Man must not separate

by FLL Editorial Team
2013-08-15

那時候,有些法利塞人來到耶穌跟前,試探他說:「許不許人為了任何緣故,休自己的妻子呢?」他回答說:「你們沒有念過,那創造者自起初就造了他們——男和女;且說:『為此,人要離開父親和母親,依附自己的妻子,兩人成為一體』的話嗎?這樣,他們不是兩個,而是一體了。為此,凡天主所結合的,人不可拆散。」他們對他說:「那麼,為什麼梅瑟還吩咐人下休書休妻呢?」耶穌對他們說:「梅瑟為了你們的心硬,才准許你們休妻;但起初並不是這樣。如今我對你們說﹕無論誰休妻﹐除非因為姘居﹐而另娶一個﹐他就是犯奸淫;凡娶被休的,也是犯奸淫。」門徒對他說﹕「人同妻子的關係﹐如果是這樣﹐倒不如不娶的好。」耶穌對他們說:「這話不是人人所能領悟的,只有那些得了恩賜的人,才能領悟。因為有些閹人,從母胎生來就是這樣;有些閹人,是被人閹的;有些閹人,卻是為了天國,而自閹的。能領悟的,就領悟吧!」
瑪竇福音 19:3-12

在今天的福音中,法利塞人再次用問題試探祂,問祂:人可否休妻。當時的猶太人對休妻有兩種不同的看法,一派認為只有犯奸淫才可休妻,而另一派則認為只要妻子做任何令丈夫不悅的事,男方都有權休妻。

耶穌藉著法利塞人的提問,引創世紀的經文,指出婚姻的意義:「凡天主所結合的,人不可拆散。」

在過去的數十年間,我們目睹發達國家的離婚率不斷攀升,要做到環境順逆,疾病健康都永遠愛慕對方,好像很不可能。當年門徒聽了耶穌的話也說「倒不如不娶的好」。

身為基督徒,我們明白若依靠自己有限的能力走婚姻的路,往往力有不逮,亦很容易受到社會風氣影響,覺得不如放棄好了。如果我們相信基督徒的婚姻是聖事的話,就該相信天主會不斷施恩寵,令夫妻倆能一直廝守下去。

「生命恩泉」曾經訪問過Gracie和Martin,他們在《沒保留的盟誓》中,分享他們如何走過崎嶇的婚姻路。請按此連結收看。

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “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. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Matthew 19:3-12

In today's Gospel, some Pharisees tested Jesus by asking Him: Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Among the Jews there were two schools of thought on divorce. One school would only allow marital unfaithfulness as a justification for divorce. The other school, however, would allow a man to divorce his wife if she did anything he did not like.

Jesus leveraged this opportunity to explain the true meaning of marriage: "what God has joined together, man must not separate."

In the past few decades, we see divorce rates rise in many developed countries. It seems almost impossible to be true to one's spouse in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. When the disciples heard Jesus' words, they said: "it is better not to marry".

As Catholics, we know that with our human limits, to sustain a marriage is beyond our own power. We might also be influenced by the societal trends and be tempted to give up. If we believe that Christian marriage is a sacrament, then we should trust that God would keep granting us grace to sustain our marriages.

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