TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
4 OCTOBER 2015
The
Pharisees are not interested in hearing the opinion of Jesus about the
difficult subject of divorce. They realize
that Jesus knows the Scriptures. Moses
is clear in Deuteronomy 24:1-4: a
husband can divorce his wife. They want
to draw Jesus into the current contentious debates about how to interpret this
Law. Will Jesus side with the Rabbi
Hillel, who is very conservative and limits the reasons for divorce to
infidelity? Or will he side with Rabbi
Shammai, who is so liberal that he would allow any reason for divorce (like the
wife burning toast)? Jesus does not take
their bait and enter into their arguments, just as Pope Francis did not take
similar baits in his visit to our country.
Instead, Jesus cites a higher authority.
He quotes the second chapter of Genesis and points out that, from the
beginning, God intended that man and woman should be united in one flesh. Formed in one flesh (physically, spiritually,
psychologically, and emotionally), Jesus teaches that no one can separate this
radical union. In a perfect world,
symbolized by the Garden of Eden, Jesus makes God’s intention for marriage
clear. Marriage is intended for harmony,
mutual love, and complementarity between the two sexes.
As we know
all too well, we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world wounded by our own sin and
the sin of others. In this fallen world,
it becomes much more difficult for couples to maintain this radical union until
death. But in this fallen world, we
remember that Jesus Christ is the Messiah who has come to save us and to usher
in the Kingdom of God. For this reason,
the Church has faithfully maintained this difficult teaching in her
proclamation of God’s Kingdom. The
Church has always taught what Jesus teaches today: a valid bond of marriage is indissoluble and
ends only with the death of one of the spouses.
You who are
married know that this is a difficult teaching.
There is no such thing as a perfect marriage. You know that you carry the cross when you
open yourselves to the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage and allow the Lord to
help transform your love gradually into the reality of remaining together as
one flesh. When you face challenges and
outright obstacles, it is hard work to maintain your union in one flesh. You need to be humble enough to seek
professional help when you cannot work things out on your own. You need to understand that working on your
bond of marriage affects a community much wider than the two of you.
Many of you
have found that you cannot live this union of one flesh in a fallen world, and
you have either separated or divorced.
You understand that a civil divorce does not end a valid bond of
marriage, precisely because of what Jesus says in the Gospel. That is why the Church has set up the
Marriage Tribunal process. Directed by
the Bishop’s Judicial Vicar, Father Mark Gurtner, the Tribunal is given the
task of examining whether that bond of marriage truly existed from the
beginning. It is not an easy
process. But it is intended to remain
faithful to the teaching of Jesus about one flesh and our Catholic
understanding that a valid bond of marriage is indissoluble. Do not be afraid of the Tribunal. Bishop Rhoades has eliminated all charges for
annulments, and Father Gurtner is working to make our Tribunal more
efficient. Pope Francis has recently
made changes to streamline the process and make it easier.
The Letter
to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ was made for a little while lower
than the angels when he took on human flesh.
In his human flesh, Jesus knew suffering and death. Jesus knows the pain of those of you working
to remain one flesh, those of you who are separated or divorced, and those of
you who are widowed. Take courage! The Lord calls you his brothers and
sisters. He will not withhold his grace
and mercy in this central and critical vocation in our Church and in our world.
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