Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 140
Reading I
The LORD God said: "It is not
good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him."
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
various wild animals and various birds of the air,
and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on
the man,
and while he was asleep,
he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib
that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:
"This one, at last, is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called 'woman, '
for out of 'her man’ this one has been
taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one flesh.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (cf. 5) May the Lord
bless us all the days of our lives.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Reading II
Brothers and sisters:
He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, "
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated
all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If we love one another, God remains in us
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The Pharisees approached Jesus and
asked,
"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"
They replied,
"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her."
But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."
And people were bringing children to
him that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
"Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it."
Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
There are two types of law that are set above all other types of law that are known to exist. The first is God’s Law which everything visible and invisible are subject to. What God commands everything must follow or face the consequences of going against He who knows all, and all are subject to it. God knows best, thus what He says should be listened to with that in mind. The second type of law is known as Natural Law. These are the fundamental rules and understandings that everything in creation, except God, abide by. Everything happens for a reason and can be explained through the application of Natural Law. There is a rhythm to the universe, and it can be seen through Natural Law. The only thing above the dictates of Natural Law is God Himself who is not subject to anything. Through these laws a structure can be seen and an understanding of God’s creation can be realized. Far below the perfection of these types of law are the ones that we have created for ourselves to live by in society; a sad attempt to mimic what God has already given us. As generations pass, these societal laws have been known to change to reflect adjustments in cultural norms and morays. Some things that once were unacceptable become acceptable. The laws then adjust to these things. This leads to conflict and unrest. There is a struggle to create a perfect situation where there is a clear understanding of how someone should conduct themselves. Through this process the superior laws from God remain the same, for they are perfect. The perfect never needs to change.
In the Second Creation Story we are reminded that everything on this earth was created for us. We are at the pinnacle of God’s creation and it is our duty to be caretakers of what was set before us. This is a great responsibility and requires proper conduct. As explained through the description of Natural Law, everything has a purpose and a proper way to function. When everything is acting on its purpose, things tend to work out properly. We are the wild card in all of this because the gift of free will from God allows us to divert from our purpose to fulfill our own vision instead of the original vision of God. It is inevitable that there the perfect will be corrupted by our own thoughts and decisions. This is a product of Original Sin: our initial turning away from God. I encourage everyone to reflect on how many decisions each one of us make in a day and how many of them include a thought on what would God want us to do. I feel that we all can conclude that decisions made with the input of God are in the minority. The perfect is absent while the imperfect is usually present. The end result is that we are in constant danger of sinning and going up against God. It is no wonder why we tend to make a mess of things.
Through the dictations of God things are supposed to be in harmony with one another. Through our involvement we bring chaos and discord. The Fall of Man was a cataclysmic event and we are evidence of it. Even that which defines everything, love, is distorted into something else while being celebrated in its mutated form. Man and woman were created out of love to love; a full expression of that which is the union of marriage. It is two flesh becoming one. How can two being joined that way ever be torn apart? Yet, we have found a way of doing it and are no better for it! What relationships have become today reflects our fallen status and struggle against the will of God. This description is not provided as judgement but more an example of our failures as a people to act accordingly to God’s Law and instead follow the structure we have created regardless how inferior of a product it is. Can it be argued that we can be complete without God? Can it be argued that a life without God is actually superior to one with Him? The answer is easy if we just look around at the status of society today.
Jesus tells us today in the Gospel Reading to simplify ourselves. When we strayed from God He was patient and loving in His response. This has always been the case from the very beginning. In response to our rebellious nature, He gave us the necessary tools to find our way back to Him. He created The Law, sent prophets, and revealed Himself in so many different ways. Finally, He sent His only Son, the Word Made Flesh, to reveal the entire Salvation Story. We tend to overcomplicate things. That is part of our fallen nature being used to lift ourselves up to the position of God. Everything comes down to this: We were created by God out of love to love and to be loved. The entire idea of this is evident throughout all of creation but is hidden from us because of all of the distractions and pleasures that abound. We tend to forget that all of the good things that we strive for has one source: God’s Love. Our senses, our feelings, our actions, and reactions have been made possible by God, yet He is usually the first thing forgotten when we experience them. We then twist these things into something else, taking them out of context in order to retard them into something else, thinking the product is better than it actually was. Jesus wants us to strip it all down until only love remains. When there is only love then there is only us and God. Nothing else remains in between.
Usually, children look up to their parents and other adults for guidance. There is complete trust regarding everything that is said to them. They also copy what these mentors do and say. They are little sponges absorbing everything around them. Jesus uses this as an example of how we should act when entering into a relationship with God. We must trust, love, and listen. We must get back to the basics and forget all of what we think we know and begin anew. In the eyes of God we are indeed children so it would behoove us to act accordingly. God is the principal and we are the followers. There is no preconditions for His love for us and we should not have any preconditions for our love for Him. The knowledge that we seek should be for enforcing our love for Him. We can then build our lives according to what we learn while to the journey. The journey itself can only begin when we finally answer His call, “Come follow me.”
Deacon Tom
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