who are married.
Comments