In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the indissolubility of the union of married couples, which is God’s original plan for all marriages. God’s desire is for spouses to be united in love and to be faithful to one another. But the truth is that the preservation of a marriage depends not only on God but also on the couple.

The Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce. Here in the Philippines where divorce is still not legal, many marriages have broken and many couples have separated. What causes these? The inability of couples to reconcile their differences which sooner or later arise in their marriages. Other causes are pride, lack of understanding, and the inability to accept the spouse with all his/her imperfections. Marriages may not be perfect but imperfect couples can make their marriage work if they put God in the center of their marriage.

Jesus also says that God gives man the freedom to remain single but to remain single means to be celibate for the sake of God’s kingdom. So whether you are married or single and celibate, you must rely on the faithfulness of God who gives graces for us to be true to our vocation. For this to happen, we must put God in the center of our lives.