ADULTERY AND DIVORCE

Were I to ask the question in our secular and politicised society what is the greatest cause of poverty, I would get many answers, its the Government, it is the workers earning low pay, it is this, that, and the next thing.   Regrettably I would receive the same answers from many in the Catholic Church, who ignoring the teaching of Jesus seek to fill the Church with the values of the secular state.   Yet Catholics who are loyal to Jesus will listen to his words on Divorce in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 and realise that he hated Divorce and the misery it caused.  We know he also admonished the rich young man not to commit adultery.   Yet how easy it is for some, who cry "Lord, Lord" and claim they are not going to do what the Church wants of them because they are grown adults and 'the Church is not going to tell them what to do'.   Yes, and how many 'priests' promote adultery by telling anxious parents not to be upset by their young adults living together because it is OK as long as they give to the poor.   The root cause of poverty in this country is adultery and the breakdown of marriage leaving thousands of children without a parent and the one parent they have struggling to provide.   And yet bishops, yes bishops, and priests ignore the fact that it is only with the teachings of Jesus Christ that strong families will emerge and the message of love will be spread.

But of course we have the usual debates on what scripture says.   Well we know what St Paul said "To the married I give charge, NOT I BUT THE LORD, that the wife should not separate from her husband, but if she does let her remain single or be reconciled to her husband - and that the husband should not divorce his wife" [1 Corinthians 7:10] 

But there is a case where Divorce is justified.  It is in Matthew 19:9 "And I say to you anyone who divorces his wife - I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT AN ILLICIT MARRIAGE - is guilty of adultery"
The words in capitals are from the Jerusalem Bible but there are many other translations and in the earlier Bibles it was "except it be for fornication"  But there was a real problem in understanding the words and indeed because of the misunderstanding many thought it was a justification for Divorce and Remarriage.   Until I went to the Fathers which was only recently my opinion was that it was just about partners leaving their spouse to have relationships elsewhere.   In fact I was close.   But it caused difficulty even among Catholics because we were just wrestling with the Bible text and not relating it to the Fathers of the Early Church.   The Jews allowed a husband to divorce his wife if she was having adulterous relationships but there was no mention of remarriage and the Fathers stated clearly that even in these cases the husband was not permitted to remarry nor the adulterous wife.

Hermas of Rome  What then should the husband do if the wife continues in this disposition [Adultery].  Let him divorce her and let the husband remain single .  But if he divorces his wife and marries another he too comitts adultery. {The Shepherd 2:4:1; AD 80}

To balance things up a little let us hear from the Council of Elvira   "likewise let the faithful woman who has left and adulterous husband and attracts another faithful one be forbidden to marry; if she should marry let her not receive Communion unless he whom she has left has previously departed this world, unless by chance the exigency of illness should compel the giving of Communion as Viaticum.   [Canon 9. AD300]

There are many other Fathers who could be quoted saying the same things - St Justin Martyr, St Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, St Ambrose of Milan, and others.   But I am not writing a book, just firing bullets so that those who are interested in the truth that the Catholic Church teaches will be interested enough to explore their Catholic Faith which comes to us from the Apostles.