HOMILY FOR 27TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES OF MARRIAGE TODAY
BY: Fr. Celestine Muonwe
Gen. 2: 18-24, Ps. 128, Heb. 2: 9-11, Mark. 10: 2-16
Divorce has been a troubling issue in marriage in all generation of human existence. The problem is that though God created man and woman to live together, these persons come from different family backgrounds, and at times, with differing social orientations, that make coming and living together at times difficult. It was a controversial issue also at the time of Jesus. In the Gospel of today, the Pharisees approach Jesus to know His position on this troubling question at His time. They equally came to test Him, by finding out which side of the rabbinic schools of thought on the question of divorce He would adopt.
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There were basically two schools of thought: the Rabbi Hillel school is a loose one, and believes that women are properties that could be disposed of when she burns food, annoys the man, does not cover her head outside home, or speaks with another man, while the Rabbi Shammai school holds that divorce can only take place in the case of uncleanness; defined as sexual immorality, that is, adultery. If Jesus had taken side with any of these, the Pharisees would have harmonised the camp that holds either of these views against Jesus, thereby harming His increasing popularity.
Jesus, who was quite aware of their hypocrisy takes them back to the argument from the Biblical account of creation. God made man and woman to be different from each other, both in the manner of creation, source of creation, and time of creation. On account of their differences, a man has to leave his parents and cling to his wife, so that they become one flesh. The unity of marriage lies in this co-habitation and union of body and soul. This union is highly spiritual and not merely carnal in nature, for it is God that brings it about in the sacrament of Matrimony, and since this union has its basis in God, no one has the right to divorce.
The first reading from the Book of Genesis is a detailed account of how God established marriage from the beginning of creation. No other creature was found by God as a suitable companion to Adam, leading God to create another human out of Adam. Hence, the first purpose of marriage is companionship and mutual assistance. When God created Adam, He also created other animals and living creatures and brought them to Adam to name and possess them. In other words, creation and its maintenance and sustenance is to be the work of man in union with God. Hence, the attempt of man, in the guise of secularism or modernism, to distance God away from His creation, in order to assume ownership and control, will always lead to disaster from the side of man and creation.
The initial attempt of Eve and Adam, at the instigation of the devil to distance God from creation and do their own will, fetched us death, thanks to the redemptive work of Christ. But it seems man has not yet learnt any lessons. The situation of our world today is a continuous song of man’s pride and arrogance; man’s desire to practise science and technology without God’s laws and dictates, politics without God, morality and ethics without God, economics without God, business without God, education without God, and finally, marriage without God. This is the reason for the present unending wars, corruption, and the destruction of the family bedeviling our world today.
Marriage is of a divine institution, ordained towards communion of love, companionship and procreation of children, and can only be separated by God alone at the death of a spouse. Hence, divorce is not an option and the solution amidst difficulties encountered in marriage. However, where the problems become dangerous and could lead to harm if not checked, separation of the couple is advocated. Marriage by the nature of its institution is monogamous, though the Old Testament allowed polygamy citing the command of God to multiply and increase.
The second reading from the Book of Hebrews speaks on the unique redemptive role of Christ, whose sacrifice and submission to death brought us freedom from sin and death: “…It was appropriate that God, for whom everything exists, should make perfect, through suffering, the leader who would take them to their salvation.” Hence, if Christ teaches us the redemptive role of suffering, families should also learn to bear difficulties, disappointments and the cross. Love does not exist only when all things move on smoothly, but also when things do not move on well, love is tested. It is the failure of the present day Christianity to put the cross before it, that is behind the present madness of divorce, LGBTQ drives, destructive feminism and contraception, etc in the present world.
The Pharisees argued that Moses allowed them to divorce their wives. But Jesus counters that what Moses told them was not the ideal thing, but was allowed, on account of the hardness of their hearts, it was not as ordained by God. Jesus therefore warns: “The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces his husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.”
The sorry state of the family life today is an object of great concern. Liberalism and secularism has brought marital vows within the confines of the state, making divorce, an easy and ready option for couples encountering difficulties in their marriage. The situation today is chaotic, such that remarriage and divorce has become the order of the day. The sacramental essence of marriage is snubbed, such that many young people live in concubinage, they give birth to children even without wedding. In Igboland, for instance, they believe that once they have paid the bride price, the woman is already their wife by tradition.
The injunction of the Lord against divorce is part of the social protection the Gospel offers to women who were indiscriminately dismissed by their husbands in the time of Jesus. The Lord also protects the interest of children who represent all those who are weak and defenseless; they should be protected and their rights upheld. Jesus showed His indignation to the disciples who, when people were bringing to Him, children for blessing, and the disciples were driving them away: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”
The Lord has always used the image of children in driving home His teachings on the importance of humility and dependence on the will of God, as such, the acquiring of the true poverty of spirit, which will bring us to heaven: “I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You teach us to remain faithful to You in marriage, and avoid the temptation of divorce, help us to seek Your will in all things and at all times.
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