Priest: ‘Every heart longs for a permanent love’

This is according to Fr. Joel Jason, head of the Commission for Family and Life of the Archdiocese of Manila, who gave the first session of the “Family is a Gift” (FIAG) conference on June 16 at the SMX Convention Center.

“When the Church teaches about the permanence of marriage.. Is it a Church imposition? Or is the Church simply articulating the deepest desire of the human heart?” he stressed, saying this is the reason why the Church is naturally against divorce.

He went on to cite the example of pop culture icon Marilyn Monroe who married thrice in her life.

‘In her heart of hearts’

The priest said despite experiencing the pain of divorce thrice Marilyn Monroe kept on remarrying because she also believed in God’s design of permanent love.

“In her heart of hearts, she believes that marriage should be permanent… Marriage is a lasting relationship because marriage is the statement of permanence [in] the relationship,” he said.

The parish priest of Our Lady, Mirror of Justice parish in Makati also referred to pop singer Beyonce and her chart-topping song “Single Ladies.”

“Even Beyonce, [she said], ‘Put a ring on it. What is the ring for? It is a symbol of permanence and fidelity,” added Jason.

Strengthening families

During the first FIAG session, the priest also explained that the Church believes in helping fix marriages and families. “They (These families) have their difficulties, but we believe not in dividing the family but in strengthening the family.”

“There are no prefect families, but there are healthy families, and we believe in strengthening and protecting healthy families. And that is why we do not believe in divorce,” added Jason.

FIAG is a pro-family and pro-marriage campaign organized by Couples for Christ. Held at the SMX Convention Center, the FIAG conference also featured break-out workshops on topics like addressing infertility issues naturally, depression in the family, sexual intimacy, and teen sexuality, among others.