Fr. Eugene Lobo SJ –
Twenty Seventh Sunday of the Year October 06, 2024
Readings: Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16
Christianity is a person-centered religion as Jesus is the person around whom the Christian faith is built. Christ, the Son of God, the Word made flesh, stands at the center of our Christian faith and guides the peoples and families. The Church founded by Jesus is more than an earthly society, more than a mere product of history; it is an extension of this same Incarnation. For us, the life in the Spirit can never be disembodied. Redeemed believers are to live in newness of life, in a world of persons. We are called to be persons living in the world, though not of the world.
Therefore the prayer, May your will be done on earth, is the Christian prayer presenting the characteristics of all Christians. The Church which is the body of Christ always aims to identify herself with the whole of humanity. Jesus said that the world would know that we are his disciples by the love that we have for one another. Jesus says where two or three gather in his name he is present there among them. St Paul says that love is the perfect bond of unity. Today’s readings tell us of the sacredness of married life.
In the Gospel we have the teaching of Jesus about divorce and remarriage. He blesses the little children with the message that they symbolize those fit to enter the kingdom of God. One significant theme in the creation account is God’s gracious love for humanity. Out of love for them God created the world, bestowed on them the privilege of enjoying the Garden of Eden, and gave them the distinct honor of walking with God in the Garden. In the first reading of today God offers them yet another gift of love. The reading begins today with the message of God that it is not good for man to be alone. This is the first time God declares something associated with creation to be not good. Such an appraisal gives all the more emphasis to the wonderful gift of finding a partner to love. This appraisal also sets in motion the process that concludes with the presentation of Eve to Adam. The reader knows that only woman will perfectly complement man, giving special attention to the wonderful gift of married love.
In today’s Second Reading, we heard that for a little while Jesus was made lower than the angels so he may be crowned with glory and honor. Up to this point, the Letter to the Hebrews has stressed the superiority of Jesus to the angels. Jesus was divine, the Son of God. He also suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Christ suffered and died for us human persons. He did all this to bring us to glory, so we may obtain our salvation through him. In Christ, we are sanctified by the grace of the heavenly Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. Our sanctification unites us with our Sanctifier, Jesus Christ. Our sanctification entitles us to be called brothers and sisters of Christ. Because Jesus was also human, he could identify with us. He took our human nature and thus we are of the same human stock as he, and so he can call us his brothers and sisters.
The Gospel of today gives us the teachings of Jesus on marriage and divorce and an attitude towards children. In the larger context however, is his teaching on the meaning of discipleship. Jesus had already redefined the meaning of family when he told the people that those who do the will of God are the members of his family. The family is a strong unit that contains God’s presence. With this he set forth an ideal of detachment as necessary for discipleship. Following Jesus brought with it family pressures that could easily divide members. There were also financial and social matters to be concerned with. So the question comes now about the strength of marriage and divorce. The Scribes and Pharisees question how the teaching of Torah finds a place in the teaching of Jesus to the disciples. Mark clearly tells us that this group wanted to test Jesus about his stand on the matter.
Jesus concedes that Moses did indeed permit divorce and remarriage with a written bill of divorce. Divorce was permitted by Jewish law and it could be done simply by a husband delivering a certificate declaring his intention to divorce his wife, giving freedom to both to remarry. However, he considers that concession was given due to the distorted nature of humankind and not God’s intention at creation. Jesus therefore reaffirms God’s original intent by absolutely forbidding divorce and remarriage. The point here is more on the authority of Jesus to make this declaration than the issue of divorce. It would have been shocking to hear Jesus say that a man or a woman could commit adultery against each other by this act. Jesus then was very strong in his teaching on divorce. He tells the Pharisees that whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman, commits adultery. What unites families today is primarily the saving work of Christ.
Our Christian doctrine tells us that because marriage is a union made by God, it is unbreakable. The Church teaches that the man and woman, who commit the rest of their lives to each other, truly become one. This is the way God intended marriage, and it is important to remember that marriage was instituted by God, not by man. When reflecting on divorce, you must ask yourself whose rules you are playing by when you agree to marry. One of the great tragedies in our modern culture is that the family is under attack from all sides. Countless movies, television shows and song lyrics depict single-parent families or do not include the parents at all. Commitment is replaced by a distorted notion of love.
Marriage has been of interest and importance to everybody. With this teaching Jesus emphasizes the greatness of marriage. No reality is greater than this! For God wanted the union of marriage to be the unique mode of expression in which is realized the spiritual, mystical, union between Christ and his Church: Christ is truly the Husband of the Church, and the Church is truly the Wife of Christ! God instituted marriage at the time of the creation of man and woman, for in the first man he already saw Christ and in the first woman he already saw the Church, and in particular Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the perfect model of the entire Church. Thus when a man and a woman unite themselves to each other through marriage, a new body is formed, a body which, normally, will be concretized one day by the birth of one or more children.
Immediately after the discussion on divorce, there is a passage where Jesus speaks about children – the fruit of marriage. Let them come to me, Jesus says, because kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Parents should not stand in way of their children finding God; on the contrary, they should rather show the way. In a difficult family where there is no love and lack of union, there are the children, who become the real victims. Immediately after the episode of weighty discussion Jesus had returned home and the parents were seeking the Teacher to touch and bless their children. The disciples may have felt Jesus was tired and wanted rest before he begins another ministry. They did not think it right to trouble their master at this point. Jesus was happy to receive the children, talk to them, bless them and even play with them. He was happy with them and fit for the Kingdom of God.
When Jim was a kid, he remembered his mom sometimes prepared quick meal for supper. One evening his mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of his dad. Jim still remembered waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all his dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at Jim’s mom and ask Jim how his day was at school. Jim did not remember what he told him that night, but he did remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite! When his Father got up from the table that evening, he heard his mother apologize to his dad for burning the biscuits. And Jim would never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits.” Later that night, Jim went to kiss Daddy good night and asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped Jim in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides – a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!” Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I’m not the best at hardly anything, and we forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s arrived at the clinic to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. The nurse in attendance asked him to take his seat and since she was free she took time to evaluate his wound. The medico would not be free for another hour and the man was constantly checking his watch. On exam, it was well healed, so she talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, she asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment that morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman just said that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. While inquiring he told her that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. The nurse asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. He was surprised and asked him why he was in a hurry. He smiled as he patted her hand and said, ‘She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.’ The nurse had to hold back tears as he left, and thought, ‘That is the kind of love I want in my life.’