HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: MARRIAGE AS A VOCATION
BY: Fr. Justin Nzekwe
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 12 2022
Marriage is a sacred institution which should be respected by everyone. It is a covenant and not a contract. The bond of marriage was created by God, and therefore the Bible reminds us that man does not divide what God has joined. Unfortunately, our world today is growing very intolerant to marriage. It is a world where everyone wants his or her voice to be heard, but no one wants to listen. A world where everyone is right, and no one accepts mistake. A world where marriage is not different from a business contract. The Bible continues to remind us that the sacrament of matrimony does not permit divorce.
The gospel reading of today says, “whoever divorces his wife, except in the case of an illegitimate union, and marries another, commits adultery”. However the Church does not permit divorce, but marriage can be annulled if from the beginning a particular marriage is established under a faulty foundation. Do we say then that marriage is difficult? Marriage demands faithfulness between the man and woman engaging in marriage, and between them and God. Any marriage that is not built on the foundation of God’s love, mutual and sincere love between spouses, patience, tolerance, sacrifice, endurance, and constant prayer, will surely be a difficult marriage. However, marriage is also a vocation, and sometimes it is easier for those called into such vocation and those who are willing to accept the sacrifice that follow such vocation to remain in marriage. Jesus further reminds us, “In fact, there are eunuchs who are thus born from the womb of the mother, and there are others who have been made such by men, and there are still others who have made themselves such for the kingdom of heaven. Who can understand, understand.” We all can serve God faithfully only if we can discern our vocation and serve God in a way that pleases God the most.
We pray today for all those who are having difficulties in their marriages, that God may restore love in those marriages. We pray for those who have lost their marriage partner to death, that God may give them fortitude to bear such lost. We pray for all those called by God to other vocations apart from marriage that God will continue to bless and sustain them.
We ask God in this holy mass to grant us his grace to obey his words and that his words may bear fruits in our lives through Christ our Lord. Amen.