made them male and female, and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one body. So they are no longer two but one body. Therefore let no one separate what God has joined.”
When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked him about this and he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries
another commits adultery against his wife, and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another also commits adultery.” People
were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this. When Jesus noticed it, he was
very angry and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to
you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and laying his
hands on them, blessed them.

Reflection:

READ: Jesus defends the sacredness of marriage by telling the Pharisees that
their law of divorce allowed by Moses is an accommodation of their stubbornness.
The original intention of God regarding marriage is for it to remain valid forever.
He explains the practical meaning of the inviolability of marriage to His disciples
later. He also teaches them to be gentle and mild to little children because they
are the mirror of how people should receive the Kingdom, that is, in childlike
trust and confidence.

REFLECT: Adults tend to complicate matters while children have a more simple
approach to life. Take for example marriage. It is supposed to be a pact between
two presumed responsible adults who, not really knowing where their marriage
will bring them, yet knows what is expected of them to make the marriage work:
fidelity, sharing of responsibilities, equal partnership, respect and the likes. But
when things go wrong and difficulties set in, they take hardened stance to the
point that divorce seemed to be the only way. They could not let go of their
anger. But look at the children. When they fight, they do not harbor anger. They
seek ways and means in their own childlike way how to restore the broken
relationships. The child does not know how to keep anger for a long time. It is
the special skills of adults to harbor resentment ad infinitum. That is why Jesus
contrasts the adults in marriage and the children. And He proposes that we
learn from children how to cope with disagreements that tend to sour marriage
to the point of divorce.

RESPOND: How do we react to conflict and disagreement? Do we sulk away and
harbor bad feelings for a long time to the point that reconciliation becomes hard
and impossible? Let us learn from the children who move on immediately after
fighting with each other. And let us say a prayer for the preservation of marriage
as an institution in society.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021