God doesn't think like men. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that men don't think like God. Israel deserved to feel God's wrath. But it was not to be. God had mercy on his people.
In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus sends out His Apostles and instructs them. He says, "As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you."
The moral of this instruction? You control your peace. Your peace cannot be taken or "stolen" from you. Regardless of life circumstances, you get to choose whether to have peace in your heart or not. So often we think our peace is dependent on external circumstances or other people. It is not. If someone or something threatens to take your peace away, don't allow it. Keep it close. It's all up to you.
Father, may peace reign in our hearts, and may we let nothing take that peace from us. Amen.
Regarding older people cohabiting due to finances, at my last parish a widow and a widower wanted to marry, but could not afford to suffer the financial consequences. Our pastor offered them a solution: He offered them a valid church marriage without a civil marriage. They chose this path and were happily together until the demise of the groom. No government interference of any kind. I don’t know if this was considered okay, but it worked for them.