"There are marriages in which the wife, for some reason or other, finds
herself separated from her husband in degrading and unbearable
conditions. In these cases it is difficult for her to accept the
indissolubility of the marriage bond. Women in these circumstances
complain that they are denied the possibility of building a new home.
What answer would you give to people in such a situation?
While understanding their suffering, I would tell them that they can
also see in their situation God's Will, which is never cruel, for God is
a loving Father. The situation may be especially difficult for some
time, but if they go to our Lord and His blessed Mother, they will
receive the help of grace.
The indissolubility of marriage is not a caprice of the Church nor is it
merely a positive ecclesiastical law. It is a precept of natural law,
of divine law, and responds perfectly to our nature and to the
supernatural order of grace. For these reasons, in the great majority of
cases, indissolubility is an indispensable condition for the happiness
of married couples and for the spiritual security of their children.
Even in the very sad cases we are talking about, the humble acceptance
of God's Will always brings with it a profound sense of satisfaction
that nothing can substitute. It is not merely a refuge, or a
consolation, it is the very essence of Christian life.
If women who are separated from their husbands have children in their
care, they should understand that their children continue to need their
loving motherly devotion, and especially now, to make up for the
deficiencies of a divided home. They should make a generous effort to
understand that indissolubility, which for them means sacrifice, is a
safeguard for the integrity and unity of the great majority of families
and ennobles the parent's love and prevents the abandonment of the
children.
Surprise at the apparent hardness of the Christian precept of
indissolubility is nothing new. The Apostles were surprised when Jesus
confirmed it. It can seem a burden, a yoke, but Christ Himself said that
His yoke was sweet and his burden light."
