Homily: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Mark 10:2-16
6 October 2024
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez
Among the contentious issues in the Philippines is whether to legalise divorce or not. The Philippines is one of only two countries in the world where divorce still isn’t legalised. On 22 May 2024, the Absolute Divorce Act was approved on its third and final reading in the Philippines House of Representatives. The next step for the bill is to undergo Senate deliberations. Once the Senate approves it, it will be recommended to the president who will either veto it or sign it into law. Those in favor, believe that divorce will not destroy the sanctity of marriage because people marry hoping for “forever”. Divorce is a way out for spouses who are endangered physically, mentally, or emotionally, by remaining in a marriage that is not working. Why then must we as Christians oppose such a bill?
In the gospel passage, the Pharisees test Jesus with a question about divorce. Jesus refers to the original intent of God. In God’s design, the couple has become one flesh and therefore must not be separated. “Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mark 10:9) This forms the basis of the Church’s teaching on the permanence of the marital union.
The insistent Pharisees cite the validity of divorce because it is permitted under the Mosaic Law. Were they really concerned about the acceptability of divorce? Of course not! They never question the law; they wanted to catch Jesus to incriminate Himself. What does He say? Is He silent? Does he invoke His right against self-incrimination? No! Jesus challenges them to aim for the ideal in marriage. He invites them to strive for the ideals to which God has called them, rather than to submit to the accommodations people often tend to make for their convenience.
I believe the Church wants to keep us aware of the danger of using divorce as a ticket to trivialise marriage. When couples ask for divorce they declare the other to be so problematic and flawed that they cannot stand to be married to them anymore. They sever ties because they mistakenly believe it is just a contract between the two parties. One netizen said it perfectly when she said “Marriage without God is a contract. Marriage with God is a covenant.” A contract prioritizes one’s personal gains and benefits so when one party breaks the agreements, the other is free to leave. A covenant is a perpetual promise to put one’s spouse’s needs before one’s own and to always choose to love and forgive. The sacrament of marriage is bonded by God and He will reinforce that bond if the husband and wife do not easily give up hope on their relationship and exhaust all means possible to save it.
You might say, what is this bachelor lecturing us about marriage and family life? Does he not care that some wives are abused? Don’t get me wrong. When one lives with another person totally different from you, with different family backgrounds, levels of education and at times cultures, we soon realize, the struggle is real! (Kung kapatid mo nga nagkakainisan pa kayo, yun pa kayang iba ang nakagisnan at kinalakahan?) The Church does not believe in discarding people because it makes room for the power of God to convert or to change people for the better. No one is beyond redemption in the eyes of God. St. Paul cites patience as the prerequisite virtue to love.
A friend of mine saved painstakingly for years to buy her own car. She cleaned it every day and religiously did the annual maintenance checks. She forbade people to smoke or eat inside her car so it would not get dirty. She installed special matting so dirt did not get onto the carpets. So many rules… As these prove how much she valued her investment in the car. In the same way, our First Reading and the Gospel this Sunday make us consider the value of the sacred union of marriage. All these rules against divorce do not negate the difficulty of marriage, but they do emphasize the importance of the marriage bond. Through this bond, children are brought into the world, and reared to be heirs of God’s Kingdom. Marriage is the foundation of family — the domestic church. Here, children first learn to be loving, forgiving, generous, and patient. Here they learn gratitude and humility. Here they first learn about the mercy and love of God. To destroy a marriage is to destroy the foundation of a family. No one wins.
Let us entrust to His divine wisdom and grace all our commitments so that we may not waiver in our perseverance or be lacking in patience. May we always welcome God into our relationships and keep in mind the value of family. Let us depend on God to strengthen us in our commitments and make us always strive for the ideal in our relationships.
Sunday Gospel Reflections 