Sunday 6th of October 2024 - Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Genesis 2:18-24/ Psalm 127(128)/ Hebrews 2:9-11/ Mark 10:2-16

Couples considering marriage today are faced with an enormous list of things they are encouraged to provide to satisfy the expectations that have developed around the concept of getting married. Businesses have been established that will help couples plan and spend extortionate amounts of money on every detail of the day. The focus can be on the venue, the food, decorations, clothing, entertainment, and so on, to such an extent that the reality of what the couple are supposed to be doing can get lost.

With all the hype and distraction what is it we should be considering when we talk about marriage? The concept the world now has of marriage is radically different to the Christian understanding of such a fundamental and important building block of society. Christian marriage is so important that it is described in the very first book of the bible and specifically taught by Jesus as we hear in the readings today. The book of Genesis is part of our religious pre-history. The description of the creation of man and woman is not meant to be scientifically factual, but it explains the concept of what it is to be human and the relationship between the created and the creator.

In the ancient book of Genisis the creation account shows how God made humanity partners in his creation. God presented the created creatures for humanity to name them. In naming these creatures the human shares in the creation instigated by God. Also, importantly, we become custodians of creation, caring for it, nurturing it, and passing it on for future generations. The relationship between God and his creation is close and loving. The man and woman were specifically created by God, in God’s image, to be partners in creation. We know how a man and woman physically are involved in creation, but God is also involved by the creation of an immortal soul. The creative act of conception involves the man, woman, and God, working in love and harmony. The protection of this relationship requires a bonding that is divine in nature and is what we understand to be marriage. In the words of scripture, ‘a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body’. Not two individuals involved in a relationship, contract, or friendship, but the merging of a man and woman into one single unit.

We understand from the Gospel that as time went on this special bonded relationship we know as marriage became a problem for some. Moses himself had to intervene and despite the clear understanding both from scripture and natural law he allowed couples to divorce under certain circumstances. Jesus stated that it was because the people were ‘so unteachable’ that Moses allowed divorce, but he went on to reaffirm the sacred and permanent nature of the God given marriage bond between a man and woman quoting directly from Genisis and adding, ‘So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ Clearly the disciples were not entirely satisfied that Jesus could countermand someone as renowned as Moses and questioned him later. The answer Jesus gave clearly outlined the serious matter of a man or woman divorcing and marrying again because they would be committing the sin of adultery.

The situation today is no different and the issues faced by Moses and Jesus still arise. The Christian understanding of marriage remains as it was outlined in Genisis and reaffirmed by Jesus. Marriage is a sacred institution involving a man, woman, and God. It is not to be entered into lightly or without careful consideration and instruction. In marriage the man and woman establish a whole life partnership, the two become one unit both having equal status within that partnership. The reason that natural law leads us towards such a relationship is that it is God’s plan for the good of the couple and the creation and care of children issuing from the relationship. When the man and woman become one it is a forever commitment that only ends with the death of one or other of the parties. If this union is torn apart for whatever reason the one unit does not simply revert to two separate people again but two damaged halves. There are circumstances in which a marriage can be annulled but in these cases it will be considered that the marriage was from the beginning, invalid in some way so that the union never actually took place.

Marriage is so sacred to God that the relationship between Jesus and the Church is likened to a marriage. In the book of revelation a great marriage feast is described in heaven, the marriage feast of the Lamb, Jesus, and his bride the church. Christian marriage is sacred, formed by the natural law, instigated by God, made sacrificial by Jesus by his comments on earth, his attendance at the marriage at Cana, and the relationship between Jesus and his church. What God has united no one can divide.

As the world has become increasingly secularised civil law has moved increasingly away from the principals of the Ten Commandments. The meaning of ‘thou shall not kill’ has been redefined to allow the killing of children in what should be their safest environment, and killing of the elderly and sick is also being increasingly permitted in the name of compassion. Marriage has been appropriated by the civil law and been transformed to a mere contract between two people, a contract that can be broken as easily as it is made.

It is important for us that as baptised Christians we work always to uphold the principals of our faith. The sanctity of life from conception to natural death and the sacredness of the relationship between a man and woman in marriage. The sharing so intimately with God’s creation and the natural law, are fundamental to life and need to be valued and protected. By becoming human Jesus sanctifies the human condition and makes us his brothers and sisters and it is up to us to strive for the perfection that God wants us to achieve.

God Bless Brendan.