Homily: Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time
Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time (Mk. 10:1-12) “It Is Not Good to be Alone”
Divorce is always a controversial topic in religious circles. Marriage laws have been changed often in Judeo-Christian tradition. At the time Jesus lived, divorce was allowed. In our time, divorce is not recognized by the Catholic church. If one wants to remarry a marriage case is needed.
It seems like religious laws concerning divorce have always been dissatisfying to people for one reason or another. In Jesus’ day marriage law was controversial because women were considered pieces of property. They did not have equal rights.
Men could divorce their wives if they were caught in in the act of committing adultery. Divorce in that case was considered automatic. Men could also divorce their wives “if they did something to displease their husband.” This guideline could be interpreted broadly.
What was unfair was that a woman could never file for divorce. A man might have sex with a prostitute, perhaps even have a mistress, but his wife did not have recourse to a divorce. A woman could be put out of her home, and she was on her own. A life of poverty was what a woman could look forward to if her marriage ended. Very often women were forced into a life of prostitution.
Jesus’ words about marriage might seem harsh to modern ears, but there are two things we might want to keep in mind. One thing is that Jesus felt that marriage was designed by God from the beginning of creation. God felt, as we read in the Book of Genesis, that it was not good for the people to live alone. Human beings should have the utmost respect for the institution of marriage. God had designed it.
The second thing that we should remember is that Jesus wanted to protect women and their rights. The best way to do that in Biblical times was to uphold the permanence of marriage. Jesus felt, a man, had a moral obligation to provide for the needs of his wife. She should not be cast aside, each woman was made in the image of God, each woman had human dignity and rights.
Reflection Questions:
- What do I believe about marriage? Is marriage for life?
- Jesus wanted to protect the rights of both parties in a marriage. Is this what the church is doing today?
Dear Parishioners,
Please remember to bring your palms back this Sunday. We will have a fire outside the main church door and will be burning the palms to make ashes for next Wednesday when we begin Lent. If you bring your offertory commitment card back, you could also throw the appropriate card in the fire.
We should be back in our church for Mass starting Saturday morning. Repairs are moving along. Thanks to all who leave memorials to our church. These memorials are paying for the plastering project in our church.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark