Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 3, 2021 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Gen 2:18-24; Heb 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16 or 10:2-12]The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your 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]
S
For nearly 30 years of my 50+ years as a priest, one of my "sideline ministries" was with local and appellate church matrimonial tribunals. The subject matter of these tribunals, as most Catholics now know, is annulments of existing matrimonial unions. It is not pleasant work since one is constantly dealing with marriages that have "failed" for one reason or another. Some folks call this "Catholic divorce" and I can't blame them! Even if, for reasons of our sacramental understanding of matrimony, our faith does not allow us to recognize civil divorce, we seem to have created a parallel reality. What is clear from today's gospel scripture is that whether it be civil divorce or church annulment, the whole thing is not what God intended!!!
The Pharisees, like most Jews in Jesus' time, took divorce for granted because the Mosaic Law (Deut. 24:1) permitted it. Marriage was a financial and clan matter, without theological consequence. But Jesus points out that Genesis (also a part of Mosaic Law) indicates that divorce was a human invention. Marriage is a divine invention and a profound spiritual reality.
I have also been involved with preparing couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony. Early in my years of ministry, this was really a matter of paperwork. In the late 1970's, the church began to sponsor "pre-Cana" preparation and this has blossomed in our time into multiple programs of matrimonial preparation. Yet, no matter how hard these wonderful programs work, matrimonial failure still occurs. Couples I knew well and whose weddings I celebrated have gotten divorced! The once lower rate of divorces among Catholics has now gotten close to the national average. It is all so disappointing and frustrating not only for the persons involved but also because this is not what God intended for matrimony!!!
Pope Francis, in his document, Amoris Laetitia, urges a pastoral accompaniment for those whose marriages have failed and I certainly agree, but there has to be a way to re-discover what God has intended and bring an end to the necessity for matrimonial tribunals as well as the reality of civil divorce at least for Catholics, if not for all others. Our American individualism is a powerful enemy of the sacrament of matrimony. If we can recognize that challenge and provide better counseling resources we may be able to move back toward the vision of Genesis. AMEN
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