婚姻的永恆性 THE PERPETUITY OF MARRIAGE

永生系列（五）
婚姻的永恆性（谷10:1-12）

天主在創造天地萬物時所定下的法則是完美的，各種自然現象都在述說這些完美法則的近似值（詠19:2-4），偉大的物理學家們發現了，並且運用數學方程式表述了。他們驚嘆所發現的物理學常數，倘若在小數點後第六個位稍有差異，我們所認識的宇宙，便不能孕育出有自我意識的人類了！

各種社會制度都在述說天主法則的片面，祇是貎似而不是神似。雖然「梅瑟法律」是最接近天主心目中的法律，它亦有其不足之處。例如寫休書休妻的法令，在解除婚約之後便可以自由地改嫁或再娶。這樣固然是權宜之計，在殺人與姦淫的兩害之間取其輕，但並不是天主制訂婚姻的本意。耶穌說：「這是為了你們心硬，他纔給你們寫下這條法令。」（谷10:5）。耶穌來糾正了婚姻是「合約」的謬誤，指出婚姻象徵祂與教會之間的「盟約」，既莊嚴而又永恆，是沒有改嫁再娶的餘地！ 所以嚴格地說，配偶去世而續絃，也是生活在人世間，為了年幼子女和為了自己的一個權宜之計而已！

塵世的婚姻盟約，始終要處理世俗的需要，例如遺產的繼承權問題，與及體貼相親的需要。繼承權問題在進入永生之後，再沒有意義，一如耶穌基督在後來反駁撒杜塞人的提問時指出，「因為人從死者中復活後，也不娶，也不嫁，就像天上的天使一樣」（12:25）。這裡所說的不娶不嫁，是指進入永生後，不再需要姻婚的生育繁殖任務了。但我們會問，到時生活在永恆中的人類，還有沒有上面提及的體貼相親的「需要」呢？

我大膽地推測，體貼相親，已不再是一種需要，而是被天主聖三的共融，提昇到榮福的境界。從前是夫妻的，他倆彼此間的親密，會更進一步提昇；同一個家族中的恩怨情仇，將被化解；度獻身生活的人，與他們所服務的學生、病人、無親無故者和囚友等，共融成另一個體系。有如天上的天使，雖然擁有同一個名號，卻數目眾多（5:9）！那麼，一夫多妻、或一妻多夫的關係，在永恆之中，就不再是一個毛病了。

親愛的讀者，珍惜在世的婚姻關係，你倆要一同生活，至死不休，直到永遠。亞孟。
天主保祐！

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生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝: stlouisparish.org

THE PERPETUITY OF MARRIAGE (Mark 10:1-12)

The Law which God laid down when He created the known universe is perfect. All observable physical phenomena narrate the approximations of that perfect Law (Psalms 19:2-4). Great physicists discovered those approximations and expressed them with mathematical formulae. All of them are amazed to discover that if there is a difference after the 6th decimal place in any of the physical constants, the known universe would not be habitable for self-conscious human beings!

All social institutions are partial and superficial expressions of the Law of God. Although the Mosaic Law is the best approximation of the Law intended by God, it is also inadequate. For example, Moses permitted a man to write a bill of divorce to annul a marriage. Then the man and the woman might be free to get married with somebody else. This was a compromise, to choose the lesser evil between murder and adultery. This is definitely not God's original intention when He instituted marriage. Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he [Moses] wrote you this commandment" (Mark 10:5). Jesus came to correct the fallacy of treating marriage as a contract. Instead, marriage is a covenant symbolizing the covenant between Christ and His Spouse, the Church. This covenant is solemn as well as perpetual and does not leave any room for re-marriages. Strictly speaking, re-marriage after the death of a spouse is also a compromise for the sake of young children born out of wedlock and personal needs!

Worldly nuptial covenants have to deal with worldly needs, for example the legality of inheritance and the personal needs of intimacy. Once we enter eternal life, the question of inheritance becomes meaningless, just as what Jesus had answered to the challenge of the Sadducess, "When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven" (12:25). That is to say, once we enter eternal life, we do not need the procreation function of marriage any more. Then, we ask, will humanity have intimacy need to meet in eternal life?

I would boldly speculate that intimacy will no longer be a need but will be sublimed into a beatific level by the communion of the Blessed Trinity. The intimacy of previous couples shall be sublimed to a beatific level. The love and rivalry among clan members shall be reconciled. The consecrated religious will be in communion with those they served on earth, such as students, the sick, the homelss and the inmates etc. to form a system like angels in heaven who have the same name but they are many (5:9). Then, polygamies will no longer be an issue in eternal life.

Beloved readers. Cherish your marriage on earth because death is unable to part you any more. Your marriage is perpetual. Amen.
God bless!