THE Gospel this Sunday (Mark 10:2-16) begins with the Pharisees asking Jesus if it is lawful for a husband to divorce his wife. Jesus responded by reminding them of the sacredness and indissoluble union of marriage as written in the Book of Genesis: “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.”
This Gospel passage implies that even during the biblical times, the commitment to keep a marriage was not easy. “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her,” the Pharisees told Jesus, intending to test him. To this remark, Jesus retorted, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote this commandment.” Then he reminded them of the commandment: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.
Why did Jesus emphasize permanence and fidelity in marriage? And why is it that the Church holds this teaching adamantly? The following scene in the Gospel gives us a clue. As the disciples became disturbed at seeing people bringing children to Jesus, the Lord urged them: “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.”
Keeping a marriage in our society is not just for the sake of the husband and wife; it’s also for the sake of the children born out their marriage. Marriage is an openness to life—the life of these children. It’s participating in God’s creative acts, “to be fertile and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) It’s a vocation to build a family, to raise children and educate them to become loving, caring, God-fearing, and contributing members of the society and the church.
Raising children starts with a healthy, happy, and faith-filled home, where parents can nurture their offspring with love and affection and educate them by their examples of selfless and sacrificial love. It’s a challenging responsibility to fulfill, but it gives parents joy, meaning, and purpose in life.
We’ve seen and experienced this joy of raising a family. It’s more than a responsibility; it’s a blessing, a gift from God, and a real source of joy! As Pope Francis wrote at the beginning of his post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia—The Joy of Love: “The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church.”
This joy comes from seeing children and grandchildren happy, healthy, and successful. It also emanates from not feeling alone in this world and from having people around us who care for us deeply. It flows from having the support of one’s spouse in fulfilling this challenging but awesome responsibility.
One’s ability to keep family does not merely come from human strengths and genius. Most importantly, it derives from our faith in God and the graces He gives us. It comes from building a spiritual home where children can experience God’s love and his presence and come to know Jesus. It develops from our deep faith in God and from maintaining a prayerful family. As the Fr. Patrick Peyton said, “The family that prays together stays together.”
In Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis affirms the joy of marriage and family with these words: “Few human joys are as deep and thrilling as those experienced by two people who love another and have achieved something as the result of a great, shared effort.” (130)
May all married people see the joy of their vocation! May those of us called to single life support them with our love and prayers!
(An correction from my article last weekend article: Msgr. James J. Loughnane, P.A. was appointed as Episcopal Vicar for San Gabriel Pastoral Region, not San Pedro Pastoral Region. He succeeded Bishop Gabino Zavala, not Bishop Oscar Solis.)
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1991-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
