First Reading
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.
Marriage is surely one of the most misunderstood realities of our present age. We who are people of the Book, the Sacred Scriptures, have a clear teaching about marriage and about the relationships that lead to a profound and wonderful life with God. Right from the beginning, the teaching is clear that marriage is between one man and one woman.
The Book of Genesis has more than one story about creation and about man and woman in creation. All the stories agree that marriage is between one man and one woman. The whole of the Old Testament echoes this teaching. On the other hand, polygamy came to be accepted practice. Why?
Today’s Gospel passage, from the Gospel of Mark, tells us that the human heart had become hard and people would not accept the teaching. This hardness of the human heart is taught throughout all of Scripture. We humans want to do our will and not the will of the God who creates us. We should not be surprised that it is still the same today.
We can reflect for a moment on the clear teaching of Jesus given to us in this Gospel. The people at the time of Jesus accepted polygamy, a man having more than one wife. Jesus is not afraid to teach against the practice. Today Jesus would not be afraid to continue preaching that marriage is between one man and one woman. We are less bold than Jesus.
To be bold in our proclamation of the Gospel does not mean that we must be harsh to others. Think of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. He does not condemn her but invites her to live the Gospel. Think of Jesus with the woman taken in adultery. Again, no condemnation but an invitation to a life of virtue. We need to be aware of how Jesus proclaims the teachings of His Father. Always the proclamation is one of love and acceptance, even as it challenges to true conversion.
The reading from the Letter to the Hebrew affirms that we are brothers and sisters of the Lord. We want to live as our Brother lived, proclaiming the Gospel with love, compassion and acceptance. We never need condemn anyone, even as we proclaim that there is a right way and a wrong way to live.
The teaching of Jesus is clear: love one another as He has loved us. This teaching is also clear: there are ways of living that do not conform to the plan of God. This Sunday let us rejoice in the Sacrament of Marriage and ask that it be strengthened in our own time.