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 27^th Sunday Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Recovering God’s plan for marriage union

Readings: Gen 2:18-24; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16

Dear friends in Christ, today’s readings encourage us to rediscover the original plan of God for marriage as a beautiful union of love and life between a man and a woman for the sustenance of humanity.  Knowing God’s original design or will for marriage will help us to evaluate our current beliefs about marriage, to discover whether we have derailed or are still on track.

Marriage is among the sacraments of the Church that have faced hot attacks and turbulent waves from many people and organizations in our world, particularly in our own days. Let us touch only two of these many attacks.

One of the current waves or attacks against marriage is the project by governments of many nations, international organizations and unions, activists and social entertainers, medical practitioners and scientists to use everything within their power to redefine the term ‘marriage’. They no longer want it to be a union of love between a man and a woman (husband and wife). Rather, they want its definition to also include a union between people of the same sex as well as other queer unions. Regretfully, these people have successfully won over many nations and Christian denominations with their intense pressure. They are also pressing harder on the Catholic Church from many fronts to yield to their new definition of marriage.

Through today’s gospel, Christ invites all those who want to redefine this union instituted by God to return to God’s original design for it. He said in the beginning, God made them male and female (i.e., Adam and Eve), and not male and male or female and female. Hence, whoever supports gay unions or recognizes them as marriage is working against God’s plan for marriage and sustenance of humanity. Accepting gay unions as marriage or human right should be seen as man’s plan against God’s plan for human complementarity and sustenance of humanity.

Another serious issue that is shaking the pillars of marriage and cutting short God’s plan/will for it in our world is divorce and the many factors that lead to it. The question on whether it is right or wrong for a man to divorce his wife was at the centre of Christ’s discussion with the Pharisees in today’s gospel. Instead of giving a yes or no answer, Jesus invited the Pharisees to recall God’s original design for uniting a man and a woman, as seen in today’s first reading, so that they might answer their own question.

In today’s first reading, it was revealed that the creation of woman solved man’s first ever problems on earth, which were loneliness and a sense of incompleteness, for he did not find his match among all the creatures God created and presented before him to name. So, woman was the completion of creation, a creature whose presence in the life of man would make man complete and bring an end to his primordial problem. For this reason, a man would leave his parents and unite with his wife, and both of them will become one. So, God created woman and united her with a man in order to solve the first problem that ensued in the world and to sustain creation; a woman should be a solution and not a problem; she is a helpmate to man in finding solutions to problems.

Why did God choose a bone from a man’s rib cage to create woman rather than from his leg or head. He chose a rib, which is close to the heart, to symbolize how close these two creatures should be to themselves, loving and caring for each other, rather than a bone from the man's leg to avoid making man feel superior to the woman or a bone from the man's head to avoid making woman feel superior to man. If a woman is from a man’s rib cage, then, it means women should perform the function of the rib cage in men’s life, which is supporting them to stand straight and protecting their internal organs. A woman should help a man to stand firm and not to destroy him. Then, as a man’s hand covers the ribs, so a man should provide protection and shelter for this woman, and not to turn her into a servant or expose her to the wild world.

When a husband and wife understand God’s original design for bringing them together, they will allow mutual love and help, respect, tolerance, forgiveness, openness, sincerity and peace to lead them since these are the qualities that will help them to realize God’s dream for them. They will also realize that divorce and all the factors that contribute to it are not in their best interest. In fact they will understand that pushing themselves towards divorce means working against God’s plan for them, for it is not the will of God for any sacramental marriage to be broken. What God has joined together, no man should divide, Jesus warned.  

It is true that the actions of imperfect humans cannot really be perfect; yet, the challenges caused by imperfection in marriage can be overcome through God’s grace and Christian virtues. Problems in marriage could be resolved mutually and with godly intent to make amends.

Divorce might appear to be the right and quickest solution to marital problems, but this has proven not to be true in most cases. Divorce doesn’t often guarantee peace of mind; it doesn’t guarantee success in next marriage either. That explains why many divorced people have remarried and still divorced many times, and also why many divorced couples are yet to find their peace. Therefore, attention should be on identifying and fixing the factors that contribute to divorce. They would include inability to compromise; violence; lack of mercy, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, peace, mutual respect and help; selfishness and greed; dishonesty; immaturity; and lack of value for God’s will. If we watch against these vices, we can save our marriages from divorce.

We sympathize with couples who are going through difficulties in their marriage, and pray for them in today’s Mass that God will grant them the grace, strength and wisdom to recover peace and love in their marital homes. Amen.

Peace be with you.

Fr Isaac Chima.