As Malta is seeking ways and means to introduce divorce, looking at divorce from a Christian perspective, God is against divorce. Our God is a God of Covenant and He is for Christians who make a covenant with Him through His Son Jesus Christ both when a person becomes a true Christian and surrenders his life to His Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and secondly, when subsequently in life that person is married.

These above two Covenants are the two most powerful and important ones for the true Christian; (the Covenant with God and Covenant with your partner in marriage). And how, God is against divorce! And as the Bible says, “what God unites let no man put asunder”.

But this means that if the couple never decided to include God in their marriage equation or totally removed Him after marriage, they have “divorced themselves from God” and no matter how religious, pompous or glamorous the wedding and marriage ceremony were, God cannot be considered as having been part or being part of that marriage. Even if it were the archbishops of the world or the Pope himself who celebrated and prayed over this marriage, God was never concelebrating or anointing it. There are many instances where God was never included in the marriage package or removed altogether thereafter:

• marriages of convenience;
• marriages with a premeditated view to live as two separate hearts (individuals) under the same roof;
• marriages between Christians and non-Christians;
• marriages to cover up family shame because of an unwanted pregnancy;
• marriages where the mother-in-law is the rule of law in the marriage;
• marriages where abuses and excesses are the order of the day (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence);
• marriages based on just emotional and sexual attraction alone.

So under whichever guise one defines dissolution of marriage (separation, annulment or divorce) a Christian marriage calls for more than just a priest or pastor concelebrating but the presence of God within the hearts and spirits of the couple.

Marriage is a vow based on a covenant with God and partner. It is also an issue of the heart, for couples to be straight and Ok with God, partner and themselves.

Otherwise one is creating a hell from this world both for himself/herself, his/her partner and offspring/s.

In a world that desperately seeks love, our love and intimacy as Christians may provide the strongest attraction to the non-Christian world. Jesus said, “All people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John13:35).

It is no wonder that people are asking for divorce because Christ’s love either was never part of the marriage or else the ejector seat button was pressed on Him as the marriage was being nose-dived to the ground despite “attempts” to fix the engine failure!