The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our experience of Guidance by the Spirit as we seek Jesus' Way in the tension between Law and Love.
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares An Everlasting Covenant with God.
* [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. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)
The response from the Prophet Isaiah is Thanksgiving and Praise.
* [12:1–6] Israel’s thanksgiving to the Lord, expressed in language like that of the Psalms. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses questions about 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 | USCCB, n.d.)
Rashimi Fernando, S.J. comments on contemporary discussions, particularly in the context of the Synodal journey of the Church amidst the broader debates on gender and sexuality.
The Church teaches that gender is not merely a social construct but is deeply rooted in the Creator’s design, as expressed in Jesus’ reference to "male and female." Accordingly, gender is seen as a gift, integral to the human person, and essential to the sacrament of marriage. However, today’s society often challenges it, advocating for a more fluid conception of gender and sexuality. This has enabled a creative tension within the Church as it seeks to remain faithful to its teachings while recognizing not only the lived human reality of the day but also the need for a pastoral response to it. This involves recognizing the "hardness of hearts" that Jesus refers to, acknowledging that the human condition is often marked by brokenness and the need for mercy and understanding. Thus, the pastoral sensitivity and accompaniment emphasized by the Synod calls for the transformative love and compassion of Christ upon those who experience gender dysphoria or identity outside the binary conventions. (Fernando, n.d.)
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 Matthew 19:3-12 comments that like the Pharisees in today’s reading, we live in a world focused on laws and how far we can stretch their limits: How fast is too fast on the highway? How creatively can you bend the tax code? Is it okay if it’s just a venial sin? But Jesus is calling us to ask other, deeper questions: What is the most loving way I can relate to this person? Will these words I’m about to say reflect the humility of the Lord? How is this situation inviting me to take up my cross and serve as Jesus served? If we can focus on these questions, chances are we’ll end up upholding the law much better than if we focus only on legalities.
From the beginning. From the heart of God. From the wood of the cross. Make these your starting points and your end goals. Not only will your decisions become more pleasing to God; they will also win more people over to love the Lord and to give him their hearts.
“Jesus, teach me how to make love my aim in all that I do.” (Meditation on Matthew 19:3-12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on two Hebrew characteristics of God, Hesed and emit, love and fidelity. Two important considerations in reflecting on Matthew’s Gospel presentation on marriage and divorce are that Covenants are eternal and the Greek word porneia is a sin that includes a wide range of illicit sexual intercourse or sexual activity including marriage to close relatives. Friar Jude reminds us that Pope Francis calls us to continue to be the Love of God to all especially those in challenging relationships.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces James Finley who also reflects on oneing.
A word for me that echoes with oneing is presence. To put it poetically, there’s just one thing that’s happening. The infinite presence of God is presencing himself, is presencing herself through an act of self-donating presencing. It’s presencing herself and giving herself away whole and complete in and as the gift and miracle of our very presence in our nothingness without God. The oneness is all pervasively the reality of all that is. There is nothing but the oneness. Original sin or brokenness is falling out of, or being exiled from, the infinite oneness that alone is real…. Oneing, Julian was saying, is turning back around to the oneness that’s always there. We don’t want to become one; we become one in realizing the oneness that we never weren’t. It’s oneness in all directions. [2] (Schwager, n.d.)
As we ponder the challenges that the Church recognizes in Synod and Pope Francis' desire to practice the inclusion and compassion of Jesus, we seek the transformative power of the Spirit to guide our interaction with all God’s people.
References
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/16?
Fernando, R. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 16, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/081624.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/12?2
Matthew, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/19?3
Meditation on Matthew 19:3-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 16, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/16/1050579/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). What God Has Joined Together. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 16, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug16
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