Gospel Reflection - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Genesis 2:18-24 & Mark 10:2-16

Both the first reading and the Gospel speak to the sanctity of the bonds of marriage and family.  In the first reading, we hear about God creating Eve to be a suitable partner for Adam.  The two become one flesh, man and woman joined together to not only keep one another company, but to procreate and tend to the land.  In the Gospel, once again those Pharisees are trying to trip up Jesus.  His reply is an admonishment to their hardened hearts, reaffirming that marriage is for one man and one woman and that no human can separate what God has joined.  

Unfortunately, we have become a throwaway society.  We overbuy food that ends up spoiled and tossed.  Clothing and furniture tears or breaks and rather than repairing them, we throw them out.  We get rid of things in good condition when the newest model is released (game systems, cell phone).  The same applies even to marriages and friendships.  I have a friend who went into her marriage with the thought that if it didn’t work out, she would just divorce him. 

I once heard Fr. Mitch Pacwa ask on a radio call-in show, “Do you want to be a toy or a keepsake?”  Essentially he was saying that toys are played with, broken and thrown away or tossed aside for a newer, better one.  Keepsakes hold a special place in one’s heart.  Yes, they too can break or wear down, but we repair them or become downhearted when they are beyond repair because they mean something to us.  

As parents, we can encourage our children to become keepsakes, not toys, for their future spouses and to treat their intended one as a keepsake in return.  This means that when problems arise in marriage (and I guarantee they will), they will see the marriage as something worth working for, protecting, and repairing.  The honeymoon phase will subside at some point, yet if our children have a firm foundation and example in their lives, they will know that marriage is worth fighting for and sustaining.  Just as it takes work to care for our keepsakes and treasures, it takes work for the marriage to grow.

Taking Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s question…Do YOU want to be a toy or a keepsake?  And, do you treat others in your life as toys or keepsakes?

How has a married couple’s relationship inspired and encouraged you in your own marriage? 

God loves us as a bridegroom loves his bride.  What can we learn about marriage through His love of us?