Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu tuần thứ 19 Thường
Niên
Trong bài Tin Mừng chúng ta nghe câu chuyện người Pharisêu tìm cách để cài bẫy Chúa Giêsu bằng câu hỏi là một người đã có vợ có được phép ly dị vợ của mình không?. Đó là một cái bẫy để bắt tội Chúa Giêsu. Nhưng với Chúa Giêsu, Ngài luôn bảo vệ những giao ước và những điều cam kết của hôn nhân như đã được dự tính trước, và chính Ngài đã giải thích là việc ông Môisen cho phép họ ly hôn chỉ vì những “người Do Thái này đã cứng lòng". Lời dạy của Chúa Giêsu hôm nay rất thẳng thắn và đơn giản là hôn nhân là một sự cam kết lâu dài và một giao ước vĩnh viễn “vì sự gì Thiên Chúa đã liên kết thì loài người không được phân chia. (Mt 19:6).
Như Chúa đã nói với dân Do Thái, "... chứ nào có phải bởi cung kiếm của ngươi, Ta đã ban cho các ngươi đất, ngươi không vỡ; những thành các ngươi không xây mà được ở, những vườn nho, dầu các ngươi không trồng mà được ăn " (Josua 24:13).
Đối với tất cả mọi người trong chúng ta khi đã làm đám cưới nhau trước mặt Chúa và sống chung với nhau được một thời gian dài, thật sự đó là nhờ vào ơn sủng của Thiên Chúa chứ không phải là tự sức hay cái tài khéo của chúng ta mà thực hiện được sự cam kết đó được lâu dài.
Lạy Chúa, xin Chúa ở lại trong chúng con và xin cho tình yêu của Chúa mang lại tình yêu hoàn hảo mà Chúa đã đặt trong chúng con.
Reflection
The Gospel reading from Matthew is the story of the Pharisees’ attempt to trap Jesus by asking if a man can divorce his wife. Jesus defends the commitment of marriage as originally intended and explains that divorce was allowed in the time of Moses only because of the “hardness of the hearts” of the Jewish people at the time. Jesus is very straightforward in his expectation that marriage is a permanent commitment.
As God told the Israelites, “…it was not your sword or your bow. I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” For any of us who have been married for a long time, it is totally evident that we have not accomplished that long-term commitment on our own but with God’s grace. Lord, remain in us and may Your love bring to perfection the love You have put in us.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, 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, man must not separate.” Mt.19:3-6
Jesus’ time, divorce was a controversial and divisive issue. Two prominent schools of thought offered opposing views: The followers of Rabbi Hillel permitted divorce for trivial reasons, while the followers of Rabbi Shammai allowed it only for serious offenses. In today’s Gospel, Jesus does not side with either group. Instead, He elevates the conversation by pointing back to God’s original design for marriage, revealed at the beginning of creation. Jesus reminds us that God’s intention for marriage is the permanent and sacred union of man and woman—a covenant, not merely a contract. When the two become “one flesh,” it is not only a physical union but also a spiritual and ontological reality: A new creation comes into being through the marital bond.
Today, many people misunderstand the sacredness of marriage. Many marriages falter for a variety of reasons. This is partly because the ideal of marriage is demanding and requires deep personal sacrifice. True love—caritas, or charity—goes far beyond emotion and affection. It calls for the complete gift of self, radical selflessness, and unwavering commitment. When lived according to God’s design, such love yields rewards that far surpass the trials it entails. But when relationships are clouded by selfishness, resentment, unforgiveness, or sin, they often unravel, leaving behind pain and regret.
Saint Paul refers to marriage as “a great mystery,” likening it to the union between “Christ and the Church”. This is more than a metaphor; it is a theological truth. Every baptized person is called to be part of the Body of Christ and to share in the eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The saints and mystics refer to this as “spiritual marriage”—the soul’s union with Christ in Divine Love.
The path to such divine union is rigorous. It demands the total gift of oneself to God. Every sin and attachment to sin must be stripped away by grace—and by our cooperation with that grace. This purifying journey prepares the soul for Mystical Marriage, a lasting and unbreakable union with God.
Just as the heights of sanctity are reached only through great effort, so too is the perfection of marriage—or any relationship. This can feel daunting, but it should not lead to discouragement. Rather, it should inspire us with hope and resolve. Whether in marriage, friendship, or our relationship with God, we must pursue the ideal with zeal. Sanctity does not happen overnight, and neither do holy relationships. All require perseverance, humility, and grace.
Jesus’ teaching on marriage challenges us, but it is full of promise. It offers hope because it affirms that the grace needed to live this vocation comes as a gift from God in the Sacrament of Matrimony. For those called to marriage, and who receive and cooperate with this grace, the reward is nothing less than divine communion and eternal joy. To reach this end, we must transcend our natural limitations and rise above self-interest, fear, and the desire for comfort. This vocation requires a lifelong commitment to sacrificial love, fidelity, and perseverance, even amid trials and suffering.
Reflect today on your vocation and how well you live the depth of love to which you are called. Whether you are married or celibate, trust in God’s providence and resolve to live not by the standards of the world, but by the wisdom of the Kingdom of Heaven. Such a calling can only be fulfilled by grace and by hearts courageous enough to say “Yes” to that grace, day after day. Resolve to say “Yes,” and your reward will be great.
My loving Lord, the charity that flows from Your Sacred Heart is pure and holy, radiating throughout Your entire Church. Draw me ever deeper into that love, so that I may receive You into my life and radiate Your love to others. Help me and all Your children to love You with all our hearts and to love one another, so that we may be perfectly united in You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, from the beginning you created man and woman in your image and called them to become one flesh in a covenant of faithful love. Through your Son, you restored the beauty of your original plan and raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament. Open my mind to understand your wisdom, purify my heart to love as you love, and teach me to reflect the faithful, life-giving love of Christ in all my relationships.
Encountering the Word of God
1. First-Century Discussions About Divorce: When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce, they were inviting him into an ongoing debate among the Jewish teachers of his day. The school of Rabbi Hillel interpreted Deuteronomy 24 quite broadly, allowing a man to divorce his wife for almost any reason – even something as trivial as spoiling a meal. The school of Rabbi Shammai took a much stricter position, permitting divorce only in cases of grave marital unfaithfulness. The Pharisees were possibly trying to force Jesus to choose sides as a test. But, more likely, they wanted him to place himself in apparent opposition to Moses. Moses permitted divorce in the Second Law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), but Jesus forbade remarriage in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:32). Yet Jesus refused to be drawn into their trap. Instead of beginning with Deuteronomy, he returned to Genesis. Jesus turned the discussion away from Moses’ temporary concession toward God’s original design for marriage. Rather than debating the limits of divorce, Jesus revealed the deeper truth that marriage was always intended to be a lifelong covenant established by God himself (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1760).
2. Revoking Moses’ Concession: Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brings the Law of Moses to its fulfillment. Some commandments are deepened by moving from external actions to the intentions of the heart. Thus, the commandment against adultery reaches its fulfillment in purity of heart, and the prohibition against murder extends to avoiding anger and hatred. Other Mosaic regulations were temporary concessions made because of Israel’s hardness of heart. The permission for divorce belongs to this latter category. Moses tolerated divorce to limit its abuses in a sinful society, but this was never God’s ultimate plan. Jesus identifies divorce as a concession to human sinfulness and then revokes that concession, restoring the permanence of marriage established at creation. In Christ, marriage is no longer measured by the compromises of a fallen world but by God’s faithful and unchanging love (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 312).
3. The Theology of the Body: Saint Pope John Paul II devoted many of his Wednesday audiences to Jesus’ remarkable appeal to “the beginning.” Christ does not merely settle a legal dispute about divorce; he invites us to rediscover God's original plan for the human person. Before sin entered the world, man and woman were created for communion. Their union expressed a total, faithful, fruitful, and self-giving love that reflected the image of God himself. Sin wounded this communion by introducing selfishness, domination, and the hardness of heart that eventually made divorce seem necessary. But Christ came not simply to condemn sin but to restore what had been lost. Through the grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony, husbands and wives are empowered to participate in the faithful love of Christ for his Church. Christian marriage thus becomes far more than a legal contract or merely a human institution; it becomes a living sign of the Gospel itself – a visible witness that God's covenant love is permanent, fruitful, forgiving, and stronger than sin.
Friday
of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted” Mt. 19:11
This was Jesus’ response to a lengthy discussion about the indissolubility of marriage. One of the reasons that “Not all can accept this word…” is because marriage, and every other vocation, requires wholehearted sacrifice and selflessness. When this is not present, and when the selfless living that is required of us turns to selfishness, then every conflict becomes a heavy burden. A burden that is unbearable without grace.
What is love? What form of love is required in marriage and every other vocation? What love is required of parents and grandparents? The answer is the same to all of these questions. We must love with complete selflessness and in a sacrificial way. Love, in its truest form, always looks to the good of the other and never focuses upon oneself.
Only grace can enable us to live a life based on true love. Our fallen human nature tends to “navel gaze,” meaning, we tend to go through life thinking about ourselves—“What will make my life better? How will this affect me? This person has hurt me. I don’t want to do this or that, etc.”
It is very difficult in life to turn our eyes from ourselves to the love of others. This is why Jesus said that this form of love can only be embraced by “those to whom that is granted.” And those to whom this depth of love is granted are those who are open to God’s transforming grace in their lives.
One reason that it is very difficult to love in a completely selfless way is because it requires us to live by grace. Our feeble human minds cannot arrive at the high calling of charity by itself. It is only by grace that we will understand that selfless living is not only best for those whom we are called to love, but it is also best for us.
And in the context of married life, parenting, other vocations and every other situation in life, if our love is always focused upon the good of the other, and if our lives imitate the total sacrifice of Christ, then we will see God do great things through us. As He does, we will also see God do great things in us. The bottom line is that we only become who we were made to be when we live like Christ. And He lived a life that was unconditionally sacrificial and selfless.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling of love that you have been given. Can you accept this teaching of our Lord? Has an understanding of the nature of true love been granted to you by grace? And if so, are you doing all you can to live a life of selfless sacrificial love in union with Christ Jesus? As you examine your life and your relationships, especially with those closest to you, consider how well you act as Christ to them. Consider whether you forgive, turn the other cheek, seek mercy, compassion, understanding, gentleness and every other virtue and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Where you are lacking and find selfishness, do not hesitate to beg our Lord to grant you the grace to not only understand your high calling of love, but to also embrace it in your actions to the fullest degree. Then, and only then, will you be able to live the vocation to which you have been called.
My loving Lord, Your love is beyond all comprehension. It is a love that can only be understood by the gift of Your grace. Please do grant me the grace I need to not only understand and to receive Your love in my life but to also offer Your love to all. May my life become an ongoing instrument of the perfection of love that You lived. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday 19th Ordinary Time
Encountering the Word of God
1. First-Century Discussions About Divorce: When the Pharisees approached Jesus to test him with a question about marriage and divorce, we need to recall the division between the then-current schools of thought on divorce. One of the schools, led by Rabbi Hillel the Elder (who died around A.D. 10), was more liberal and taught that a man could divorce his wife for any reason. Specifically, he gave the example of a burnt dinner as a reason for divorce. The other school was more conservative and was led by Rabbi Shammai. He taught that adultery or a serious transgression was the only reason for divorce. The Pharisees had heard that although Moses permitted divorce in the Second Law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), Jesus forbade divorce and remarriage in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:32). The Pharisees saw “an opportunity to discredit Jesus by pitting him against Moses. Jesus evades the trap by quoting the words of Moses from Genesis (19:4-5) and then turns the tables by showing that the Pharisees are the ones out of touch with God’s true intention for married life as revealed in the Torah” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 40).
2. Revoking Moses’ Concession: When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he brought the Old Law to fulfillment. He did this in various ways. Some Laws of Moses needed to be interiorized. Not committing the external sin of adultery, for example, needed to be grounded in not committing the interior sin of lust. However, some Laws of Moses need to be corrected. The laws about hating and killing enemies needed to be corrected. As well, the law of Moses permitting divorce needed to be corrected. The law in Deuteronomy (24:1-4) tolerating the practice of divorce and limiting its abuses was a concession Moses granted because of the people’s hardness of heart and not because it was God’s original intention. “Jesus described divorce and remarriage as a legal concession to the sinfulness of Israel (Mt 19:8). But instead of reaffirming these practices, he revoked the Mosaic permission and restored the original standard of lifelong marriage that God instituted at creation” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Deuteronomy, 46).
3. God’s Unfaithful Bride: The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel contains two allegories about Israel as God’s unfaithful bride. One is found in Chapter 16, which is today’s First Reading. The other is found in Chapter 23. The language in both was so graphic that ancient rabbis restricted who was allowed to read them. Today’s passage alludes to the origin of the city of Jerusalem. It was originally a Canaanite city and was the last city to fall to the Israelites under King David. The reading speaks about how God saw the city grow and how he betrothed her by covering her with the corner of his cloak. God made a covenant with her under King David and he dressed her as a queen. Instead of being a faithful bride and queen, the city of Jerusalem chose to play the harlot and slaughter her own children. This is a reference to the infant sacrifices offered to the pagan god Molech in the valley of Hinnom under King Solomon and the other Judean kings. Pagan shrines proliferated in Jerusalem and the city made alliances with and paid tribute to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians (Ezekiel 16:24-33). The passage ends with God acknowledging that his people have broken the covenant. This is likely a reference to the covenants of Sinai and Deuteronomy under Moses. God also promises that he will remember the covenant made when his people were young. This is likely a reference to the covenant oath made to Abraham. God promises to establish a new covenant, called here “an everlasting covenant.” This new covenant will be a renewed marriage relationship that will be established when God forgives the sins of his people (Ezekiel 16:59-63) (see Bergsma and Pitre, A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, 845
Trong bài Tin Mừng chúng ta nghe câu chuyện người Pharisêu tìm cách để cài bẫy Chúa Giêsu bằng câu hỏi là một người đã có vợ có được phép ly dị vợ của mình không?. Đó là một cái bẫy để bắt tội Chúa Giêsu. Nhưng với Chúa Giêsu, Ngài luôn bảo vệ những giao ước và những điều cam kết của hôn nhân như đã được dự tính trước, và chính Ngài đã giải thích là việc ông Môisen cho phép họ ly hôn chỉ vì những “người Do Thái này đã cứng lòng". Lời dạy của Chúa Giêsu hôm nay rất thẳng thắn và đơn giản là hôn nhân là một sự cam kết lâu dài và một giao ước vĩnh viễn “vì sự gì Thiên Chúa đã liên kết thì loài người không được phân chia. (Mt 19:6).
Như Chúa đã nói với dân Do Thái, "... chứ nào có phải bởi cung kiếm của ngươi, Ta đã ban cho các ngươi đất, ngươi không vỡ; những thành các ngươi không xây mà được ở, những vườn nho, dầu các ngươi không trồng mà được ăn " (Josua 24:13).
Đối với tất cả mọi người trong chúng ta khi đã làm đám cưới nhau trước mặt Chúa và sống chung với nhau được một thời gian dài, thật sự đó là nhờ vào ơn sủng của Thiên Chúa chứ không phải là tự sức hay cái tài khéo của chúng ta mà thực hiện được sự cam kết đó được lâu dài.
Lạy Chúa, xin Chúa ở lại trong chúng con và xin cho tình yêu của Chúa mang lại tình yêu hoàn hảo mà Chúa đã đặt trong chúng con.
The Gospel reading from Matthew is the story of the Pharisees’ attempt to trap Jesus by asking if a man can divorce his wife. Jesus defends the commitment of marriage as originally intended and explains that divorce was allowed in the time of Moses only because of the “hardness of the hearts” of the Jewish people at the time. Jesus is very straightforward in his expectation that marriage is a permanent commitment.
As God told the Israelites, “…it was not your sword or your bow. I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” For any of us who have been married for a long time, it is totally evident that we have not accomplished that long-term commitment on our own but with God’s grace. Lord, remain in us and may Your love bring to perfection the love You have put in us.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, 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, man must not separate.” Mt.19:3-6
Jesus’ time, divorce was a controversial and divisive issue. Two prominent schools of thought offered opposing views: The followers of Rabbi Hillel permitted divorce for trivial reasons, while the followers of Rabbi Shammai allowed it only for serious offenses. In today’s Gospel, Jesus does not side with either group. Instead, He elevates the conversation by pointing back to God’s original design for marriage, revealed at the beginning of creation. Jesus reminds us that God’s intention for marriage is the permanent and sacred union of man and woman—a covenant, not merely a contract. When the two become “one flesh,” it is not only a physical union but also a spiritual and ontological reality: A new creation comes into being through the marital bond.
Today, many people misunderstand the sacredness of marriage. Many marriages falter for a variety of reasons. This is partly because the ideal of marriage is demanding and requires deep personal sacrifice. True love—caritas, or charity—goes far beyond emotion and affection. It calls for the complete gift of self, radical selflessness, and unwavering commitment. When lived according to God’s design, such love yields rewards that far surpass the trials it entails. But when relationships are clouded by selfishness, resentment, unforgiveness, or sin, they often unravel, leaving behind pain and regret.
Saint Paul refers to marriage as “a great mystery,” likening it to the union between “Christ and the Church”. This is more than a metaphor; it is a theological truth. Every baptized person is called to be part of the Body of Christ and to share in the eternal Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The saints and mystics refer to this as “spiritual marriage”—the soul’s union with Christ in Divine Love.
The path to such divine union is rigorous. It demands the total gift of oneself to God. Every sin and attachment to sin must be stripped away by grace—and by our cooperation with that grace. This purifying journey prepares the soul for Mystical Marriage, a lasting and unbreakable union with God.
Just as the heights of sanctity are reached only through great effort, so too is the perfection of marriage—or any relationship. This can feel daunting, but it should not lead to discouragement. Rather, it should inspire us with hope and resolve. Whether in marriage, friendship, or our relationship with God, we must pursue the ideal with zeal. Sanctity does not happen overnight, and neither do holy relationships. All require perseverance, humility, and grace.
Jesus’ teaching on marriage challenges us, but it is full of promise. It offers hope because it affirms that the grace needed to live this vocation comes as a gift from God in the Sacrament of Matrimony. For those called to marriage, and who receive and cooperate with this grace, the reward is nothing less than divine communion and eternal joy. To reach this end, we must transcend our natural limitations and rise above self-interest, fear, and the desire for comfort. This vocation requires a lifelong commitment to sacrificial love, fidelity, and perseverance, even amid trials and suffering.
Reflect today on your vocation and how well you live the depth of love to which you are called. Whether you are married or celibate, trust in God’s providence and resolve to live not by the standards of the world, but by the wisdom of the Kingdom of Heaven. Such a calling can only be fulfilled by grace and by hearts courageous enough to say “Yes” to that grace, day after day. Resolve to say “Yes,” and your reward will be great.
My loving Lord, the charity that flows from Your Sacred Heart is pure and holy, radiating throughout Your entire Church. Draw me ever deeper into that love, so that I may receive You into my life and radiate Your love to others. Help me and all Your children to love You with all our hearts and to love one another, so that we may be perfectly united in You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, from the beginning you created man and woman in your image and called them to become one flesh in a covenant of faithful love. Through your Son, you restored the beauty of your original plan and raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament. Open my mind to understand your wisdom, purify my heart to love as you love, and teach me to reflect the faithful, life-giving love of Christ in all my relationships.
Encountering the Word of God
1. First-Century Discussions About Divorce: When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce, they were inviting him into an ongoing debate among the Jewish teachers of his day. The school of Rabbi Hillel interpreted Deuteronomy 24 quite broadly, allowing a man to divorce his wife for almost any reason – even something as trivial as spoiling a meal. The school of Rabbi Shammai took a much stricter position, permitting divorce only in cases of grave marital unfaithfulness. The Pharisees were possibly trying to force Jesus to choose sides as a test. But, more likely, they wanted him to place himself in apparent opposition to Moses. Moses permitted divorce in the Second Law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), but Jesus forbade remarriage in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:32). Yet Jesus refused to be drawn into their trap. Instead of beginning with Deuteronomy, he returned to Genesis. Jesus turned the discussion away from Moses’ temporary concession toward God’s original design for marriage. Rather than debating the limits of divorce, Jesus revealed the deeper truth that marriage was always intended to be a lifelong covenant established by God himself (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1760).
2. Revoking Moses’ Concession: Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brings the Law of Moses to its fulfillment. Some commandments are deepened by moving from external actions to the intentions of the heart. Thus, the commandment against adultery reaches its fulfillment in purity of heart, and the prohibition against murder extends to avoiding anger and hatred. Other Mosaic regulations were temporary concessions made because of Israel’s hardness of heart. The permission for divorce belongs to this latter category. Moses tolerated divorce to limit its abuses in a sinful society, but this was never God’s ultimate plan. Jesus identifies divorce as a concession to human sinfulness and then revokes that concession, restoring the permanence of marriage established at creation. In Christ, marriage is no longer measured by the compromises of a fallen world but by God’s faithful and unchanging love (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 312).
3. The Theology of the Body: Saint Pope John Paul II devoted many of his Wednesday audiences to Jesus’ remarkable appeal to “the beginning.” Christ does not merely settle a legal dispute about divorce; he invites us to rediscover God's original plan for the human person. Before sin entered the world, man and woman were created for communion. Their union expressed a total, faithful, fruitful, and self-giving love that reflected the image of God himself. Sin wounded this communion by introducing selfishness, domination, and the hardness of heart that eventually made divorce seem necessary. But Christ came not simply to condemn sin but to restore what had been lost. Through the grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony, husbands and wives are empowered to participate in the faithful love of Christ for his Church. Christian marriage thus becomes far more than a legal contract or merely a human institution; it becomes a living sign of the Gospel itself – a visible witness that God's covenant love is permanent, fruitful, forgiving, and stronger than sin.
He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted” Mt. 19:11
This was Jesus’ response to a lengthy discussion about the indissolubility of marriage. One of the reasons that “Not all can accept this word…” is because marriage, and every other vocation, requires wholehearted sacrifice and selflessness. When this is not present, and when the selfless living that is required of us turns to selfishness, then every conflict becomes a heavy burden. A burden that is unbearable without grace.
What is love? What form of love is required in marriage and every other vocation? What love is required of parents and grandparents? The answer is the same to all of these questions. We must love with complete selflessness and in a sacrificial way. Love, in its truest form, always looks to the good of the other and never focuses upon oneself.
Only grace can enable us to live a life based on true love. Our fallen human nature tends to “navel gaze,” meaning, we tend to go through life thinking about ourselves—“What will make my life better? How will this affect me? This person has hurt me. I don’t want to do this or that, etc.”
It is very difficult in life to turn our eyes from ourselves to the love of others. This is why Jesus said that this form of love can only be embraced by “those to whom that is granted.” And those to whom this depth of love is granted are those who are open to God’s transforming grace in their lives.
One reason that it is very difficult to love in a completely selfless way is because it requires us to live by grace. Our feeble human minds cannot arrive at the high calling of charity by itself. It is only by grace that we will understand that selfless living is not only best for those whom we are called to love, but it is also best for us.
And in the context of married life, parenting, other vocations and every other situation in life, if our love is always focused upon the good of the other, and if our lives imitate the total sacrifice of Christ, then we will see God do great things through us. As He does, we will also see God do great things in us. The bottom line is that we only become who we were made to be when we live like Christ. And He lived a life that was unconditionally sacrificial and selfless.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling of love that you have been given. Can you accept this teaching of our Lord? Has an understanding of the nature of true love been granted to you by grace? And if so, are you doing all you can to live a life of selfless sacrificial love in union with Christ Jesus? As you examine your life and your relationships, especially with those closest to you, consider how well you act as Christ to them. Consider whether you forgive, turn the other cheek, seek mercy, compassion, understanding, gentleness and every other virtue and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Where you are lacking and find selfishness, do not hesitate to beg our Lord to grant you the grace to not only understand your high calling of love, but to also embrace it in your actions to the fullest degree. Then, and only then, will you be able to live the vocation to which you have been called.
My loving Lord, Your love is beyond all comprehension. It is a love that can only be understood by the gift of Your grace. Please do grant me the grace I need to not only understand and to receive Your love in my life but to also offer Your love to all. May my life become an ongoing instrument of the perfection of love that You lived. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday 19th Ordinary Time
Encountering the Word of God
1. First-Century Discussions About Divorce: When the Pharisees approached Jesus to test him with a question about marriage and divorce, we need to recall the division between the then-current schools of thought on divorce. One of the schools, led by Rabbi Hillel the Elder (who died around A.D. 10), was more liberal and taught that a man could divorce his wife for any reason. Specifically, he gave the example of a burnt dinner as a reason for divorce. The other school was more conservative and was led by Rabbi Shammai. He taught that adultery or a serious transgression was the only reason for divorce. The Pharisees had heard that although Moses permitted divorce in the Second Law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), Jesus forbade divorce and remarriage in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:32). The Pharisees saw “an opportunity to discredit Jesus by pitting him against Moses. Jesus evades the trap by quoting the words of Moses from Genesis (19:4-5) and then turns the tables by showing that the Pharisees are the ones out of touch with God’s true intention for married life as revealed in the Torah” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 40).
2. Revoking Moses’ Concession: When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he brought the Old Law to fulfillment. He did this in various ways. Some Laws of Moses needed to be interiorized. Not committing the external sin of adultery, for example, needed to be grounded in not committing the interior sin of lust. However, some Laws of Moses need to be corrected. The laws about hating and killing enemies needed to be corrected. As well, the law of Moses permitting divorce needed to be corrected. The law in Deuteronomy (24:1-4) tolerating the practice of divorce and limiting its abuses was a concession Moses granted because of the people’s hardness of heart and not because it was God’s original intention. “Jesus described divorce and remarriage as a legal concession to the sinfulness of Israel (Mt 19:8). But instead of reaffirming these practices, he revoked the Mosaic permission and restored the original standard of lifelong marriage that God instituted at creation” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Deuteronomy, 46).
3. God’s Unfaithful Bride: The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel contains two allegories about Israel as God’s unfaithful bride. One is found in Chapter 16, which is today’s First Reading. The other is found in Chapter 23. The language in both was so graphic that ancient rabbis restricted who was allowed to read them. Today’s passage alludes to the origin of the city of Jerusalem. It was originally a Canaanite city and was the last city to fall to the Israelites under King David. The reading speaks about how God saw the city grow and how he betrothed her by covering her with the corner of his cloak. God made a covenant with her under King David and he dressed her as a queen. Instead of being a faithful bride and queen, the city of Jerusalem chose to play the harlot and slaughter her own children. This is a reference to the infant sacrifices offered to the pagan god Molech in the valley of Hinnom under King Solomon and the other Judean kings. Pagan shrines proliferated in Jerusalem and the city made alliances with and paid tribute to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians (Ezekiel 16:24-33). The passage ends with God acknowledging that his people have broken the covenant. This is likely a reference to the covenants of Sinai and Deuteronomy under Moses. God also promises that he will remember the covenant made when his people were young. This is likely a reference to the covenant oath made to Abraham. God promises to establish a new covenant, called here “an everlasting covenant.” This new covenant will be a renewed marriage relationship that will be established when God forgives the sins of his people (Ezekiel 16:59-63) (see Bergsma and Pitre, A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, 845
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