October 03, 2021
27th Sunday Ordinary B
It is a tough teaching on divorce. When Jesus is asked is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife, he acknowledges that “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.†But Jesus does on to say that this commandment is a concession because of the hardness of your hearts. It is not the original intention of God. Jesus refers to the Book of Genesis: “God made them male and female…and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.â€
In the 2nd and older Creation Story God is a potter. “The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.†In Hebrew, the word for “man†and “clay†are almost the same. God plants a garden and settles the man in the garden. God says that it is not good for man to be alone. Again, God forms cattle and birds, presents these creatures to the man who names them. But none prove to be a suitable partner for the man. In the Bible, Hebrew for “partner†or “helper†most often applies to God. Now God cast a deep sleep over the man and takes a rib from his side and forms a woman. The woman is God’s gift, God’s helper, to man.
The creation of woman from the side of man finds a parallel in the Gospel according to John. The evangelist tells us when Jesus dies, one of the soldiers thrusts his lance into the side of Jesus and immediately blood and water flow out symbolizing the fountain of sacramental life flowing into the Church represented by the Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple standing at the foot of the cross. Jesus’ giving his life on cross models the sacrificial and lifegiving love of man and woman, of husband and wife, in marriage.
The vows of love and fidelity “in good times and bad, in sickness and health, until death†are not only the teaching of Jesus but the sincere hope of husband and wife when they marry. Sadly, divorce is common (although the rate of divorce is dropping) in our society. Jesus sets the bar high for the sanctity and permanence of the marriage covenant, but Jesus is an incredibly forgiving teacher when it comes to our human failings. Jesus is with married couples in their joys and sorrows. Jesus is with couples struggling to keep their marriages and families together. Jesus is with couples who have suffered divorce to lessen regret and heal body and soul. I end with a prayer of blessing for married couples.
We praise you, O God,
We bless you, Creator of all things,
who in the beginning made man and woman that they might form a communion of life and love.
We give you thanks for graciously blessing the family life of your servants who have said yes to the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony,
so that it might present an image of Christ’s union with the Church.
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26th Sunday Ordinary Time B
