Some Pharisees approached Jesus with the question: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” Even 2000 years ago, the issue of marriage and divorce was an important issue. It was probably something that they talked about at length. They want to know what God thinks about it.

From the mouth of God, the Lord spoke about the gift of marriage to humanity from the beginning. Jesus said: “Have you not read that from the beginning, the Creator made them male and female, and said, 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. What God has joined together, man must not separate.”

As we look back in the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, one of the first sacraments is the Sacrament of Marriage. God notices that Adam was unhappy. Even though he had all the fruits that he could eat, and all the animals to keep him company, and even the presence of God. But Adam was still unhappy. So God cast a deep sleep upon Adam, and took out one of the ribs, and God formed Eve. And when Adam saw Eve the very next day, he said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” In other words, they are to live from that day forward, not as two separate people, but as one. “Bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.”

The Evil One, in a form of a serpent tries to disrupt God's order. He begins to tempt them, saying: If you eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you will not die. But your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God.” After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve discovered that they were naked. They also hid from God because they ashamed.

The first sacrament that the Evil One tries to disrupt is the Sacrament of Marriage. As we engage in battle against the Evil one and his minions, we do so by praying and supporting married couples. Admittedly, marriage is not always successful. And often times, couples part ways because of irreconcilable differences. But as a disciple of Christ, and belonging to God, we believe that marriage is a gift from God. And with the wisdom and knowledge that has been discovered over the years, we look for ways to pray and support married couples. Such as celebration of wedding anniversaries, helping couples to renew their marriage vows, couples counseling, peer ministry, etc. All of these things help.

I shared awhile back a couple who discovered that they can't look to each other with high expectations, and to fulfill one's needs. They will always be disappointed. Because deep down, they have to look to God to fulfill those deepest longings of the heart. Also that the couple learned that they needed to take care of one another. The children are important, but they can't become the sole priority of their marriage, and let their marriage take the back seat.

Let us continue to pray for married couples in our nation and throughout the world. Their marriage is a visible sign of God's presence and love in the world. With marriage, God is victorious, and good has triumphed.