God's Covenant

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female', and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

The greatest, most holy and mysterious covenant that we can experience as humans is the bond of marriage. God created it as a living example of Christ's relationship to his Church. He weaves two into "one flesh" to spite our failings and the strength of our commitment. Even if we were to know what our vows would require of us before we made them, we would still be unable to forge that bond of our own will.

And just as we do not have the power to create that bond, we also cannot sever it. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and only he can decide when we can be released from our covenant.

You can still honor your vow before God, even if your spouse does not. And you are the only one who can pray on behalf of the one you vowed to love in sickness and in health, to resist the stronghold that has clouded their vision.

The purpose of marriage is holiness, and only in honoring God can you find happiness.