There is an antidote to divorce – love, a short word which is, in fact, the antidote to all evil.

But not what the world and the media generally mean when they speak about love but what the Lord Jesus had in mind when He declared love to be the greatest of all the commandments.

A young man had asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment and the Lord’s answer was: “The greatest commandment is this: ‘thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole mind, thy whole soul, thy whole heart and thy whole strength; and the second is like unto the first – thou shalt love thy neighbours as thyself’.” The young man wanted to know who his neighbour was, whereupon Jesus came out with the stupendous parable of the Good Samaritan.

It is important to note that Jesus is not proposing love as a suggestion or a recommendation of action but as a commandment and moreover as the greatest of the commandments. And it is meant to apply not only to those by whom we are naturally or sentimentally attracted but also to those for whom we feel no attraction – even our enemies.

At their wedding ceremony, the bride and groom promise each other solemnly to love and cherish each other until separated by death. If the greatest of all commandments bids us to love our neighbour (everybody, including enemies) as ourselves, how much more does it require us to love those to whom we have promised solemnly to love?

A law in favour of divorce is a law making it legal to go back on one’s word solemnly given. How can we trust people who promise the earth and then make it legal to break that most solemn of promises – the marriage bond?

Divorce is not a right, especially not a basic human right. It is an excuse thought up by men to ease their conscience and their comfort.

Many centuries ago Thomas à Kempis in his Imitation of Christ laments “Oft times men do evil; and – worse – they excuse it”.