Jesus is rejected by his own people (last Sunday’s gospel). Amos is rejected by a people not his own (today’s first reading). Amos who hails from the kingdom of Judah is sent by God to prophesy in Israel, its rival kingdom. In the gospel, Jesus sends his apostles on mission, warning them beforehand that not everyone will welcome them or listen to them. Rejection seems to be the lot of every prophet.
The irony is that the prophets are sent to bring God’s message of hope. In the Old Testament God’s message to his people is one of salvation (often from their enemies). In the New Testament, it is the good news of the coming of the kingdom. What makes the people resistant to God’s message is what it requires – conversion. God’s message is a call to return to him who alone is salvation and life. Return to God means rejection of all that is ungodly and sinful. It is a message that disturbs the present order of things and drives people out of their comfort zone. Thus, the prophet is rejected.
We see this happening to this day. Christ continues his prophetic mission through the Church. And as the Church proclaims Christ’s teaching (which can be disturbing), she too is rejected. This is particularly evident in today’s discussion on the issue of divorce.
The Church has always held the teachings of Christ on the sanctity of marriage and hence its indissolubility. “What God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Mt 19:6) When bishops and priests however preach this truth, they are met with “ad hominem” arguments and questions like, “What do you know about married life when you have opted for the celibate life? What right then, do you have to set the rules for marriage?”
Last Thursday, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a pastoral statement on divorce entitled, “A Nation Founded on Family, A Family Founded on Marriage.” I exhort everyone to read it, which is easily accessible on the internet. Allow me here to mention some of its salient points.
One will immediately notice from the start that the statement is unconventional in its tone and scope. It is written not in the usual “from top to bottom” approach. True, the Church maintains its clear teaching on marriage and divorce that “even in countries where civil divorce is legal, Catholics still cannot simply get remarried in Church unless they file for a declaration of nullity of their previous bond of marriage.” But at the same time, the Church does not dictate to the State what is best for Filipino families, nor does she intend to set the rules on civil marriage. She knows that she is in no position to do so, in the first place. The State is made up of citizens of different faith professions.
The Church simply exhorts those who advocate for divorce to think seriously whether the legalization of divorce will truly help in protecting the common good and the welfare of the family. Statistics show that in countries where civil divorce is legal, “failure rate for the first marriage is roughly 48%, 60% for the second, and 70% for third marriages.” Divorce has effectively weakened marriage and rendered the family, society’s very foundation, utterly unstable and vulnerable. In the end, it is the children of divorced parents who suffer most. (This too is proven by statistics).
The statement exhorts the faithful as well to actively participate in reasoned public discourse as citizens. We commend the many Catholic groups and communities, likewise Catholic individuals engaged in the legal profession, who courageously defend the family and the Church’s position. Their commitment to the advocacy is a shining witness to the reality of a synodal Church where the laity find their place and participate in the mission of evangelization and transformation as leaven of society.
Finally, the statement expresses how blessed we are with our Philippine Constitution which recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation and marriage as an inviolable social institution, and hence deserving of protection by the State. With a shared understanding of family and its values, both institutions of the Church and State can truly work together in strengthening the family and exploring effective ways of finding remedies for marriages in crisis, without “throwing away the baby along with the bath water.”
The statement then closes with the words of Pope Francis from his Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia: “Divorce is evil, and the increasing number of divorces is very troubling. Hence, our most important pastoral task with regard to families is to strengthen their love, helping to heal wounds and working to prevent the spread of this drama of our times.” (AL, 246)*