A Difficult Teaching
May 24: Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings are a bit harsh. The ideals presented are hard to live up to. But it’s not like we weren’t warned that would be the case.
Reading 1
Jas 5:9-12
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No," that you may not incur condemnation.
When James wants to put things in perspective, he really puts them in perspective. If anyone has a right to complain about their life, it's Job. Yet Job never complained to his friends; he insisted that God is good, regardless of what his life was like at the moment.
If Job can persevere, so can we.
The second paragraph seems like unrelated advice, but there is a connection--trying to drag God into human affairs. We're all fallible; even when we intend to follow through on our Yes's and No's, we may screw it up. Invoking God by oath only to break that promise is an insult to both God and the other party we're doing with. Our "yes" should mean yes, but should we fail in that, we won't impugn God's name in any way.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The reason we can't complain to God about our life is because we can't see the bigger picture. We don't know and we can't even begin to comprehend God's full plan.
We can, however, have faith in His kindness.
Alleluia
See Jn 17:17b, 17a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We aren't in a position to judge absolute Truth; God is. That's where our trust should lie.
Gospel
Mk 10:1-12
Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him 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."
This can be a hard passage to hear. Our minds often go to the unjust cases—an abusive husband, a faithless wife, things of that sort. But most divorces aren't for such understandable reasons; they're for the convenience of one or both of the spouses.1
Regardless, Jesus wants to hold us to a higher standard than the letter of the law. He wants us to follow the law of Love. Is divorce done for love? Or simply a matter of temporary convenience?
Of course, it’s not for us to judge someone else’s marriage; that’s between them and God. Likewise, when we have trouble in our own marriages, Jesus challenges us to not harden our hearts, but instead open them to God’s plan.
In Jesus' time, that usually meant the husband; today, most "no fault" divorces are filed by the wife.