Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Joshua 24:1-13; Matthew 19:3-12)
Jesus claims in today’s gospel that the only case in
which married people may divorce is porneia. The New American Bible translates this Greek
word very generally as unlawful. Thus, it seems that any infraction of the
Church’s canons regarding the legitimacy of a marriage would give grounds for
divorce. Biblical scholars, however,
find a much more restrictive meaning to the word – an incestuous
relationship. Paul attests that this occurred
among Christians in Corinth and insists not that the people involved may
divorce but that they must.
The Church rightfully upholds the indissolubility of
marriage. It is plainly God’s will as
Jesus explains. The real question is
whether it is right in making as many exceptions as it does. Many ridicule the Church for doing so by
calling annulments “Catholic divorce.”
But the Church has an exulted view of marriage that goes beyond superficial
promises and physical consummation. It
expects people to know what they are promising, to believe in the efficacy in
what they are saying, and to have the power of spirit to carry out their
assumed responsibilities. Anything less
in its view is not a true marriage.
Because marriage is so central to human living, it must
be supervised with extreme care. The
Church proceeds to do so by trying to provide adequate preparation, by allowing
for annulments when couples won’t or can’t take that preparation seriously, and
by not granting divorces on a whim.
