Reflection for Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year 1)

Friday of the Nineteenth Week of the Year (August 14, 2015) Inclusive Lectionary Texts

Readings- Joshua – Chapter 24 verses 1-13 / Psalm 136 verses 1-3, 16-18, 21-22 & 24 /
Matthew – Chapter 19 verses 3-12

Friends as we have seen time and time again the pain and grief that divorce can bring. The pain that is caused by divorce can be detrimental. As partners seek to separate, this can be most difficult especially if children are involved. Divorce is not pretty. I look back on the many friends and acquaintances we know and have seen that probably a good portion of them married for the wrong reasons, family expect them to marry, friends push the relationship, one partner may “rescue” the other from a domestic situation. I could go on and on about the reasons some marry.

We meet someone and rush into a relationship without truly getting to know each other, marry and realize we have different morals and values. One or both may try to make it work but to no avail. This type of marriage is not a marriage and it is understandable if a divorce occurs because in reality it truly was not a marriage. Some stay together and live separate lives as married singles.

An authentic marriage is one where the two meet, become friends, do a lot of discovering and sharing. Trust and truth are number one communication skills; all these evolve into a deep relationship. More important is their spiritual connection. Not religion but their belief system. Praying together and putting God in their relationship is a key factor in a successful permanent marriage. None of this is easy; it takes a daily commitment on the part of the couple to work every day to love their spouse. To get through the nitty gritty of daily life is what it is all about. A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime.

rev. Michael Theogene