Mark 10:1-12

James 5:9-12

Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12

Mark 10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.

Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,

he again taught them.

The Pharisees approached him 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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to see when I am hard of heart or stubborn. Do not let me persist in rejecting your mercy and love. I want to always welcome your Word and your grace so that I can truly live according to your will.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Bringing the Old Law to Fulfillment: In the Gospel, Jesus corrects the old Law of Moses and brings it to fulfillment. Jesus recalls the beginning, the time of Adam and Eve before their fall, and God’s original plan for marriage. The Law of Moses, given in Deuteronomy, was a concession to the hardness of Israel’s hearts and not the faithful expression of God’s original law. A case in point is that Jesus does not ask the Pharisees: “What did God command you?,” but rather “What did Moses command you?.” There were several concessionary laws in Deuteronomy that Jesus needed to correct, the law permitting divorce was one of them.

2. Marriage as a Sacrament: Through his work of redemption, Jesus has raised marriage, a natural institution, to a Sacrament, a supernatural institution. Man and woman, through marriage, enter into a covenant and share in the love that Christ, the bridegroom, has for the Church, his bride. In the Catechism, we find this about marriage: “Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy - heavier than the Law of Moses. By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to ‘receive’ the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ’s cross, the source of all Christian life” (CCC, 1615). The grace of matrimony perfects the couple’s love and strengthens their indissoluble unity.

3. The Call to Authenticity of Life: Men and women, joined in marriage, are called to mutual authenticity of life, truthfulness with one another, perseverance in love, and charity in all things. In James’ words we hear the clear echo of Jesus’ teachings: judge not and you will not be judged; blessed are those who have persevered; do not swear by heaven or by earth; let your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no.” The last saying calls us to authenticity of life. This authenticity consists in conforming our lives to Christ. Eradicating, with God’s grace, what keeps us from his love, and seeking to strengthen, again with God’s grace, what brings us to a deeper love, allows Jesus to reign more fully in our lives and in society. Second, there is no need to swear oaths if we are truthful. Truth is characteristic of an authentic life. Jesus is the Truth, so once again conforming our lives to Christ is conforming our lives to the Truth. Being authentic and living according to the truth is not easy. We are tempted to stray from the Way. That is why James says that those who persevere are truly blessed. They are happy since their lives lead to God. When we encounter God, at the end of our lives, he will judge us. We will see clearly how we have collaborated with or rejected his grace. We will see how we have judged our brothers and sisters. We will see our every thought, word, and action; and whether or not they were for the Glory of God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you brought the Old Law to fulfillment and poured out the Holy Spirit to empower me to live the New Law concerning marriage. May I be chaste in my relationships and pure of heart so that I may love more fully and behold the face of the Father.

Living the Word of God: How is my married life? What is going well and what needs to be corrected? Do I wake up each morning with the desire to serve my spouse in love? How can the relationship with my spouse be healed or improved?