"But today, Father, it is
difficult… Of course it is difficult! That is why we need the grace, the grace
that comes from the sacrament! The sacraments are not decorations in life –
what a beautiful marriage, what a beautiful ceremony, what a beautiful banquet…But
that is not the sacrament of marriage. That is a decoration! Grace is not given
to decorate life but rather to make us strong in life, giving us courage to go
forwards! And without isolating oneself but always staying together. Christians
celebrate the sacrament of marriage because they know they need it! They need
it to stay together and to carry out their mission as parents. “In joy and
in sadness, in sickness and in health”. This is what the spouses say to one
another during the celebration of the sacrament and in their marriage they pray
with one another and with the community. Why? Because it is helpful to do so?
No! They do so because they need to, for the long journey they are making
together: it is a long journey, not for a brief spell but for an entire
life!" – Pope Francis
Gospel
Text: (MK 10:1-12)
Jesus came into the district of Judea
and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and,
as was his custom,
he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him 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."
In the house the disciples again
questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and
marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and
marries another,
she commits adultery."
When I hear people say things about
the Church’s teaching on the family and marriage such, “The Church must
modernize itself”, “The Church must bring itself up to date”, “The Church must
keep up with society” I cannot but remember that at Jesus’ time the Jews were
also discussing “modernizing” family life and Jesus told them they had wandered
from God’s plan. He reminded them of God’s plan for the family. The mission of
the Church is not to keep up with society; the mission of the Church is to do
like Jesus, to remind people of God’s plan. And even if 10% or 20% or 90% of
people wander away from God’s plan, we have compassion on them and want to help
them in any way we can, but the Church cannot be unfaithful to God’s plan
simply to be popular. The Church teaches that those who remarry civilly without
having had their first marriage annulled or those who are in any sinful
relationship may not receive Holy Communion as long as they are in that
situation. This is because their lifestyle is a direct contradiction to the
unity signified by the Eucharist, and people would be led into error and
confusion about the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.
Everyone recognizes the difficulty and cross that exists in the lives of those
in irregular situations and we want to lighten that burden in any way we can
and show them compassion.
There are three people in the
Sacrament of Marriage, the couple and Jesus. That is why the Sacrament of
Marriage is for life, and not just for a time. So when people say that the
Church must modernize I ask them to reflect on what the Sacrament of Marriage
really is. Could it be that now, as at the time of Jesus, society has wandered
from God’s plan and the Church like Jesus must remind society of God’s plan for
marriage and the family?
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