October 7, 2018
Readings:
First Reading: Genesis 2: 18-24
Psalm: 128
Second Reading: Hebrew 2: 9-11
Gospel reading according to Mark 10:
2-16 (or 10: 2-12)
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Homily:
By chance an ordinary Jewish man came to
the Pharisees (the separated ones) and asked some pieces of advice about his
relation to his wife; he wanted to divorce his wife. Perhaps this man had no longer wanted to live
with his wife, or he no longer loved his wife for he has a new woman in his
life. Or possibly his wife was not a
good wife and mother of his children, a sinful woman, and a lousy, useless and
worthless woman he had got. But he was
afraid to let go his wife and live with another woman without any legal document
that annul their marriage and so acquire the sin of adultery. The only way he knew is to divorce his wife
legally. That’s why he came to the
Pharisees and asked for a written bill of divorce. This matter was brought by the Pharisees
together with that man to Jesus. “The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
‘Is it lawful to divorce his wife?’ They
were testing him” (Mk. 10: 2). But
Jesus recognized already the intention of the Pharisees, to test him, whether he
knew about the written contract of divorce in the tradition of the elders and
given by Moses.
Instead of answering their question,
Jesus returned to them their inquiry (investigation and examination), for he
knew the answer with full knowledge and their intention. “He
said to them in reply, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They replied, ‘Moses permitted him to write a
bill of divorce and dismiss her’.” (Mk. 10: 3-4). Despite without mentioning the name of Moses
in the question of the Pharisees, Jesus referred Moses in his interrogation
(counter and cross examination) with the Pharisees’ understanding of their
question and issue on divorce. According
to their learnings from their elders, Moses allowed to enter into the culture
of the Jews a giving of written bill permitting a husband (and even a wife) to
divorce his wife (her husband) with or without any grave or simple reasons.
Jesus taught and opened the minds and
hearts of the Pharisees even that Jewish man regarding the Law of God about joining
of man and woman into marriage from the beginning of creation. “But
Jesus told them, ‘Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made
them male and female. For this reason a
man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one flesh. So they are no longer
two but one flesh. Therefore what God
has joined together, no human being must separate’.” (Mk. 10: 5-8). Moses was forced to decree this law on divorce
because of the stubbornness and hardness of the hearts of the Jews. So, Jesus
reminded the Pharisees and the Jew about the origin of marriage. This is the sacrament that comes from God in
the very beginning of the world’s creation.
Then Jesus retold the story of the first man and woman and how they
lived together as it is written in the Book of Genesis (first reading), “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the
man to be alone. I will make a suitable
partner for him.’. . . So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while
he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the
rib that he had taken from the man. When
he brought her to the man, the man said, ‘This one, at last, is bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her
man’ this one has been taken.’ That is
why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of
them become one flesh” (Gen. 2: 18-19, 21-24). The foundation of the first marriage in the
history of humankind commenced. Besides,
this is the only sacrament where man and woman are the presiders in their marriage and not the
priest. As what Jesus and I reiterated,
“So they are no longer two but one flesh.” And Jesus concluded, “Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” No human power and capacity even government
officials can separate husband and wife for they are already one flesh, one
body, one spirit, after they entered into contract that they love one another
until death do them part. Perchance the
Pharisees realized this as well as that ordinary Jewish man who would like to
divorce his wife without any ground.
When they went back home in the house of
Simon Peter and Andrew, the disciples became more interested on the issue of
divorce. “In the house the disciples again questioned him about this. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife
and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her
husband and marries another, she commits adultery” (Mk. 10: 10-12). Jesus clarified and enlightened the disciples’
minds and hearts of the consequence of divorcing a wife and/or a husband. They both committing adultery, a sin against
the will of God, and is one (the 7th) of the Great Ten Commandments of God. Instead of divorcing your wife and/or
husband, love her/him, accept all the limitations and weaknesses of her/him,
for in marriage it is a package deal, take all, no return no exchange,
therefore be careful in choosing wife/husband, for after your marriage from
then on you are no longer two different bodies/persons but one flesh and inseparable, for since time immemorial “.
. . what God has joined together, no
human being must separate,,” as Jesus concluded.
The fruits of that bond of love in
marriage are children. On that occasion,
while Jesus was still in the house; people, on the one hand, bringing their
children to Jesus to receive blessing from him and to see him when they learned
that Jesus went home. “And people were bringing children to him
that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them” (Mk. 10: 13). But, on the other hand, his disciples
prevented the people by reprimanding them to bring their children to Jesus,
with unknown reason. Maybe his disciples
did not want to disturb Jesus while he was resting in the house.
But Jesus, who was very sensitive to the
needs of others, was ready to be disturbed and to welcome them especially the
children. “When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, ‘Let the
children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to
such as these. Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.’ Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them” (Mk. 10: 14-16).
Jesus scolded his disciples for blocking the coming of children towards
him. The children are members of the
family and even God’s family. They bring
joy and happiness in the family for they are loving. They make man a man (husband and father) and
woman a woman (wife and mother); he and she became complete and truly called parents
of their children. They bring happiness
in the family. The children are guiltless
and innocent in matters of sin because of their young mind and they easily
forget any wrong doings done by their elder siblings and parents. Children bind
the parents and the family together.
Truly, children are gifts from the Lord God to the family and they
belong to the bigger family – the Reign-Kingdom of God. Therefore, be like a child who is humble,
simple, and sincere, without malice, loving and all other qualities of a child
in order to enter the Kingdom of God.
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