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Friday – Nineteenth Week – OT2
Readings: Eze 16:1-15, 60-63; Mt 19:3-12.
Reading 1 (Eze 16:1-15, 60-63):
The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:
By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan;
your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut;
you were neither washed with water nor anointed,
nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.
No one looked on you with pity or compassion
to do any of these things for you.
Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,
the day you were born.
Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.
I said to you: Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.
You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty;
your breasts were formed, your hair had grown,
but you were still stark naked.
Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.
So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;
you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with an embroidered gown,
put sandals of fine leather on your feet;
I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms,
a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,
pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver;
your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food.
You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was,
because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you,
says the Lord GOD.
But you were captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,
and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,
whose own you became.
Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.
Gospel (Mt 19:3-12):
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
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, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Fr. Anthony Dinh Minh Tien, O.P.
I. THEME: Love and divorce
Many married couples showed their love and happiness on their wedding day to the point that their familial members and friends praised, “they are perfectly matched.” Few years later, someone asks the husband, “Are you still happy?” He sadly answers, “we are divorced!” How could such couple who loved each other and vowed before God to be loyal to the end of their life, ends up in divorce just only two or three years? In reality, divorce is the problem of all generations and places. In our society, divorce is so popular to the degree that for every two married couples, one ends up in divorce. Many questions are put out: Why do people get divorce? Are they permitted to divorce? If yes, under what circumstances that they can divorce?
Today readings concentrate on two topics: love and divorce. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel used the image of a young girl to express God’s loyal love for the house of Israel. God loves them when they weren’t a nation, when they were wickedly treated by the Egyptians. He liberated them from their slavery and accompanied them during forty years wandering in the desert. He drove out the Canaanites and led them in to possess the Promise Land, full of milk and honey, etc. But when they became a strong and well-known nation, they forgot His love and went after foreign gods. He could let their enemies to destroy them but He chose to love them to the end. In the Gospel, some Pharisees wanted to challenge Jesus’ teaching by asking him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” Jesus reminded them the principle which they already had from the beginning, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: God’s love is for ever.
1.1/ God loves Israel though they had nothing worthy of His love: In order for the Israelites to understand how heavy of their sins, God goes back to the beginning of His relationship with them to show how much He loves them. He used the image of a new born girl to describe the origin of Israel. They weren’t a nation from the beginning, had no land or properties to live. No one concerned of their needs; they were slaves and greatly maltreated by the Egyptians. God heard their wails and had compassion for them so He used Moses to lead them out of Egypt and into the Promise Land.
When they were in desert, God accompanied to educate and to purify them. At that time, they didn’t have even a square meter of land to dwell which the prophet Ezekiel described as “So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness.” Out of love, God made the Sinaic covenant with them, He becomes their king and they are His own people. God let them, under Joshua’s leadership, conquer all nations on their way to the Promise Land. They greatly developed and became a renowned nation on earth because God is with them. But when they became strong and famous, they insulted God and violated the covenant with God. They betrayed His love by turning their back to Him and going after foreign gods and worshipped them.
1.2/ God is still loyal to Israel: Even though was betrayed by them, God is still faithful to the covenant which He made with them from the beginning; His love for them is unchanged. But He must punish to help them to recognize their sins before He shall sign with them a new and eternal covenant. All of the Israelites’ past were displayed before them by the prophet so that they might feel shame for their betrayal and recognize God’s immense love for them and return to Him. When they repent of their sins, God shall forgive all their sins and continue His loving relationship with them.
2/ Gospel: The problem of divorce
2.1/ Why is divorce prohibited? When some Pharisees and scribes came to ask Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” Instead of answering “yes” or “no,” Jesus gave them the principle which exists from the beginning when God creates human beings: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘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” (cf. Gen 2:23-24). God establishes the principle, not law; and based on this principle, marriage is undivided.
2.2/ Why did Moses permit divorce? When they said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness (schlerokardía = khó dạy) of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” This is the second time in the passage, Jesus called them to go up to the beginning when God creates everything good; divorce only happens when people felt to temptation and Moses permitted them to divorce. However, what Jesus wanted to emphasize here is that the law was made by Moses because of people’s hardness of heart, not by God. If people want to return to the perfect beginning, they must not divorce.
There are differences between the Synoptists in the next verse: Mark and Luke didn’t list a single case which people are permitted to divorce; Matthew listed a case which people can divorce by saying, “whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” The Greek noun in this case is “pornéia”which the NAB translated as “unlawful.” The commentators argued about this word because it has many meanings. According to Friberg lexicon, “pornéia” means fornication, is in wider sense than adultery which is “moikéia.” Pornéia can include any intercourse, such as: between two unmarried, prostitute or abnormal intercourse.
2.3/ Why are there unmarried people? When his disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry;” Jesus answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted.” Then He listed out three cases of those who don’t marry. First, some are incapable of marriage because they were born so. This is the case of those who lack necessary physical or psychological elements to intercourse. Secondly, because they were made so by others. This is the case of eunuchs who work in the royal palaces; they were castrated so that they can’t intecourse with king’s wives and concubines . Lastly, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. This is the case of priests, religious brothers and sisters, lay people who want to dedicate their whole life for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We shouldn’t divorce because of the two main reasons: First, it is the basic principle from the beginning. Secondly, God sets a perfect example for us about the faithfulness. He forgives us even though we betrayed Him and Jesus died for us when we are still sinners.
– We should know all bad results of divorce: breaking up our family, leaving an unhealing injury in our soul and our children are the most innocent sufferers.
– Suffering in the familial life can’t be avoided, but can be overcome with God’s grace through the sacraments, especially the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. The married couples need to frequently receive these two sacraments in order to be loyal with each other until the end.