Word to the Wise
Friday, May 20, 2016 - Friday in the 7th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jas 5:9-12 and Mark 10:1-12]FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2016. FRIDAY IN THE SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [James 5:9-12 and Mark 10:1-12] "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of our 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." [Mark] The recent publication of Pope Francis' post-synodal exhortation, AMORIS LETITIA, has caused considerable discussion at all levels of the church. The theological, canonical and pastoral challenges are many and complex. Pope Francis tried to respond to the concerns of the two synods on the family, which themselves had generated much discussion. At the root of it all is the desire to be faithful to Jesus' teaching and merciful as he was in responding to human weakness. The gospel scripture for today shows the theological basis for the church's teaching about the marital bond. Jesus rejects the Mosaic rule and points to the beginning of all creation. This is a profound truth which we ignore at our peril. At the same time, Jesus' response to those who came to him was not punitive and exclusive. This points to the pastoral side of the matter of human weakness. The canonical side is meant always to serve the gospel and not to rule over it. Pope Francis' document deserves careful reading of the kind that avoids the "cherry-picking" of favorite opinions whether it be by cardinals of the church, journalists or fold in the pew. Jesus teaching and his actions has to be before us always as we move forward. AMEN