Friday of Week 19 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Ezekiel 16:1-15,60,63 | Isaiah 12 | Matthew 19:3-12
The Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’
‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning.’
(Matthew 19:7-8)
Today’s Gospel is a reminder of the steadfast nature of God. He bends to no one’s whim; instead, it is us weak-willed humans who roll with the latest fads and causes, trying to shape the adamant love of our Creator into something that encompasses the people and things we like, and disowns everything else.
Take the touchy subject of divorce, for instance. When we marry our spouses, we usually have certain expectations of how the ensuing years would play out, and these expectations almost always make a messy splat against the immovable wall of personal differences. “Our marriage is not working. I thought you were my soulmate, but it seems you aren’t. I want out.”
Except, of course, we vowed to be true to one another in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. Not just “when our souls align as with the stars” or some similarly mushy quote straight out of a modern romantic comedy.
My wife nursed me back on my feet after I’d broken my foot in a silly accident of my own doing, persisting even when I dared to complain that she was a tad overzealous at times. And even though we’ve fought countless times over the years, not once had I ever thought of walking away and taking up with another woman. What we call “true love” is exactly that, but it’s still a pale reflection of the infinite grace that God bestows on us all day, every day, whether we want it or not.
The Catholic Church is often accused of being a fuddy-duddy institution, so far behind the times with regards to moral issues like divorce and abortions that it might as well have been plucked from the Stone Age. But the guiding principles that form the bedrock of our faith spring from a LOVE that predates even our universe, so the irony of this accusation is rich indeed.
Darling dearest, I took you to be my wife..and I still do from the depths of my heart. I promised then, and now, to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I have loved you, and will always love you, all the days of my life.
Amen.