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| “The Marriage at Cana“ by Gerard David, c. 1500 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Sirach 6:5-17
Commentary on Sir 6:5-17
This selection concludes the author's first discussion about friendship (started at Sirach 5:15). The approach is not a theoretical evaluation of friendship, but rather a series of concrete examples of situations that demonstrate the kind of behavior one would expect from a friend.
“The thought of a man isolated as the result of the abuse of speech (v.1-4) suggests the opposite result for one who guards his speech. He will have many friends. In friendship, however, caution is the keynote. Sirach stresses the subject of friendship more than any other biblical author; many years of personal experience are doubtlessly reflected in his words.” [4]
Types of false friendship are enumerated; the implication being that true friendship is only revealed through a test of that bond. Sirach concludes this passage with praise of the “true friend” using the words “life-saving remedy.” In Greek texts this is translated literally as “bag of life.” God was thought to preserve the life of the faithful in a bag (see 1 Samuel 25:29). [5]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35
R. (35a) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Commentary on Ps 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35
Psalm 119 invites the singer to meditate upon the joys of following God’s law. It prepares the singer for the psalms that follow. Psalms 120-124 are called the “Songs of Ascents,” they are the psalms sung as pilgrims approach their goal, the temple of the Lord. Psalm 119 prepares them for the joy of their arrival.
In these strophes the singer begins by recalling that, to keep God’s law, one must first know it. They conclude emphasizing that it is only through God’s mercy that the faithful are allowed to know the Law ("Give me discernment, that I may observe your law”).
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Gospel: Mark 10:1-12
Commentary on Mk 10:1-12
This passage gives us the scriptural support for the Church’s view of the durability of the sacrament of matrimony. The Pharisees' question to Jesus, and their response to his question: “Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her," shows that the Mosaic Law they were referring to (Deuteronomy 24:1) dealt with a contractual relationship. Jesus, in quoting Genesis (see Genesis 1:27 and 2:24), speaks instead of the spiritual bond which joins husband and wife. This bond cannot be broken (“what God has joined together, no human being must separate").
This unbreakable bond is at the heart of the Church's understanding of the sacrament of marriage and is distinct from the civil marriage contract (referred to by the Pharisees above). This passage is also central to the Church's teaching that the sacrament of marriage is valid only between a man and a woman.
CCC: Mk 10:8 1627; Mk 10:9 1639, 2364, 2382; Mk 10:11-12 1650; Mk 10:11 2380
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Reflection:
Understanding the reading from the Gospel of St. Mark is critical for us if we are to understand the Church’s view of the sacrament of marriage. In the past the view was popularly held that the Church forbade divorce entirely because of the statement “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
The historical difficulty here is the clear reference earlier in the passage stating: “Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” The key idea there is that God has joined them, not man, not a civil contract that can be ratified by a justice of the peace or a civil judge. What God has joined in marriage is an unbreakable bond. It is a covenant that includes God the Father, and is seen as a living symbol of Christ and his bride, the Church. If this bond is present, it cannot be broken.
Does this mean that all marriages witnessed by the Church include this sacramental bond? We do our very best to insure they do, but the sacrament of marriage is a lived sacrament. The Church does not “administer” the sacrament of marriage as it does baptism or the Eucharist; it witnesses the proclamation of the covenant in the presence of God and other members of the faith community.
The Church, through its marriage preparation programs, tries to insure the sacramental bond is present. But, it is like a scientist using a very powerful microscope to look at the molecular structure of some material. Is he able to see the chemical bonds that hold the material together and make it the compound it appears to be? No, he cannot see the bonds but, depending upon how the material reacts under different circumstances (especially when he tries to take it apart) the bonds demonstrate their existence even though they are invisible to the human eye.
The civil contract of marriage can be broken. It is just like any business contract. There are terms and conditions and there are remedies in civil law. The only cost is legal fees. If the civil contract is nullified in what was presumed to have been a sacramental marriage, does that mean the sacramental bond that was presumed to have existed at the time it was validly witnessed in a Church was also nullified? No! That is why there is a tribunal in each diocese, to make sure that the sacramental bond was never present. If present, it cannot be broken; if not present, the civil bond was all that bound the couple in the first place.
This whole view is widely misunderstood, even within the ranks of the faithful, and whenever we encounter these misunderstandings, we need to correct them. Jesus said; “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” Thank God for his unfailing love for us.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Marriage at Cana“ by Gerard David, c. 1500.
[4] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 33:23, p.544.
[5] Ibid.
