7th Friday in Ordinary Time, year 2, May 24, 2024
Jas 5:9-12; Ps 103:1-4, 8-9, 11-12; Mk 10:1-12
Since the great fall of humanity, as told in Genesis Chapter 3, it seems we think we know what is best for ourselves. We want to be God and make all the decisions on how we live our lives and how others should live their lives. It seems our free will takes over and is influenced by the world around us, WE decide what is truth for us. And, if we do not get it, we complain bitterly, not just to ourselves, but everyone around us! On top of that, we also complain or give our own opinion about what others should do or not do. We clearly are not hearing the words from St. James this morning, “Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.” Trust me, he is not just talking about complaining, he is talking about slander, greed, gossip, envy, and fidelity. Instead, be kind and merciful as Psalm 103 says; especially to those we are married to.
Our Catechism says, in paragraph 1644, that married couples are called to grow continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage promise of total mutual self-giving. Further completed by communion with Jesus Christ through the Sacrament of Matrimony. When we get married, we are standing in front of God asking for God’s blessing and promising to be faithful, shared by our common faith, and receiving the Eucharist together. This creates a covenant relationship that is blessed by God and cannot be broken.
It is unfortunate that many couples these days do not take the marriage covenant seriously and only look at it as a civil contract that can be broken. If they would look at the covenant they are making, and understand the commitment and promise they are making, many of the marriages that fall apart would stay together. Keep in mind I would never condone staying in a situation that is dangerous to either party, but if looked at properly from the beginning, many of those situations may have been able to be avoided. One of the questions engaged couples are asked is, “Why do you want to get married in the Church?” The question is not to embarrass them or call them out, it is to get them to understand how God is part of their marriage. Marriage is like three-legged stool. With two legs, it is merely a ladder, something to lean on and start to climb up, but one that can easily fall over if you are not careful. With God as part of your marriage, that ladder becomes a stool, firm in its foundation, and difficult to tip over. Marriage is not easy, it takes a lot of work, sacrifice, and patience. With God being part of it, that two-legged stool becomes a stool with three legs, strong and secure, and less likely to fall over. So put yourself aside and be kind and merciful to each other lest we be judged.
Saint James Catholic Church 