Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading
I
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
may you see the prosperity of
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
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
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 or
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."
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
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the
will not enter it."
Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
or
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."
Commentary
In the First Reading, the focus of this account of creation is the relationship of man and woman to each other and to the world. The human creature (‘adam) is made from the ground (‘adamah) and therefore a special relationship exists between the two. Yahweh breathes life into the human and so it becomes a living being. All living creatures breathe, but Yahweh speaks only to the human and that is the distinction between one and the other. Additionally, the human creature names the animals, thereby signifying humanity’s control over the animal world. In verse 2:18-24, Yahweh creates woman. This has often been interpreted as a reference to the social nature of humanity, however the author really intends to account for the marriage relationship between man and woman. This story tells us why men and women are drawn to each other sexually and marry. The terms “leave” and “cleave” (or cling) are covenant terms and suggest that marriage is here viewed as a covenantal relationship.
For the author of Hebrews, today's Second Reading, Jesus the man is superior to the angels but was made “for a little while . . . lower” than them in that he suffered death. That all things will be subjected to Christ is still seen as something of the future, but the process has begun with Jesus’ exaltation after his death. The author makes clear that Jesus shares in a true humanity with all God’s children. In order that Jesus’ death would liberate all from the slavery of sin and the power of death, he had to share our human nature fully. Verses 12 & 13 are a direct quote of Ps 22:23 and Isa 8:17-18. Jesus is a brother to all human beings, and like them he praises and puts his trust in the Father. His solidarity with humanity is brought out in their common origin in the Father (v. 11), their sharing in flesh and blood, and above all their sharing in death itself.
Two separate teachings are found in today’s Gospel Reading. First, Jesus makes clear his teaching on marriage and divorce. His teaching on this subject appears as a further challenge to those who wish to follow him. The radical teaching in this Gospel most likely reflects the view of Jesus himself. For Jesus, the married couple constitutes one flesh and therefore their relationship cannot be dissolved. Other New Testament passages introduce some exceptions into this absolute teaching of Jesus (see Matt 5:32; 19:9). The question on behalf of the Pharisees concerns the legality of divorce and not the grounds for divorce. They express the question in such a way that it appears they already knew that Jesus’ prohibition of divorce conflicted with the statement found in Deut 24:1-4.
The provision for divorce found in Deuteronomy is stated vaguely as “some indecency in her”, which caused a tremendous amount of debate within the rabbinic circles about the meaning of this phrase. Divorce in ancient Judaism was not a public legal action in a court. The husband simply wrote out a decree and presented it to his wife. Jesus regards this teaching of Deut 24:1-4 as a concession to human weakness and a dispensation from God’s original plan for marriage. As proof that his view on the prohibition of divorce was biblical, Jesus quotes Gen 1:27: 2:24, to assert that God’s original plan was that married persons become one flesh and therefore cannot be divided (hence divorce is forbidden). Jesus’ teaching is a restoration of God’s plan for creation and not something in opposition to Scripture. As opposed to other NT writings, no exceptions are foreseen in Mark’s account of this teaching, although the teaching regarding the man who divorces his wife to marry another is a man who lives in adultery, appears in Luke 16:18a.
The second teaching deals with the kind of people who can expect to be a part of God’s kingdom. Only those who recognize and receive the kingdom as a gift, (just as a child receives gifts) can expect to be part of God’s kingdom. The kingdom is for those who make no claims to power or status because God’s kingdom transcends all these things. The children in the story could have been any age ranging from infancy to about 12 years of age. The fact that Jesus grew indignant is further reference to Jesus’ emotions and is directed at the disciple’s failure to understand him and his message. The most important characteristic of the children is their receptivity. Because of their lack of physical power and legal status, children know only how to receive. Likewise, the kingdom must be received as a gift because it cannot be created or forced. In writings of the time, children were presented as either examples of unreasonable behavior or objects to be trained. In this passage, they are taken seriously as persons and enjoy a relationship with Jesus and God’s kingdom.
Reflection
In April of 1993, Atlantic Monthly published an article titled “Dan Quale was Right”. In this article, author Barbara Dafoe Whitehead says: “The difficulties associated with the disintegration of the family frequently continue on into adulthood. Children who are raised in single family homes are less likely to succeed as adults, particularly in the areas of love and work. Studies show that many children who come from broken homes have greater difficulty in achieving intimacy in their relationships or in maintaining a job.” I have no doubt that many who read this reflection will not agree especially since the US Census Bureau has found that the nuclear family (families whose household include mom, dad, and children) make up less than a quarter (¼) of all homes in this country. Let’s take a closer look at these statistics:
In the year 2000, households with married couples with children comprised 24.1% of all households. That’s a 60% decline since 1970. Cohabitation increased almost 1000% since 1960. Households with single mothers increased 20% from 1980-2000 and during the same time, there was an increase of about 60% in single father households. Additionally, about 1/3 (33%) of all babies are born to unmarried women. What is the root cause of these alarming statistics? Divorce.
According to an article by Judith Wallerstein, Director of the Center for the Family in Transition that was published in Time Magazine in February of 1989, almost half of the children who come from divorced parents enter adulthood as persons who are worried, unrealized, and who demonstrate low esteem. In many cases they harbor a lot of anger. Mrs. Wallerstein concludes that 3 out of 5 children felt rejected by at least one of their parents; her conclusions are based on interviews she conducted during a 15-year period with middle class white families.
There is no denying that children who live with both parents fare much better developmentally than those in single-parent families. The US Census Bureau reports that “Children with married parents are read to more frequently than children with separated, divorced, widowed, or never married parents. They are also more likely than other children to participate in sports, clubs, and lessons. Children in single parent families generally have a lower economic standard of living and more frequently participate in government assistance programs than do children from two-parent families. Studies indicate all of these circumstances have a cumulative effect on the way children grow up and how prepared they are for young adulthood.” This is definitely not what God had in mind when he commanded us to be “fruitful and multiply”.
God’s will regarding marriage is expressed concretely and without a doubt in Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. To become “one flesh” is to become inseparable. It means that there is no longer a “me” or a “you” but instead only an “us”. We must be able to penetrate the depths of the other’s heart and learn to be one with them. Because God created man in his own image, we are all called to share in God’s love and love draws a man and woman together to be a reflection of God’s divine love. This reflection of God’s love is expressed through the union of a man and a woman and that’s why marriage is not a purely human institution but rather a union created by God. This is so true that God did not just decide to "appear" into our human history. Instead, he incarnated, taking upon himself our human condition and experienced life within a family with a mother and father that lived in fidelity and oneness and where divorce was not an option. “Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In marriage each person must give himself or herself totally to the other in the same way that Christ gave himself for all.
Biblical Sources
Other Sources
U.S. Census Bureau, “Population
Profile of the United States: 2000”, Internet Release; Whitehead, Barbara
D., “Dan Quale was Right”, Atlantic Monthly. April 1993; Time
Magazine. February 1989
Reflection by:
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa