Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 12, 2015 - Thursday in the 5th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 2:18-25 and Mark 7:24-30]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. [Genesis]
When Jesus is challenged by the scribes and Pharisees on the subject of divorce, he responds with the story from Genesis. The scribes and Pharisees gave Moses as their authority for allowing divorce, but Jesus points out that Moses did not act in accordance with God's plan but rather gave in to a "hardness of heart" in the people. In short, marriage is not a matter of convenience and consumerism, but a profound unity between a man and a woman. Because of this, the church regards a true marriage as a sacrament and calls it "matrimony." Governments and courts may define and re-define legal marriage for the sake of extending certain legal benefits to any two (?) people who choose to qualify, but they do not define matrimony.
This story from Genesis has also been used to justify male dominance either because the male "names" the new person, which has been interpreted as an act of superiority, or because woman was regarded as 'derivative' from man. Neither of these interpretations is justified. We have to go back to the beginning of this scripture where "The Lord God said: 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable PARTNER [emphasis mine] for him." A partner implies a certain equality even though the partners are different. And, as Maurice Chevalier once said, "Vive la difference!" Once more an ancient work, inspired by the Holy Spirit, give us much to think about in faith. AMEN
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