Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
I am the least qualified to preach about today’s scripture. I am not married. I do not have children, and I have never experienced divorce. I am not going to pretend to know either. Hence, this homily is a theological reflection on the human person, on human relationships, particularly marriage.
“Let ‘us’ create…”
The book of Genesis has two accounts of the creation of human persons. The account we hear today is the second account. In this account, God first created the man from “the dust on the earth and blew into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen 2:7). The woman is created in a second act, when God cast a deep sleep on the man, and formed the woman from the rib he had taken from the man.
In the first story, man and woman are created together. God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:26-27). Notice the plural, “us” when God says, “Let us create mankind…” God created humankind in his image; in the image of God he created them.
The two accounts tell us something about the human person. But it also a moment of divine revelation. We come to know the God who created us. The plural “us” reveals God as a community of person. God is a family of persons. God will not be known as Trinity until Jesus came, but the God that Israel worshiped is from the very beginning revealed as a community or family of persons.
This has implications for understanding human persons, who are made in the image of God, who is a community of persons.We are created and formed by divine Community, for community.
“It is not good for man to be alone.”
The words, “It is not good for man to be alone,’ tells us that the first human person experienced aloneness. This is because the first human person is made in God’s image. Since God is a community of persons, it was only natural that the first human would feel alone. In other words, from the beginning, the human person is created for community. From the beginning, the human person is made for relationships. From the beginning, the human person is a social being. From the beginning, the human person is made for self-giving. From the beginning, the human person is made for love and for fidelity.
The way the second account is written, each subsequent creature was created to be a companion for man. Unfortunately, none of them was a suitable companion. Finally, God creates the woman, and she was the perfect companion for man, and he was the perfect companion for her. This is why, “a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife…” (Gen 2:24).
This then is the practical implication – that if we want to understand ourselves, we must first look at God. The creation account tells us much about God but also tells us much about ourselves. To keep it brief, it is the cross that tells us most about ourselves. Christ on the cross reflects the true image of God and the true image of the human person. The cross tells us that God, who is a community of persons, is a God of steadfast love and fidelity. Human beings, created in the image and like of God, are created to live in community with steadfast love and fidelity.
“The two become one flesh.”
This brings us to the theme of today’s scripture – marriage, family, and the question of divorce that the religious leaders raise with Jesus in the gospel. I am not surprised that in response to the question about divorce, Jesus took his questioners all the way back to creation. He said, “But from the beginning of creation… (Mk 10:6-9).
Just as we understand ourselves and God by looking at the Trinity, so it is with marriage. From the Christian perspective, marriage is a reflection of God’s relational love. Married love is a reflection of God’s steadfast love and fidelity. In Catholicism, marriage is a sacrament because husbands and wives are called to love each other as Christ has loved the Church – with steadfastness and fidelity.
In Catholic Canon Law there is no provision for divorce because married love is based on the ideal of a God whose love is steadfast and whose fidelity is eternal. This is the ideal that Jesus presents to his questioners. God’s original intention is that every marriage is healthy wholesome, holy, harmonious, and forever. Realistically though, this ideal works for many but sometimes it does not. Sometimes separation becomes inevitable. In such situations the church proposes annulment as a way for a separated couple to move forward in life and love. God never denies his people the possibility of new beginnings.
Today, let us pray for married couples – those who have a happy marriage, those who are on maintenance mode, those who are struggling, and those who have experienced separation. May understanding our origin help them to bear the fruit of love. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph