Last week in my homily, I spoke about the great gift and the beauty of the priesthood. Today, we focus on another vocation in the Church, the vocation of marriage. In our readings, we’re given this beautiful vision of marriage, a vision that speaks not just to the relationship between a husband and wife, but to something deeper. What the Lord is revealing is His divine plan for human relationships and for the world.
In our first reading, we’re taken back to the creation of man and woman. Genesis tells us that “it is not good for the man to be alone.” The Father sees Adam by himself, and He knows that being alone doesn’t reflect the fullness of what it means to be human. So, He creates Eve, a partner, an equal. Adam recognizes her as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” meaning that she is not separate from him, but part of him. This moment isn’t just about companionship, but about a profound unity. It’s about two people who are made to complete and support each other, to become one in a way that reflects the very heart of God’s creation.
What this story reveals is that marriage is God’s design for human love. It’s not just a social arrangement or a legal contract; it’s a spiritual reality where two people become one flesh. This unity speaks to more than just physical closeness—it’s about a deep, emotional and spiritual connection. God designed marriage to be a place where love grows, where two people help each other to become saints, and where they live out the call to holiness and self-sacrificial love.
In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees come to Jesus with a question about divorce…they’re trying to trap Him. If we put ourselves into 1st Century Judea, we would see that divorce was widely accepted in Jewish society, despite it being something that is detested in the Hebrew scriptures. “There was some controversy among Pharisees over what constituted sufficient grounds for divorce, but here the question is whether divorce is permissible at all.”[1] So why would the Pharisees ask this? They knew that the Law of Moses permitted divorce, but their goal was to get Jesus to admit His “unorthodox” views according to society. It is possible that the Pharisees had heard Jesus talk about this issue before and had left feeling perplexed, conflicted about the teaching. But then look how the Lord handled it.
Instead of getting into a debate about the legalities, Jesus tells them that Moses only permitted divorce because of the hardness of hearts and points the Pharisees back to the original plan that we hear about in the Book of Genesis. “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female… and the two shall become one flesh.” He reminds them that marriage was never intended to be temporary. It’s meant to be permanent, a lifelong commitment. Jesus says, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In other words, marriage is something sacred, something holy. It’s not just about the couple; it’s about God’s presence in their relationship.
This is why marriage is a sacrament – it’s a visible sign of God’s grace. When a husband and wife commit to love each other for life, they’re not just making a promise to each other; they’re entering into a covenant with God. And in this sacrament, God gives the grace needed to live out that commitment, even when things get difficult. Marriage isn’t easy. It requires sacrifice, forgiveness, and humility. It requires choosing love every day, even when those feelings aren’t particularly strong. But it’s through these struggles that couples can grow in holiness together…by digging down deep, loving despite those hardships, fighting for your marriage that you become a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church.
Y’all, that is the beauty of the sacrament of marriage – it mirrors God’s faithful and unbreakable love for each of us; it gives us a glimpse into His love for His Bride, the Church. Just as God never abandons us, He calls married couples to remain faithful to each other. In their love and their sacrifices, they become living witnesses to the world of what God’s love looks like: a love that is committed, self-giving, and full of grace.
Today, the Lord is inviting us to reflect on the beauty of marriage, especially in a time when it is under immense attack. We need to pray for all married couples, especially those who are struggling, that they may be strengthened by God’s grace to remain faithful to their vows and to find new ways to love each other. But it’s also a day to offer prayers for those preparing for marriage, that they may enter into this sacrament with hearts full of hope and trust in God’s plan for them. May all of us be reminded today and every day that the unity found in the bond of marriage is a reflection of the unity that God desires with each of us – a unity based on love, commitment, and grace.
[1] Mary Healy, The Gospel of Mark in the Catholic Commentary Series on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. 196.
Photo: Josh Applegate. Used under Unsplash license.
Fr. Tom Pringle 