Jesus answered to them, "What did Moses command you?"
And they said, "Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY."

Jesus says, "Yes, that regulation is in the Law –
but it is there to restrain evil, not as a pointer to God’s character. 

 

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

James 5:9-12

Beloved, do not fight

Among yourselves and you will not be judged. See, the judge is already at the door. Take for yourselves, as an example of patience, the suffering of the prophets, who spoke in the Lord's name. See how those who were patient are called blessed. You have heard of the patience of Job and know how the Lord dealt with him in the end. For the Lord is merciful and shows compassion.

 

Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth, or make a habit of swearing. Let your yes be yes and your no be no, lest you become liable for judgment.

 

Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12 The Lord is kind and merciful.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Mark 10:1-12

Jesus then left that place and went to the province of Judea, beyond the Jordan River. Once more, crowds gathered around him and, once more, he taught them, as he always did. Some (Pharisees came and) put him to the test with this question: "Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?" He replied, "What law did Moses give you?" They answered, "Moses allowed us to write a certificate of dismissal in order to divorce."

 

Then Jesus said to them, "Moses wrote this law for you, because you have hearts of stone. But in the beginning of creation God made them male and female; and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one body. So, they are no longer two, but one body. Therefore, let no one separate what God has joined."

 

When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked him about this, and he told them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against his wife; and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another, also commits adultery."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Marriage is sacred."

In marriage, the husband and wife are bound together not merely by a piece of legal document. Married life is entered into by a man and a woman who have decided to be together for life. In other words, marriage is not merely a transactional thing but a relational sacred reality. If it is reduced to a piece of legal paper, then it defeats its entire purpose. Two individuals can enter into a transaction and then change their minds and no longer continue with what they have agreed upon together.

 

Those who enter into marriage commit themselves to each other. There is no expiration. Commitment has no expiration. This is what the Pharisees in today's Gospel failed to grasp. They even quoted the Book of Deuteronomy (cf. Dt. 24:1), invoking how Moses allowed the certificate of dismissal for a man to divorce his wife. 

 

Jesus, rather, went back to what it was from the very beginning when God created human beings as male and female (cf. Gen. 1:27). There might be many factors why a married life results in divorce but we should not also forget that the Creator-God has faith in human beings' capacity to commit themselves in marriage.