27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct. 7, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
(Full text of sermon) Throughout history, whatever the culture, religion, or race, a marriage has been universally recognized as a joyous celebration. Certainly different cultures celebrate in different ways, yet there is a common joy that is seen in all. Marriages are times for families to reunite while enjoying copious amounts of food, dancing, joyous laughter, smiling, and, yes, even some tears of joy.
Try to watch this video and not chuckleOK, a vocation is a serious matter, but sometimes there are things to laugh about. Watch our video, “Hearing God’s Call – Two Mercedarian Friars” on the of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. You’ll see Br. Matthew and Fr. Scott share some chuckles as they talk about their vocations.
Visit the Mercedarians’
In the Catholic Church, marriage is held up as a religious as well as a familial event. We recognize marriage as one of the seven Sacraments. A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Jesus Christ in order to give grace. At the Wedding Feast of Cana Jesus blesses all marriages, performs His first miracle, and thereby institutes the Sacrament of Matrimony. In a Catholic marriage, the man and woman make the sacrament by their vows publicly professed to each other. The priest represents Christ and His Church by accepting these vows and blessing the marriage.
It”s taken seriously
The Church takes serious the teaching of Christ on divorce which is repeated several times in the Gospels. Today’s Gospel shows Christ who defends the indissolvability of marriage in the original plan of God. Marriage is supposed to be an image of the communion of persons in the Trinity and a symbol of the fidelity of God toward His people. When we see a married couple it should remind us that God’s love is unconditional in “good times and in bad, in sickness and in health…” This is the ideal put before us by Jesus today; to love without conditions as God loves us.
Of course, we fail at loving as God does all the time. The Pharisees point to Moses who allowed the Israelite men to write a “bill of divorce.” According to some Jewish laws a man could divorce his wife for things a foolish as “burning the dinner.” Jesus points the Pharisees and the people beyond Moses and the Law to “the beginning.”
Shocked at Christ
The disciples and others are shocked that Christ would be so bold as to outlaw divorce. But, they do not yet know the Grace that Christ plans to give to His people in order to help them to love as God loves. Jesus will die on the cross and rise again to merit for us the forgiveness of our sins. Sanctifying grace, the very life of God, will be given to us. With God’s grace all things are possible for us, we can return “to the beginning” or the original plan of God for the human race.
It is not good for man to be alone, so man and woman were created to complement each other. Each person is given the desire to marry in order to give themselves as a “self-gift” to another. Marriage vows are made with the intention of loving one another with the love of God which is faithful, fruitful, while making a total and free self gift of ourselves to another person. Vows by their very nature require a total self gift and a free choice.
Freely made
Often times people may come into the engagement not realizing what it entails. This is why Canon Law requires the person to go through at least six months of marriage prep. The priest and other Catholic couples explain to the engaged that marriage is a self gift, exclusive, and must be made with freedom.
Despite the efforts of the Church to prepare couples for the Sacrament, sometimes the marriage is a struggle. Married couples may need to separate for a time or even permanently for the good of the individuals and their children. At times the separated couple may discover that something was missing in the self-gift or freedom of one or both persons. Sometimes going through the process of filing for a Church annulment will reveal serious deceit, a lack of openness to children, and/or psychological or emotional problems that diminish the person’s freedom to give themselves to another.
Declaring it null
The Church has the authority to declare that any vow is null and void. An annulment is not “Catholic divorce” (because Jesus forbids divorce), but is a declaration that the marriage never existed. Vows, by their very nature, require freedom to give oneself to another for a lifetime. Some do not have this capacity for a variety of reasons. If children are involved in an annulled marriage they are always recognized as a special gift from God who brings great good even from our painful experiences.
Jesus in today’s Gospel upholds the dignity and beauty of marriage. Marriage should be a joyful celebration! It is a symbol of the love that God has for all of us and that Jesus has for his bride the Church. Let us continue to proclaim the beauty of Marriage and help those who have had painful experiences in their marriage. For God is always faithful and He calls us to the same radical love — the love he showed when he laid down His life for us all on the cross.