Sunday, October 7, 2012

Gospel Reflection



October 06, 2012
Anticipated Sunday Mass
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Rev. Fr. Stephen Mifsud (Mission Society of St. Paul  – Quezon City)
MSSP House Chapel / Mass for the poor)


Reading 1 Gn 2:18-24

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 formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

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.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (cf. 5) May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Reading 2 Heb 2:9-11

Brothers and sisters: He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, " that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them 'brothers.'

Gospel Mk 10:2-16

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." 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 mothe 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." In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 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.

or Mk 10:2-12

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." 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." In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus 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."


HOMILY


From my experience, I can make a guess that 99% of the people here have someone in their family or relatives whose marriage broke down.

To tell you the truth I ask myself: How will those who experienced marriage separation feel  after listening to the gospel of today?  Are the words of Jesus too harsh? Will the gospel stir up past or present guilt; a sense of failure or inadequacy?

Divorce is a difficult issue for the priest to speak about because Jesus’ statements  look idealistic, with strong words and for our times they might look old-fashioned.

In today’s culture, we have grown used to television soap operas and "reality shows," with their casual sexual situations and language.  The marriages failures that we hear about are countless… even of ideal couples. When you look around you see so many family problems and infidelities.

So what is the relevance of Jesus words for us living in this time?

To answer this we need to understand a bit the context of marriage in time of Jesus.

First, in Jesus’ time weddings were arranged by the parents and so a woman’s had no say at all. Women were second class, servants of the husband and family.  Secondly, In Jesus time men could divorce their wives, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." The problem was that she could be divorced for the mere fact that her cooking was not good.  So, for example, if a wife burned the pot of rice she might find herself "dismissed.  And, what would happen to that woman? … She would became outcast from her own family… At that time there was no job for woman except  prostitution.    

So, with this background in mind can you realize how much of a good news was Jesus’ condemnation of divorce to the women who were listening to Jesus. 


When you see the context you see how Jesus is on the side of the person who is suffering injustice, inequality, selfishness.  The criteria of Jesus when he speaks on divorce is not the law but the wellbeing of the person. 

Christ showed the truth about marriage, not to condemn but to show the beauty of the person, the beauty of marriage.  To show what is at the heart of marriage… Marriage is not just an institution… Marriage is not a factory of children, its not just sex and pleasure…its not just a headache to find money,  but a beautiful life “become one flesh” becoming one heart, one mind, one spirit. To experience the love of God through each other.

Some, or rather, many marriages are not built on reciprocal love … total self giving. How beautiful it is to see a family who respect each other!  who talk and discuss things in a gentle way!  who are ready to sacrifice with love, without grumbling!  who give all they have, their money and their time for the family with love!
Love cannot be selfish , looking only at my rights.

Selfish love leads to abuse.  For example saying bad words because my tongue is mine … that’s an abuse !  To  leave your family to go with another man/women because I am fed up. !  Is not that selfish and abuse to the whole family.  To quarrel and fight in front of children … because I am right … Is not that an abuse!

At the heart of marriage is selfless love… and its so difficult to find nowadays! But not imposible. As Christians we need to always look at the ideal Christ presents to us… marriage based on love and the respect of the other, putting yourself at the service of the family … with joy.  And when you have temptations to quit … remember that when I am hurting my family because of my selfishness, I am hurting myself because my husband/wife is one in flesh with me.  Remember also that true happiness in family comes when there is true love and faithfulness.
 You may also want to see: Gospel Reflection: by Rev. Fr. Jun Sescon

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