Let no man put asunder

What God has joined, let not man put asunder. Mk. 10:9

How permanent is marriage? How permanent should it be? Or, perhaps, the better question is how permanent did God intend it to be.

Modern man can try to redefine nature or the finality of nature. Despite all his efforts, he will never be able to change the limitations God has set upon creation. To each creature, its own finality has been determined by its very creator. 

There's no difference with marriage. As an institution established by God, its very nature and finality was defined already at its inception. The phrase "what God has joined" has a special meaning when we see that the word for "unite" in Greek is syzeúgnymi which actually means to be "jointly-yoked."

This denotes that marriage has the finality of joining man and woman under one common task, which is procreation and raising children. This yoke, in this sense, can synonymously be  called task, duty, obligation or finality. Once this yoke has been jointly taken, by its very nature, and, above all, by divine decree, the union must not be broken by man, neither by magistrate, king nor pope.

But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing.And he saith to them: Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. (Mk 10:6-12)

To defend holy matrimony, it's necessary to remind mankind of God's original intent for marriage. By knowing the creators intent, we can better understand the nature and finality of marriage and, in turn, attain its perfection.

Defending Innocence

To defend holy matrimony, it is also necessary to defend all the aspects of procreation and raising children. On top of that list is the main concern to preserve the innocence of children.

Innocence is above all expressed in the beatitude "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." What is purity but not being stained. What is innocence but the absence of stain.

This co-relation between innocence and purity is of utmost importance in raising children and in helping them transition into adulthood without the modern drama of adolescence.

Innocence is best seen in the face of a child as they begin to see the world. There's nothing more precious than when the child is lost in contemplation of even the simplest of things. Innocence is also best seen in the eyes of a saint who never abandoned their childhood innocence mistaking childish infantilism with the childlike view of the God's creation.

"Unless you become as one of these little ones," referring to innocence rather than size or naivete, "you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Western and Christian man has sensed this importance. The modern world does everything to distract us from this simple truth--that innocence, which gave us indelible soul-shifting experiences and true happiness, naturally matures into wisdom. We can see the drive to destroy this innocence in children expressed in the homosexual and transgender agendas. What hardness of heart and darkness of intention would lead regulations and policies that would introduce the world of impurity to the hearts of the pure? Only God can say.

As for our part, we need to steel our resolve by reminding ourselves the happiness we experienced in our time of innocence and how this is important for a child to experience that he may start and end his life always seeing God in his creation, in society and in his Church.

If innocence were preserved in children and guided to grow into wisdom, how much superior society would be?