Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Also Read: Mass Readings for 06 october 2024 Mass Reading Reflection for 06 october 2024
Gospel: Mark 10: 2-16
Your spouse is a chosen gift from God. He did not pick one from a shelf, He hand-crafted the person much before you started looking for one. He carefully shaped him or her just as an acclaimed artist would do. He detailed His gift for you with great care and precision. He made that gift exclusively for you.
It is an insult to the giver to misuse or exchange a valuable gift. Hence, Jesus leaves no room for divorce in His teachings. Jesus quoting from the book of Genesis proved beyond doubt that it was the will of God from the beginning.
When you are placing the gift in the right position, you are respecting the giver. When you are putting your spouse above all earthly relationships and possessions, you are respecting God: you are adoring God. Loving, caring, and forgiving one another are acts of worship married couples offer to God Almighty daily.
Referring to married couples Jesus said, “The two shall become one flesh.” We should pay attention to the choice of words, He did not say, “They shall become like one flesh.” He, instead, said, “The two shall become one flesh.”
Married couples are called to unity, there is no scope for any discord or division. It is indeed a tough teaching.
As grown-up intelligent individuals, we are bound to have differences. Can two people become united despite their differences? Please consider the following example:
The couple were getting ready for an international travel from India. The wife wanted to take some traditional medicines from India. Most such medicines are prohibited for international travel. The husband made the law clear and said that they were not carrying it anyway. Some of the relatives suggested to the wife that even if they catch them at the airport, they may just remove the medicine and let them go. The reply of the wife was stunning, “I am not taking it, because if at all we are caught, he will not even give me a look meaning ‘I told you so.’”
The absence of the phrase, ‘I told you so,’ is an indication that you have grown to become one flesh.
One who owns the achievements, successes, mistakes, and even failures of the spouse is the one who knows the meaning of becoming one flesh.
Trust in Jesus. Love, care, and forgive your spouse not based on the merits of your spouse, but because your spouse is a hand-crafted gift from God. You will taste the joy of heaven at home and in the life to come.
Amen.
