From this Sunday’s Gospel:
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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.”
Mk.10:6-12
A priest at one of our local parishes said recently, “we have really messed up marriage.” And it’s true. Between no-fault divorce and an increase in cohabitation, marriage has become something of our own creation, not God’s.
Some people look at the current attitudes towards marriage, especially the rate of divorce, and then at the words of Christ and conclude that there’s something wrong with the Gospel message – it’s outdated. unrealistic, etc… – rather than our own hearts. But It is we who need to change, not the Bible. It is we who need to open our hearts to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and the goodness of marriage as it was in the beginning. Such a marriage must be rooted in prayer with a firm commitment from each spouse to put away what they once were and become something totally new. They must no longer be two, but one flesh, each sacrificing themselves and accepting everything for the good of the other.
Related: Pope Benedict says divorce, cohabitation ruin the lives of many children.
Worth reading: A Basic Theology of Marriage
2 Comments on “They are No Longer Two but One Flesh”
Well said, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s the darnedest thing. If there were just ONE statement that people understood was meant to be taken literally, you’d think it would be their marriage vows.
Have you ever heard someone say, “Marriage is just a piece of paper”? In contrast to this individualistic culture based on mutual indifference, God calls each of us to make a complete gift of ourselves. A covenant is a love relationship, a relationship of mutual self-gift. The world views marriage as simply a contractual arrangement where each party agrees to remain with the other so long as the relationship is mutually pleasurable. Marriage is thus viewed incorrectly as a mutual taking of pleasure, rather than a mutual gift of self, that is, a covenant, a true love relationship.
Excellent work, Chelsea.
God bless,
Robert