SERMON/REFLECTION FOR FRIDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II MAY 24 2024

SERMON/REFLECTION FOR FRIDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (MAY 24, 2024)

James 5:9-12; Ps.103; Mark 10:1-12

Jesus on Marriage!

From the question the Pharisees asked Jesus in the gospel reading, it is clear that marital union was already experiencing fierce challenges at that time, such that some married people conceived the idea that only separation could be a lasting solution. The Pharisees wanted to know if Jesus supported the permission to divorce that Moses gave to the people. One can only imagine the number and magnitude of marital problems that ensued at the of Moses that mounted so much pressure on him to permit married people to divorce. Today, one may sometimes doubt within himself if perseverance can still hold sway in some marriages. Can we really persevere about everything?

Jesus was not oblivious of marital challenges when he taught about the permanence and indissolubility of marriage in today’s gospel. When people marry, they enter into a permanent union that cannot be broken. This calls for proper preparation before entering into marriage. So, Jesus said: “For this reason (marriage) shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife…” Amongst the possible lessons we can draw from this statement of Jesus, he was also condemning concubinage. Today, many young people have left their parents and are joined to the opposite sex in concubinage, not marriage. They call it dating for it to sound permissible. While is it highly necessary for two persons to know themselves before marriage, it is forbidden for them to live as though they were married.

Cohabiting may enable one to know so much about the intending partner, but it does not give one the necessary wisdom to live with the other nor the needed perseverance to bear with the other’s weaknesses. Marriage is a divine institution. This means that only God has and gives the manual for it. It is sheer foolishness to sinfully prepare for what is divinely instituted. So, the first step to take in forestalling many of the challenges besieging marriages today, is to consider how young people prepare and enter into it. No structure can last on a weak foundation.

Proper preparation does not guarantee absence of challenges in marriages but it does guarantee the wisdom to handle all that may come up. What married people must do today and always, is to give God more space in their home. Do not be hardened of heart like the people of Moses’ days. The psalmist assures us that the Lord is compassionate and gracious enough to help us.