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| Relationship building |
The Prophet Ezekiel delivers a parable of infidelity that foresees God renewing the covenant of Sinai in a new and spirit-empowered way.
* [16:60] Everlasting covenant: Ezekiel foresees God renewing the covenant of Sinai in a new and spirit-empowered way that will not be fatally broken as in the present exile or force God to abandon Israel again; cf. 11:19–21; 36:25–27; 37:26–28.
In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus addresses the question of marriage and divorce.
* [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.
Angela Maynard reflects that marriage was intended to last ‘until death do us part.’
It’s not easy. The everyday ‘busyness’ can impact the marital relationship. Significant disagreements can disrupt the marital relationship. Unfaithfulness to the marital vows can damage the marital relationship. Divorce rates are at an all-time high. I believe that there are truly some situations in which a marriage cannot be salvaged. However, it seems that the sacred vows, and promises made between the couple are sometimes forgotten.
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)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 19:3-12 reflects that Jesus wants every marriage to succeed. He wants us to be faithful in every aspect of our lives. But he knows we are weak and wounded. He knows that we aren’t completely faithful to other commands against lying or cheating or gossip.
So if you’re married and things are going well, bless and thank the Lord. And ask him to keep you and your spouse together in his love. If you’re married and things are rough, know that Jesus is with you to strengthen you and that his grace is there to help you weather the storms. And if you’ve gone through the pain of a divorce, know that Jesus is still with you. He sees your pain. He sees all the factors that caused the division. And still he loves you and he offers you his mercy, his healing, and his companionship.
Friar Jude Winkler shares the theme from the Prophet Ezekiel that God is always loving us. The difficulty of respecting the ideal of Law and being compassionate at the same time has been a challenge from Jesus time and is one of Pope Francis active concerns. Friar Jude mentions those who divorce and not remarry and those who are celibates for the sake of the Kingdom.
The Jewish Encyclopedia outlines some of the history of divorce and comments that Jesus seems to have held the view of the school of Shammai (Matt. xix. 3-9) rather than the opinion of Rabbi Hillel.
The earliest restrictions of this right are found in the Deuteronomic code. In two cases the law provided that the husband "shall not be at liberty to put her away all his days": (1) if he falsely accused her of antenuptial incontinence (Deut. xxii. 13-19); (2) if he had ravished her before marriage (Deut. xxii. 28, 29). In the Mishnaic period the theory of the law that the husband could divorce his wife at will was challenged by the school of Shammai. It interpreted the text of Deut. xxiv. 1 in such a manner as to reach the conclusion that the husband could not divorce his wife except for cause, and that the cause must be sexual immorality (Git. ix. 10; Yer. Soṭah i. 1, 16b). The school of Hillel, however, held that the husband need not assign any reason whatever; that any act on her part which displeased him entitled him to give her a bill of divorce (Giṭ. ib.). The opinion of the school of Hillel prevailed. Philo of Alexandria ("Of Special Laws Relating to Adultery," etc., ch. v.; English ed., ii. 310, 311) and Josephus ("Ant." iv. 8) held this opinion. Jesus seems to have held the view of the school of Shammai (Matt. xix. 3-9)
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments on the Bhagavad Gita that calls the active person to a life of interiority and soul discovery by gradually detaching from all the fruits of action and doing everything purely for the love of God.
Jesus says the same thing in several places (Mark 12:30, for example): “You shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Jesus even counsels the same love toward the neighbor (Matthew 22:39). The only way to integrate action and contemplation is to go ahead and do your action, but every day to ask yourself why you’re doing it. Is it to make money? Is it to have a good reputation? Is it to keep busy? Or is it for the love of God? Then you will discover the true Doer!
The motivation for our doing and making promises needs frequent examination. Our full life is found in living a covenant of love.
References
(n.d.). Ezekiel, chapter 16 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/16
(n.d.). Matthew 19. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew19.htm
(n.d.). Matthew 19. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew19.htm
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved August 17, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Saint Stephen of Hungary (Optional Memorial - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). DIVORCE - JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5238-divorce (n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/
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