WHAT DID MOSES COMMAND YOU?

Gn 2,18-24; Ps 127; Heb 2,9-11; Mk 10,2-16
7 OCTOBER

Between what God says and what man understands there is often an eternal abyss. First let us read what Moses really permitted the children of Israel and then we might enter into the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees. In fact, these are not completely honest towards Moses.

“When a man, after marrying a woman and having relations with her, is later displeased with her because he finds in her something indecent, and therefore he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house: if on leaving his house she goes and becomes the wife of another man, and the second husband, too, comes to dislike her and dismisses her from his house by handing her a written bill of divorce; or if this second man who has married her, dies; then her former husband, who dismissed her, may not again take her as his wife after she has become defiled. That would be an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring such guilt upon the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you as a heritage (Dt 24,1-4).

Moses had not said what was reported by the Pharisees: “Moses allowed us to write an act of repudiation and to repudiate her”. Instead he had said, “If then it happens that she does not find grace in his eyes, because he has found something shameful in her”. Faithfulness to the written Word makes us honest. Faith makes us believers. Even if faith is not for everyone, honesty must be of every heart. The same rule applies today to Christians.

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Mt 5,31-32).

The Christian might also live without faith. He becomes a non-Christian. But if he lives without honesty, he becomes a non-man. For Jesus, repudiation is permitted only in the case of an illegitimate union, that is, of a union not according to the Law of the Lord. There are no other cases to grant a divorce. Granting it would be contradicting his Law and his Word. But Jesus goes far beyond legal issues. He brings the man back to his true essence. The Father created man male and female, to be one flesh. Sin has broken and infringes this law. Jesus came to take away the sin of the world. By removing the law that breaks the conjugal union, this will necessarily shine for its unity, stability and fidelity. If sin remains in the heart, then division remains.

The Pharisees approached and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. 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.” In the house the disciples again questioned him 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.” And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to 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.

Today the Church is seriously worried about the destruction and devastation of the family. Divorce is not the cause of the ruin. Instead it is a consequence. The cause is the loss of faith in Christ Jesus and the estrangement of his grace together with the abandonment of his Word. If man lives in sin, he will be governed by sin. If instead he dwells in the light, he will be conducted by the light.

Immaculate Virgin, Angels and Saints make Christians true children of light in Christ Jesus.