Friday, May 25, 2018
TODAY'S REFLECTION - FRIDAY, 7TH WEEK - ORDINARY TIME
Saints Bede the Venerable, presbyter, religious, doctor of the Church, Gregory VII, pope, religious, Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, virgin, religious
James 5:9-12/ Psalm 102:1-4,8-9,11-12/ Mark 10:1-12
MARRIAGE HAS NO EXPIRY DATE
Beloved, the word of God, in our today's first reading, in St. James' letter, encourages us to be patient, to endure and to manage in times of hardships/suffering. Once we are living in a human society, we are bound to face one problem/difficulty/challenge or the other. What we are going through now, others have possibly gone through that before and others are yet to go through. We need divine assistance when things become more and more difficult for us.
St. James also repeats Jesus' teaching that we should not swear at all. We should let our yes be a simple yes and our no be a simple no, lest we fall under judgement (Matthew 5:33-37).
Friends, some Pharisees asked Jesus a question on divorce to see whether he would contradict the Mosaic law or not. Jesus was aware of the spirit of the law of Moses which permitted a man to give a certificate/writ of divorce to a woman before, because of the hardness of the hearts of the people at the time (Deuteronomy 24:1ff). But Jesus returned the dignity of marriage to its original purity as God instituted it at the beginning of creation, in Genesis 2 (unity and indissolubility). Jesus established and raised marriage as a Sacrament which serves to sanctify spouses and family life. Marriage is not simply a private contract to be easily broken. Marriage is not like buying anything and throwing it away any time one likes. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. God unites a man and a woman with divine links, making them, "UNA CARO" (one flesh).
Divorce cases are getting alarming, rampant and worrying. Marriage partners use and dump one another any how any time. It is like squeezing the juice out of a fruit and throwing it away. Why marry and divorce in no time? Could it be lack of fidelity, chastity, maturity, patience, fertility, fear of God, etc? God intends marriage to be a commitment for life and a reflection of his own fidelity. Marriage is meant to mirror the loving relationship between the couple.
Let us pray for the grace to endure, bear and manage with our difficulties patiently. We also pray for all married couples who are facing one challenge or the other. We pray for those who have divorced already and those who are yet to marry. BE BLESSED.
Fr. Gaa (0206854323/0240308878)