February ends today but our response to the call of God never ceases. Hence, it is good for us to ponder on what it means to be faithful to God's will. While the Book of Ecclesiasticus outlines manners and types of faithful friendship, the psalm reminds us of the goodness of God's law, we ought to call for Him to guide us in His ways and to observe God's law with wonder. This is an attitude of fidelity.

In Mark's Gospel, however, the Pharisees approached Jesus, asking a question: 'is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?' Moses allowed divorce due to the circumstances of his time, and in the time of Jesus, the teachers of the Law would quibble about what exactly was or wasn't allowed.

Today, we hear similar questions: 'is it against the law for us to do this or that?', 'why are they allowed and we forbidden?' we seem to seek for more rules to follow instead of nurturing the right attitude.

Jesus' answer clearly outlines that the intention of God's command from the beginning was unitive and not divisive. He cautions us to beware of the inclination of man and woman to deviate from the observance of the marriage bond. We are called to examine our faithfulness to our relationships, looking beyond the mere observance of rules, practices and tradition, we seek to understand God's purpose in them.