The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today express the invitation of God to a Covenant relationship that will be reflected in our life choices.
In the reading from the Book of Joshua, a Ceremony calls the Tribes to renew the Covenant.
[24:2] Beyond the River: east of the Euphrates; cf. Gn 11:28–31.
* [24:12] The hornets: see note on Ex 23:28. (Joshua, CHAPTER 24, n.d.)
Psalm 136 praises God’s Work in Creation and in History.
* [Psalm 136] The hymn praises Israel’s God (“the God of gods,” Ps 136:2), who has created the world in which Israel lives. The refrain occurring after every line suggests that a speaker and chorus sang the Psalm in antiphonal fashion. A single act of God is described in Ps 136:4–25. God arranges the heavens and the earth as the environment for human community, and then creates the community by freeing them and giving them land. In the final section (Ps 136:23–25) God, who created the people and gave them land, continues to protect and nurture them.
* [136:22] A heritage for Israel: the land was given to Israel by God to be handed on to future generations. (Psalms, PSALM 136, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents teaching on Marriage and Divorce.
* [19:4–6] Matthew recasts his Marcan source, omitting Jesus’ question about Moses’ command (Mk 10:3) and having him recall at once two Genesis texts that show the will and purpose of the Creator in making human beings male and female (Gn 1:27), namely, that a man may be joined to his wife in marriage in the intimacy of one flesh (Gn 2:24). What God has thus joined must not be separated by any human being. (The NAB translation of the Hebrew bāśār of Gn 2:24 as “body” rather than “flesh” obscures the reference of Matthew to that text.)
* [19:9] Moses’ concession to human sinfulness (the hardness of your hearts, Mt 19:8) is repudiated by Jesus, and the original will of the Creator is reaffirmed against that concession. (Unless the marriage is unlawful): see note on Mt 5:31–32. There is some evidence suggesting that Jesus’ absolute prohibition of divorce was paralleled in the Qumran community (see 11QTemple 57:17–19; CD 4:12b–5:14). Matthew removes Mark’s setting of this verse as spoken to the disciples alone “in the house” (Mk 10:10) and also his extension of the divorce prohibition to the case of a woman’s divorcing her husband (Mk 10:12), probably because in Palestine, unlike the places where Roman and Greek law prevailed, the woman was not allowed to initiate the divorce.
* [19:11] [This] word: probably the disciples’ “it is better not to marry” (Mt 19:10). Jesus agrees but says that celibacy is not for all but only for those to whom that is granted by God.
* [19:12] Incapable of marriage: literally, “eunuchs.” Three classes are mentioned, eunuchs from birth, eunuchs by castration, and those who have voluntarily renounced marriage (literally, “have made themselves eunuchs”) for the sake of the kingdom, i.e., to devote themselves entirely to its service. Some scholars take the last class to be those who have been divorced by their spouses and have refused to enter another marriage. But it is more likely that it is rather those who have chosen never to marry, since that suits better the optional nature of the decision: whoever can…ought to accept it. (Matthew, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)
David Crawford comments that Pharisees were devout individuals who spent a lot of time studying and debating the Law, and they were known for leading righteous lives (as Jesus intimated in Matthew 5:20). In fact, they are the sort of people you would love to have in your parish or Bible study group. They ask serious questions – in today’s reading, about divorce. They follow rules. They value Scripture. They worship regularly.
Jesus never criticizes the Pharisees for valuing the Law, but He regularly challenges their misinterpretations and misuses. When Pharisees reject “bad people” like tax collectors, prostitutes and non-Jews, Jesus (who 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us wants ALL to be saved) dines with these folks and invites them to follow Him. When Pharisees condemn individuals who violate God’s Law, Jesus (who John 3:17 reminds us came NOT to condemn but to save the world) extends mercy and forgiveness. In short, Jesus challenges the Pharisees for misusing God’s Word as a tool to keep people from coming close to God. It can be tempting to follow a path similar to that of the Pharisees, rejecting people whose actions and words we find distasteful. Instead, Jesus calls His followers to forgive, to show mercy, to extend love to all.
Loving God, forgive me when I too often view myself and others in ways that lead to divisions. Lead me away from the temptations to judge, especially when those judgements cause me to forget how often you have forgiven me. Help me to avoid saying and doing things that make it more difficult for people to come close to You. Fill me with your Spirit so that, in all I say and do, so that I see and love others as Christ would have me do. Amen. (Crawford, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Don't separate what God has joined together,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"Then he showed that it is a fearful thing to tamper with this law. When establishing this law, he did not say, 'Therefore, do not sever or separate' but 'What God has joined together, let man not separate.' If you quote Moses, I will quote the God of Moses, and with him I am always strong. For God from the beginning made them male and female. This law is very old, even if it appears human beings have recently discovered it. It is firmly fixed. And God did not simply bring the woman to her husband but ordered her also to leave her father and mother. And he not only ordered the man to go to the woman but also to cling to her, showing by his way of speaking that they could not be separated. And not even with this was God satisfied, but he sought also for another greater union: 'for the two shall be one flesh.'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 62.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Joshua 24:1-13 comments that Joshua shows, the story of our faith is not the story of our grueling quest for God. It’s the story of God taking the initiative and reaching out to us, protecting and providing for us, and calling us to himself.
As we look back over our lives, we can see how God has been involved even in the smallest details. He initiated the victories we won, and he walked with us and held us through the difficulties.
So rejoice in God’s unrelenting and loving pursuit of you! Like the Israelites, make his faithfulness the foundation for everything you do.
“Thank you, Lord, for all that you have done for me!” (Meditation on Joshua 24:1-13, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Joshua gathers the Israelites and speaks of salvation history and renewing the Covenant. Not all the people of the Exodus were Jewish. The History of the Journey to the Promised Land is related to the Covenant. Friar Jude explains some details of divorce in Jesus' time and mentions contemporary situations of Pope Francis' desire for compassion and decisions of those who cease living in marriage but decide not to remarry.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how God shaped the prophets’ hearts, and how our hearts are changed through their ministry.
The biblical text mirrors our own human consciousness and journey. Life itself—and the Scriptures, including the prophets—is always three steps forward and two steps backward. It gets the point and then loses it or doubts it. Our job is to see where the three-steps-forward texts are heading (invariably toward mercy, forgiveness, inclusion, nonviolence, and trust), which gives us the ability to clearly recognize and understand the two-steps-backward texts (which are usually about vengeance, divine pettiness, law over grace, form over substance, and technique over relationship). [2]
The amazing thing about the prophets’ message is that it’s so simple. When we first read through the prophetic books of the Bible, it looks like we are taking two steps backward: pages and pages of prophecies about this, that, and the other thing. The prophets rail against idol worship and speak about death and destruction. But when we read the prophets again and again, we are struck by their “three steps forward” direction of justice, mercy, consolation, and love. We begin to see the central insight which arranges the parts into a single whole. The insight is the love of God, experienced and lived. (Rohr, 2023)
We call on the Holy Spirit to guide our journey to love, mercy and compassion as we seek greater understanding of our role in the Covenant in which we experience God.
References
Crawford, D. (2023, August 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/081823.html
Joshua, CHAPTER 24. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/joshua/24?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/19?3
Meditation on Joshua 24:1-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/08/18/762467/
Psalms, PSALM 136. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/136?1
Rohr, R. (2023, August 18). The Prophetic Call to Life — Center for Action and Contemplation. Richard Rohr. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-prophetic-call-to-life-2023-08-18/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). What God Has Joined Together. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=aug18
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