It is our attitude which must undergo a change and not marriage - bishops

It is our attitude which must undergo a change and not marriage and Christians had the duty to fulfill their mission within society and spread the good news, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said in a pastoral letter.

They said that when Jesus was asked about divorce 2,000 years ago, he enlightened them on the beauty of everlasting marriage and highlighted the way this could be achieved.

He explained to them that it was not possible to embrace a value and at the same time concede to a reality which went against that value.

Jesus had tried to show the people how divorce alters the intrinsic nature of marriage.

“Once there is divorce, then one cannot speak of stable and everlasting marriage, as ordained by God from the very beginning: because divorce changes the very nature of marriage

“At no point does Jesus specify any form of condition or manner in which divorce could be instituted – he simply insists that once there is divorce, then there is a shift in the nature of marriage,” the bishops said.

Today, his answer would have been the same: “It is because of the hardness of your hearts”, Mgr Cremona and Mgr Grech said adding that “it is attitude which must undergo a change and not marriage”.

Other countries introduced divorce because they felt it would solve their problems related to marital breakdown, but instead, the problems multiplied.

The bishops said that it was not possible for Catholics to say that they loved their fellowmen unless they communicate to them the message of Jesus.

“We must serve Jesus by fulfilling our mission within society. The world may not accept His word yet it would have heard it… It is not an imposition but a contribution which we are offering to society.”

When faced with the words of Jesus, every Christian had to shoulder responsibility and participate in the mission of fulfilling and protecting His teachings.

“We appeal to all Christians, be it in their calling as Christians as well as in their role within society, to spread the words of Jesus as part of their mission,” they said.

www.maltadiocese.org

Their whole letter, in Maltese or English, may be read in the pdf links below.