The response to the psalm in the texts
from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is “The Lord is kind and merciful”.
This truth is important to plant in our mind as we reflect on the way our
attitudes and desires will rob mercy and kindness from the approach we take to
others. The Letter of James teaches us to refrain from complaining about our
brothers and sisters and to exercise the patience and perseverance of the
prophets in our relationships with others. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us to
remember our broken state and the broken state of those around us who need our
healing and receiving presence. The Gospel from Mark today is both an account
of Jesus actions in response to the jabbing attempts of the Pharisees to trap
Him in what Ray Stedman describes as a debate between two views of divorce
presented by the rabbinical community at the time of Jesus. The practice of
Moses to grant a divorce and the expression of the deep relationship presented
in Genesis between a man and a woman joined as one as an act of Divine Will are
the basis for Jesus response to the verbal attacks. The Law which Stedman and KevinKersten, S.J of Creighton University understand Jesus came to fulfill is to
keep a covenant that is sharing a union with God that is the public witness to “be-with”
as theologian Ronald Rolheiser writes, cited by Kersten. Stedman comments that
Moses approach was to make public that there was hardness of heart in the
relationship which meant that the presentation of God Present in the two become
one had disappeared. Don Swager prays that the society which has so much need
for the kindness and mercy of God will return to seeing in the Covenant
Relationship of man, woman and God the deep and unique witness to the practice
of being life to others through the Love and Service.
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