Covenant

For some reason I was feeling shy about posting this today. I received encouragement to post it anyway and so I hope it resonates with someone. I've written on this before, but the newness of today allows each of us to read things differently so here you go. 

Today’s gospel is one that we can easily get hung up on if we don’t truly remember the heart of Jesus. The Pharisees loved challenging Jesus publicly as a form of shame and to hopefully trap him into saying something scandalous to use against him. Today’s topic is divorce, and back in those days it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife (not an option for women to divorce her husband) for silly little things like burning dinner or being a nag, etc. Moses was dealing with over a million complaining Israelites and did the best he could in addressing all their petty little requests. Obviously, the Mosaic laws regarding divorce were extreme and the Pharisees wanted Jesus to comment on them to see if he would speak out against them. Jesus explains the reason the laws were instituted in the first place by saying, “because of the hardness of your hearts.” Notice he did not say the hardness of “their” hearts, but “yours”. He is trying to show them when we get stuck in these laws of man, we harden our hearts to the unconditional love of God.

As a divorced woman, this reading tends to pinch my heart and recalls the shame that accompanies “breaking” such a sacred covenant, however, two things stood out to me today that give me comfort: “(unless the marriage is unlawful)” and “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 the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” Jesus pretty much covers all vocations with these two statements. There are some marriages that are considered “unlawful” and Jesus reaches out to those that do find themselves divorced for the plethora of legitimate (“unlawful”) reasons (of which abuse is most definitely one). And then Jesus mentions all the other non-married “vocations” if you will as completely acceptable and honorable life choices. I know that from the minute I was divorced, kind-hearted people wanted to immediately set me up with someone else so that I could get a marriage “do over” suggesting (innocently) that living a single life was really really not as honorable as being married. But today Jesus reaches out to those that don’t feel called to marriage or re-marriage, and he says, “whoever can accept this ought to accept this.” Also the statement, “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others”, is a very compelling one that suggests that some were born a certain way and some were programmed a certain way by the experiences in their lives. All are welcome and legitimized by Jesus today.

The bottom line is that each and every one of our “vocations”, married, single, divorced, consecrated, celibate, religious, should have love at the center and should be a reflection of the Holy Trinity’s love. Earthly covenants are most definitely flawed and imperfect, but if we focus on our covenant with God, through Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will be able to live lives that magnify the love and mercy of God. This, in my opinion, is the heart of Jesus in today’s gospel. It is well with my soul.

Reading 1 JOS 24:1-13

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges and their officers.
When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people: 
"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 
In times past your fathers, down to Terah,
father of Abraham and Nahor,
dwelt beyond the River and served other gods.
But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River
and led him through the entire land of Canaan.
I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.
To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle,
while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

"Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies
which I wrought in her midst.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea,
the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
Because they cried out to the LORD,
he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians,
upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them.
After you witnessed what I did to Egypt,
and dwelt a long time in the desert,
I brought you into the land of the Amorites
who lived east of the Jordan.
They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power.
You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them, 
the two kings of the Amorites, before you.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab,
prepared to war against Israel.
He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you;
but I would not listen to Balaam.
On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him.
Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho,
the men of Jericho fought against you,
but I delivered them also into your power.
And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them
(the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, 
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites)
out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.

"I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant."

Responsorial Psalm PS 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 AND 24

R. His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
Who led his people through the wilderness,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who smote great kings,
for his mercy endures forever;
And slew powerful kings,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
And made their land a heritage,
for his mercy endures forever;
The heritage of Israel his servant,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.

Alleluia SEE 1 THES 2:13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of god, not as the word of men,
but, as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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."