Twenty-seventh
Sunday in Ordinary Time B. Our Lady of
I have never heard anybody say that they enjoyed getting a divorce. I have heard people say that their divorce was necessary, or even a relief. At the same time, divorce is always painful. To pin your hopes and dreams on someone and then see those dreams dashed and shattered is always devastating. To give your heart to someone and have them throw it back in your face is very painful. To share your soul, your body and your children with someone and have that relationship cease is disorienting and confusing. There is no one in this church who hasn’t been touched by divorced, either personally or among their family and friends. As I begin talking about his very difficult subject, I want to acknowledge the pain and say that I am sorry.
Even when the words of Jesus seem harsh or demanding, the
gospel of Jesus is always good news. The
words of Jesus call us from pain to hope and new life. To understand today’s gospel we must notice
the way that this gospel ends. People were brining little children to Jesus so
that he might touch them. The disciples
tried to keep the children away from him.
Jesus became upset when he saw it and he asked that the little children
be brought to him. When they approached,
Jesus embraced them and blessed them.
With his arms around the little children Jesus said, “Whoever does not welcome the
Because of God’s plan for the human race a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. The two become one flesh. They are no longer two, but one flesh. Jesus is very blunt in saying that it is not possible for human beings to separate two people whom God has made one. God intends the love of husband and wife in marriage to be an image of God’s faithful, unconditional love for the Church. Marriage is a sacrament. In marriage God gives us a taste of the passionate, personal, faithful love God has for us. The witness of married people, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, is an essential part of the proclamation of the gospel. The faithful love of husband and wife proclaims God’s unconditional love for the human race. The faithful love of husband and wife is also meant to provide a healthy environment in which the marriage partners, their children and the whole of society can live and grow.
A couple of years ago I was sitting near the head table at a wedding reception. A woman walked up to talk to the bride. The bride said, “Mother, you can sit wherever you want – just go and find a seat.” The grandparents told me that the woman who had walked up to the table had abandoned her daughter when she was four years old and that her father had raised the bride alone. For some strange reason the mother had shown up at the wedding and the bride was upset. Later, when the bride’s father proposed a toast, he spoke through his tears about the pain and the joys of raising a daughter by himself. It was obvious that the father and daughter were very close.
I have watched heroic mothers walk their daughters, the bride, down the isle, with heads held high. In faithful love, these mothers have raised their daughters and sons alone and at great personal sacrifice. There are many, many heroic people among our divorced and separated. They deserve our gratitude and our love.
I have guided couples who are going through the annulment process. An annulment is a declaration by the Church that, even though a legal civil marriage took place, the unique requirements for a sacramental marriage were not there from the beginning, for one reason or another. An annulment is an attempt by the Church to be understanding and compassionate. Sometimes it does not appear that way. I have also met with couples who have been denied an annulment for various reasons. I have deep feelings for them.
The good news in today’s gospel is that marriage is a great gift, one of the greatest gifts God has given the human race. Marriage protects the rights and well being of women, children and men too. When marriage is lived faithfully and unconditionally, it proclaims Christ’s love for the Church. A good marriage provides a healthy environment for people to live and grow. A good marriage is a fore-taste of heaven and a first glimpse of the perfect love that only being embraced by God can provide. Jesus reminds us today that we should not be cynical, confused or mislead about the importance of a permanent marriage. Even though more than half of the marriages in our society fail, life-long marriage is still an essential part of the proclamation of the gospel and a crucial aspect of the health and stability of our land. .
We live in an imperfect, confused and sinful world. While we proclaim the beauty and the permanence of marriage, we also trust in God’s kindness and goodness to those who have experienced brokenness in their lives, especially in marriage and family life. While we can not heal every pain or remove every obstacle to happiness, we can welcome, love and embrace every person in Christ’s name. As we gather for worship, God expects the same things of everyone ones of us, no matter what our situation is. God expects us to live the gospel of faithful, unconditional and compassionate love. Christ’s love for us is stronger than all the pain, difficulties and obstacles that confront us. For faithful love of Jesus Christ we give God thanks and praise