Twenty-seventh Sunday B in Ordinary Time

Marriage in God’s Plan (Mark 10: 2-16)
Man cannot change God’s plan with the union.

There was an exchange of views between the grammar school students on the topic of “marriage.” The girls pointed out the relationship of today’s young men to marriage, their irresponsibility, their immaturity … what they experienced in their family. Opinions mixed as they entered each other’s speeches, raising their voices until they fell silent as they noticed their classroom professor among themselves. Everyone’s eyes were on the young woman, revered by the students for her expertise, approach to them, and views on life. Many lifelong students will remember a math class when they did not solve logarithms but listened to equally clear and fundamental words. As a student cannot decrypt the example of not studying, it is difficult for a person who has not thoughtfully prepared for marriage to succeed in marriage. While solving the model, the student must be focused and respect the law. This is also the case in premarital and married life. Just a little inattention and a bad result can occur. Alternatively, he can choose another better way and work on the development sooner. He can go back, find a mistake and continue. But with marriage, things are not accessible. Evil is a student who resigns when he sees only a bad result and does not look for a mistake again; he does not study to succeed. Today, he criticizes a lot, rebukes, curses, sees mistakes in others and not in himself. More attention is paid negatively than positively.
Even today, we can realize that we will not save our marriages from difficulties and crises by lamenting, pointing to the growing number of divorces, the relaxation of morals, poor preparation, and so on. It is more convenient to remember what we all feel inside us that God has a plan for every man, every woman, and therefore every marriage. And because we know that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16), it is necessary to put aside human opinions, conjectures, the misguided philosophy of today’s marriage, and to master the familiar words of Christ.

“Therefore, a man will leave his father and mother and be attached to his wife, and there will be two in one body. And so, they are no longer two, but one body. What therefore God hath gathered, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10: 7-8).
We know the words and the known problem. Or, in other words: Old words and an old issue. For several centuries before Christ, the law of the indissolubility of marriage applied to the Jews. A new problem? Not. Just weak new people. So still a current situation.
Does the evangelist also represent today’s Pharisees who “tempted Jesus. They asked him if a man could let his wife go” (Mark 10: 2)? They consider Jesus ignorant of the problem. They are not interested in Jesus’ opinion, but they want to close his mouth. They do not wish to accept a clear doctrine; it is enough for them to have objections to it because, according to them, it is equivalent to the fact that they are right and ask when the Church will recognize a legal divorce. Jesus recalls the words of the Book of Genesis about the creation of women (cf. Gen 2: 18-24). From the words: “It is not good that man is alone” (Gen 2:18), it can be seen that man himself does not form a human race. A woman brings something new, invigorating to a man’s life. In the description of creation, it is necessary to see a language that the people who were their first recipients understood. The language of symbols can also be seen in the description of the creation of women. The ribs of Semites denote life. The act of creating a woman from a man’s rib points to closeness to a man. A woman has the exact nature as the words correspond: “… a bone of my bones and a body of my body. It will be called “A man” because she was taken from a man “(Gen 2:23). The text presented in this way points to equality between a man and a woman, even though the social woman had or did not have the rights of a man. The symbolism of the creation of a woman from the rib of a man has another aspect that affects the union of two people. The bond between a man and a woman should be as strong as the connection of the rib with the body. Marriage must be so complex, strong, and harmonious that it can be compared to the human body. “Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be attached to his wife, and there will be two in one body. So they are no longer two, but one flesh” (Mk 10: 7-8). The new bond between man and woman is stronger than blood. And Jesus will elevate this relationship, the union, to a value that nothing else can be compared to when he declared of the marriage: “What God has joined together, let man not separate” (Mark 10: 9)! Marriage is a whole new relationship to which God gives the seal of his love. We will say that in the sacrament of marriage, God puts His particular plan, which cannot be renounced, for God himself has reserved its termination by the death of one of the marriages.

He who seeks an answer to divorce, to the end of the sacramental union in the Catholic understanding of the faith, the answer is clear. “Therefore, what God has joined, let man not separate” (Mark 10: 9). Much has been written on the subject of “divorce from Catholics.” We know from history that Pope Clement VII. could not agree to the new marriage of King Henry VIII of England. Despite the break-up of Rome and England, he did not declare the king’s valid marriage invalid. Thus was founded the Anglican Church, headed by the King of England. When Pope John Paul II. in 1983 he signed a new Code of Canon Law, several media attacked the Pope and the Church for finding no place for divorce in the Church.

There have been and are efforts to make the Church adapt to the world’s demands, including in the area of ​​divorce. However, those who attack the Church in this way forget to answer the question: Will divorce heal marriage? After all, the sacrament of marriage has a clear mission. Cooperation between men and women for mutual help, enrichment, childbirth, and the upbringing of children. Even those who have entered into a sacramental marriage are indeed divorcing. They are divorced because sacred love has not been strengthened, and husbands and wives must cooperate with God’s blessing. It cannot be said that it is enough to administer the sacrament of marriage, because sacramental grace does not take effect automatically. It is necessary to cooperate with grace. Otherwise, it will become a useless talent. We can compare it to such a situation. On the day of the sacrament, a wealthy grandfather deposits millions of dollars into the newlyweds’ account, provided that the couple cannot withdraw the deposit at once but must withdraw only a portion each day.

We each have our share of marital happiness. Both the priest and society have their share in preparing people for marriage and strengthening the marriage bond. Education and especially a good example of parents and the environment should work to prepare well for a sacramental marriage. The newlyweds themselves must do everything before the wedding to be well prepared in all respects, thus by keeping God’s commandments. Believing Christians must be aware that Jesus died and rose from the dead because of their marriage. There will be a cross and crosses in their life together, despite the love they feel for each other. They are to remember the words of Jesus: “Whoever wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24). After all, we are marked by inherited sin. And husbands should often remember the words spoken in the sacrament of marriage: “You promise before Almighty God that you will be a faithful husband to her, that you will be a faithful wife to him, that you will not leave her, neither in happiness, nor in unhappiness, nor in sickness. , or in health, and that you will love and honor her all the days of your life?” Yet we read in the Scriptures, “What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10: 9). It is a fountain of new satisfaction for God and us. The Church looks at every marriage with joy, love, gratitude, and happiness. In the love of our spouses, we recognize the love endowed by Christ himself and the Church. The greater the love of a man for a woman and a woman for a man, the greater the satisfaction.

We should want to take the vital truth from today’s gospel of marriage that a good marriage, the lasting and faithful unity of man and woman, was and is possible. Whatever is done. Why? Because a woman is a “bone of my bones” for a man. Because man is called for partnership, both biologically and mentally, God wants the two to be through his marriage. And also because Jesus confirmed it for the salvation order and the New Testament. The problems of marriage concern a whole complex of issues of human life.

A wealthy Roman woman once asked Rabbi Joshi Chalafta, “What does God do all day?” The rabbi replied, “She brings married couples together. He chooses who has whom to take—this man, this woman, this man, and so on. “There’s nothing special about that, “Rimanka remarked,” I can do that, too. I’ll put a thousand couples together in one day.” The rabbi said nothing. When the lady returned to her palace, she had all the slaves and female slaves called and married and married to each other. She ordered, “You take that one, and you take that one again.” At night, almost all married couples quarreled and killed themselves. They went to their mistress in the morning. One slave had a broken head, another slave had a bruise under her eye, and another slave had a broken nose … The lady was called Rabbi Joshi. She told him what had happened and said, “You were right. I see that only God can unite a man and a woman.” A voice from heaven said, “It’s not easy for me either.”

And what about that? Nobody doubts that. And that is why today it is fitting that he who has not prayed for his marriage will begin, and he who has prayed for his marriage will continue with even greater love and intensity. We see personal and social benefits in marriage, even when the difficulties and crosses of living together must be addressed. And everyone, even with a bit of goodwill, must say that what the Church teaches and maintains is correct, that it does not agree to divorce.

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2 Responses to Twenty-seventh Sunday B in Ordinary Time

  1. Peter Prochac says:

    Thank you for your comment.

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