The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the changes in our understanding of being the people of God and our interpretation of Jesus teaching on marriage and divorce.
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| People united |
The reading from the Book of Joshua describes praise during a Covenant ceremony prior to the death of Joshua (Joshua 24.28-33).
* [24:30] Following this verse the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) adds: “They laid with him there, in the tomb where they buried him, the flint knives with which he had circumcised the Israelites at Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt, as Yhwh commanded them. There they are to this very day.”1
Psalm 136 shares the heritage of Israel marked by knowing the mercy of God.
* [136:22] A heritage for Israel: the land was given to Israel by God to be handed on to future generations.2
The Gospel from Matthew is a presentation of Jesus response to questions from Jewish authorities 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.)3
Roland Coelho, S.J. offers some wisdom as we consider the characterization of the role of man and woman in marriage as co-creators, recalling work by the Conference of US Bishops, and of Pope Francis apostolic exhortation on love in the family, Amoris Laetitia , as a timely reminder of God's mercy and love.
Matthew adds an exception clause ("unless the marriage is unlawful") to Jesus' prohibition of divorce. He points to God's will rather than to a legalistic code. Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on love in the family, Amoris Laetitia , is a timely reminder of God's mercy and love. It helps us to understand the challenges that married couples face and how their marriages can break down for various reasons. It may be good for us to remember this before we put on our virtual juridical robes and pontificate against those who have separated or divorced.
A quick prayer adapted from Amoris Laetitia #246: “Lord, today you invite us to an important pastoral task: as we pray for all married couples, let us not abandon those who have separated or entered new unions. Help us support them in their efforts to bring up their children. Amen.”4
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)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24 provides a third translation of the refrain occurring after every line. (USCCB New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Don Schwager, Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1973, and Word Among Us, NAB ). Two of the three translations are “His mercy endures forever”. (Psalm 136:1) Try this little exercise: compose your own psalm of praise based on your own experience of God’s work in your life up to now.
For example, you might write, “Give thanks to the Lord, who healed my son when he was so sick” or “Give thanks to the Lord, who gave me a new job when I was unemployed.” You might even want to include the more ordinary ways he has shown you mercy: “Give thanks to the Lord for the time he protected me when my car broke down” or “Give thanks to the Lord for showing me how to listen to my grieving friend.”6
Friar Jude Winkler provides background on the journey prior to the account of the Covenant in the Book of Joshua. Pastoral work by Pope Francis between the “one flesh” eternally joined in the Gospel and living the mercy of God in the lives of divorced people continues. Friar Jude fleshes out the concept of an “unlawful marriage” to first century rabbis.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rami Shapiro, a rabbi, teacher, and author on Judaism and spirituality reflects on the enriching, powerful experience of interspiritual dialogue initiated by Fr. Thomas Keating (1923–2018). After the Snowmass Conference, Eight Points of Agreement came into being. We include them here as a way of sharing a contemporary expression of perennial wisdom arising not from ancient texts but from the lived experience of contemporary mystics—women and men who, while coming from specific traditions, dare to step beyond them to see what is on its own terms.
The world religions bear witness to the experience of Ultimate Reality, to which they give various names.Ultimate Reality cannot be limited by any name or concept.Ultimate Reality is the ground of infinite potentiality and actualization.Faith is opening, accepting, and responding to Ultimate Reality. Faith in this sense precedes every belief system.The potential for human wholeness—or, in other frames of reference, enlightenment, salvation, transcendence, transformation, blessedness—is present in every human being.Ultimate Reality may be experienced not only through religious practices but also through nature, art, human relationships, and service to others.As long as the human condition is experienced as separate from Ultimate Reality, it is subject to ignorance and illusion, weakness and suffering.Disciplined practice is essential to the spiritual life; yet spiritual attainment is not the result of one’s own efforts, but the result of the experience of oneness with Ultimate Reality. [2]7
The journey that develops our spiritual life is not without serious dilemmas and challenges. Our foundational experience of the Love of God builds faith that our path to participate with all people in seeking truth, beauty, and goodness will enlighten our approach to tension and troubles.
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