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,
The Second Creation Story is a reminder of who we are in relation to the world and to each other. We were no mistake. We were created in His image and were given full authority over all this earth. It is understood that when something is named, the individual who is naming has authority over the thing that is named. Thus, when all the animals were named, man gained authority over them. But, with authority comes responsibility. We are stewards over everything on this earth and are expected to treat everything and everyone with dignity, respect, and love. The story further describes the purpose of a relationship between a man and a woman. Through that relationship there comes a merging together of the two lives into one. When this occurs, the perfect love is formed through the creation of a child. These themes are continuously presented through all of the Scripture Readings today and brings about both a vision and a challenge for us: “Can we acknowledge what God wants from us and do we have the fortitude to even attempt to rise to the standard of living that He wants from us?”
Note: I do mention “attempt to rise,” for we are sinners and none of us are perfect. So, what is left for us to do is the best that we can and to have a total reliance on God. As the Psalm says, when we fear God and walk in His ways, we are truly blessed. With God in our lives, there is a guarantee that things will become easier as a result. We have a powerful advocate in Him and someone that has our best interests at heart. It is good to remember that whatever we are going through, Jesus is going through it with us. That is the beauty of the Incarnation (the Word becoming flesh). We are never alone. We were created to be in relationship continuously, with each other and with God. It is through our suffering that we become closer to Him. Just as Jesus was made perfect through suffering, we too can become new creations through suffering. We are defined by our experiences. So, when we encounter suffering and endure that suffering, we then become stronger and better as a result, if we embrace the Crucified Christ throughout the process.
This reliance on God is not complicated. We tend to complicate things more than they have to be. This was one of the points that Jesus was making when the Pharisees were asking Him about the lawfulness of divorce. We go back once again to the Creation Story where man and woman were created for each other, with the two flesh becoming one:
“Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
Yet, the perfectness of God’s creation is made imperfect and twisted by our mere presence. We can try to justify our actions and our misbehaviors, but in the end, they are what they are: sin and a falling short of God’s expectations. To get closer to God, we must become more like children: innocent and undefiled. Stripping away the excuses and conjecture can bring us to a more honest approach to our lives and can help us make the adjustments necessary to experience true joy and the love of God. We cannot be afraid of this process. We will be better as a result. Acceptance of things that are beyond our control and faith in God that He will give us the fortitude to change those things that we can, will bring about a better way of life.
We do not have to sell ourselves short. We are indeed God’s children and deserve the very best of things that this world can offer. These are not necessarily material things, but come in the form of experiences, relationships, and the pursuit of wisdom. When all these things are done with God, then things can be viewed with a clarity that we could have only hoped for previously.
Deacon Tom
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