In troubled times, when the storms of life are looming on the horizon, when the winds begin to blow and we are being tossed about by what seems like overwhelming forces, we are given some very simple advice:  “Hold on!”  When we find ourselves adrift in deep waters, being tossed about in the stormy seas of life’s difficulties, we must have something that we can cling to that will keep us afloat.  Sacred scriptures speak to us of recognizing what it is that we must cling to in life, what we must hold fast to, what we must be attached to and what it is that we must cleave to that will save us in difficult times.  Love is not a passing emotion or a fleeting sentiment but is a commitment and a decision to hold fast, to cling to and to retain in our lives that which gives us life and which sustains us in difficult times.  Paul instructs us in Romans:  “Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in sharing honor.” (Rom 12,9f)  In Thessalonians, Paul encourages us:  “Test everything; retain what is good.  Refrain from every kind of evil.” (1Thes 5,21)  When we are gifted in life with something that is good, we must learn to hold onto it, making it a part of who we are, for it is our hope for salvation.

     There are things in life that are worth holding on to, that we must always cling to and that must be to us of greatest value.  There are things that have eternal value.  These eternal gifts give our lives meaning and purpose.  In his teachings on the Kingdom of God, Jesus shares with his disciples several parables about the ultimate good that we might discover in our lives and that we must give everything we have to attain and to retain.  The pearl of great price, the treasure hidden in the field, the good that is captured in the dragnet of life, all of these good things that are signs of God’s Kingdom have eternal value for our lives.  It would be a foolish thing, a hateful thing, even an evil thing to let go of and to throw away that which is truly good in our lives and that which we must always treasure.

     It is in this light that we must hear the question that the Pharisees propose to Jesus in the gospel of Mark, chapter 10:  “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”  In the time of Jesus divorce was lawful and probably all too common.  Though it was lawful, Jesus could not view it as a good.  It was foolish, hateful and even evil, arising out of “the hardness of your hearts.” (Mk 10,5)  From the beginning God gave man the gift of woman to remedy a condition of life that was “not good.”  In Genesis we hear:  “The Lord God said:  “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I shall make a suitable partner for him.”’ (Gen 12,18)  Jesus takes us back to the beginning and reminds us, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  So they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mk 10,6ff)  Genesis speaks of this joining of man and woman as being the state that a man “clings to his wife, and the two become one flesh.” (Gen 2,24)  God intended that a man would cling to what is good, and the greatest, most profound good is his wife, his suitable partner that is “at last” the fulfillment of his greatest desire and need.  She is “the one” who is “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” (Gen 2,23)

     In discerning a partner for marriage, one must seek to find someone who is good for that person, who makes one a better person, who gives life and who is in a real sense “made for” that person.  When one finds this ultimate good, then one must cling to what is good, no matter what the circumstances of life might be.  The two cling to one another, not out of a sense of dependency, but out of a basic need and desire for communion.  Marriage is more than a legal arrangement, it is a covenantal bond and a great sacrament.  It is the sacrament of communion that reveals the unity of the Sacred Trinity of God.  In marriage, a person leaves behind their selfish nature and gives themself fully to another, accepting what the other has to give.  It is in this communion of mutual love that a person finds the true purpose and meaning of their life.  The two persons become one in a unity of persons that is never meant to be separated.  So if things get rough, “Hold on!”  Cling to one another and you can weather any storm that life might bring.