Couples who are in love and don’t want to be separated decide to get married so they can live together for eternity until death. They receive the Sacrament of Matrimony while standing side by side in front of the Altar of the Lord. As Christ’s enemies gradually gain power and politics get involve to create Laws against God and His church, one of them is divorce.
Derives from the Latin term ‘divortium’, which translates to separation. It dissolves the bond of marriage between a married couple under the civil law.
The origin of divorce is uncertain, but the first codified law can be traced back to King Hammurabi of Babylon in 1760 B.C. Divorce was a common practice in the Roman Empire and was typically filed by those in higher positions, even though the Church opposed it.
This Law is in violation of the Sacrament of Matrimony that God instituted.
God instituted this sacrament after the creation of mankind:
“Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.”
[Genesis 2:24]
The Pharisees asked our Lord the same question, and He responded:
“Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery.”
[Matthew 19:8-9]
Christ made it clear that divorce is not permitted because God created man and woman as one. And if a divorced person marries another divorced person, they violate the sixth commandment, which is a mortal sin.
St. Paul the Apostle supported this statement in his letters to the Corinthians:
“But to them that are married, not I but the Lord commandeth, that the wife depart not from her husband. And if she depart, that she remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And let not the husband put away his wife.”
[1 Corinthians 7:10-11]
We are aware of the reason why divorce is not permitted by God and the Church. Let’s take a look at the problem of divorce.
According to Northern Illinois University, despite the fact that divorce can reduce family conflict, there are still instances where the parent-child relationship is affected. Such as:
A. Adults, including women, will have additional work to maintain financial stability for the family. It results in a lack of attention towards the child and minimizes parental supervision, which leads to a negative relationship between parents and their child.
B. The divorce of their parents and the lack of emotional support from their parents will cause children to feel distress.
Although many may disagree, divorce has the potential to cause disorder in society and lead to its decline. The Roman Empire serves as an illustration of this. According to the English Historian and writer of a book ‘The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’, Edward Gibbon, one of the major causes of its fall is the breakdown of families. A Catholic religious educator, St. Angela Merici once said:
“Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.”
Gibbon stated that history shows that the strength of a nation depends on the strength of its families.
Seneca the Young, a Stoic philosopher from the first century, warned Rome that divorce would lead to the destruction of the empire, but they ignored his warning. Until it came true in the 5th century when the Western Roman Empire was weakened due to division and corruption. Following that, the Germanic Barbarian King overthrew its last Emperor.
Based on a longitudinal study, divorce has long-term negative effects on children. According to Linda Waite, a sociologist and professor at the University of Chicago, children who come from divorce are not happy. And those who have lost their parents have an easier time recovering than those who have divorced. Studies have shown that children have a lower level of trust in their future relationships. It also affects their education because some of them dropout of high school, unlike those with non-divorced parents. They also have physiological problems such as a weaker sense of personal control, anxiety, depression, and a greater use of mental health services. The worst thing is that they will have misconduct behavior such as drug abuse and violence. Regrettably, some serial killers in America come from families that have been divorced.
Divorces are commonly caused by adultery, infidelity, family strains, differences, domestic violence, and addictions like drugs and alcoholism.
No. However, there are approaches to resolving this problem. For those who commit adultery, the person who committed it must confess their sin to the priest, repent, and never commit this sin again. This may be difficult, but it is the only way because we must forgive those who sins against us. If you are experiencing domestic violence, it is crucial to seek assistance from your family or friends to end the abuse. If it persists, it is necessary to inform the authorities. But keep on helping and praying for them to change. Let’s follow the example of St. Monica (the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo), who was the victim of adultery and verbal abuse from her pagan husband. She prayed until her husband repent and finally baptized together with her mother-in-law.
Yes, and it is called Annulment. It is a declaration that the marriage between couples is null and void, and the union was never legally valid. While divorce is a legal dissolvement of marriage under the law of men. Prior to filing for annulment, it’s important to carefully consider it and discuss with your spouse how you can save your marriage. It is important to consider your children when deciding to separate because they are the most affected by the decision.
“It takes three to make love, not two: you, your spouse, and God. Without God, people only succeed in bringing out the worst in one another. Lovers who have nothing else to do but love each other soon find there is nothing else. Without a central loyalty life is unfinished.”
– Ven. Fulton Sheen
There is only one country and one city that does not allow divorce: the Philippines and Vatican City. But the House of Representatives in the Philippines approved divorce during their final hearing. But the bill hasn’t been passed in the Senate.
Here are the words from the letter of Sister Lucia, one of the three seers of Our Lady of Fatima to Cardinal Carlo Caffarra.
“Father, a time will come when the decisive battle between the kingdom of Christ and Satan will be over marriage and the family. And those who will work for the good of the family will experience persecution and tribulation. But do not be afraid, because Our Lady has already crushed his head.”
Sources:
https://phillyesquire.com/history-of-divorce-meaning/
https://www.thetrumpet.com/5360-a-lesson-from-rome
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6313686/
