"It is not good for a man to be alone," God says in the first reading today. It is quite obvious that, in the normal course of events, a man will be drawn to a woman to spend his life with her together in a very close intimacy and union. And, if everything goes well, they will, in the words of Scripture, become 'one body'. In fact, this does happen and it is a lovely thing to see a couple grow in closer union as the years go by. But it is not always like that and a partner can be unfaithful and be drawn to someone else who seems more attractive. In Jesus' time it was relatively easy to terminate a marriage and get a divorce. The effects of divorce can be devastating on the betrayed partner and on the children. Jesus condemns such selfish behaviour. However, we also have to say that some marriages, for one reason or another, simply break down. In such cases, separation - living away from the spouse - may be the only solution for all concerned. And our Church has never condemned that. There are many stresses in married life in these times so let us pray today for the happiness of all married couples and give our support to all the married couples we know.