First Reading
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B – 2009 Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the Lord God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman’, for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.
Second Reading
Hebrews 2:9-11
Brothers and sisters: He “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels, ” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”
Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 10:2-16
The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 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.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
This Sunday the readings invite us to consider marriage and the relationship between a man and a woman in marriage. Such a topic for a Christian today has so many challenges because modern culture has changed the perception of marriage, of commitment, of chastity and of love.
For most of the centuries after Christ, the teaching of all who followed Christ was the same: one woman and one man enter into a commitment with each other, to love one another, to honor one another and to live chastely with one another. Always there have been attempts to change this but the Scriptures have always been clear in this teaching. Today again there is an enormous movement to understand the teachings of our Lord Jesus in new ways. Some who follow Christ accept such changes but such changes are based not on Sacred Scripture but on human teachings.
Today many would like the Christian Scriptures to accept every person just as that person is, rather than challenging all of us to conversion. Today’s readings are still a challenge to those who marry and to those who remain celibate for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Woman is made for man and man is made for woman. Those who break their commitments to marriage and enter into another marriage commit adultery.
Always in the Christian tradition there has been and understanding that sometimes marriages do not work but the ideal has remained in place. When about half of the marriages that are celebrated end in divorce, there is something radically wrong within the culture. Today’s readings invite us to question ourselves and our society and to look for ways to strengthen marriage once again and to strengthen the Christian family.
The second reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, speaks of Christ’s suffering for us. So often we want life without suffering and only with pleasure! May we learn today to suffer for the truth of the Lord Jesus and walk in His paths.