Browsing Homilies

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gn 2:18-24 | Ps 128 | Heb 2:9-11 | Mk 10:2-16  or Mk 2:-12

Human life plays out under the shadow of the cross. Until God’s kingdom finally and fully comes, humanity will always know the pain of suffering and death. We live in a fallen world. Hopes of happily ever after rub against real struggles. People change. People cheat. People grow apart. Life rarely goes as planned—for better and for worse.

Today’s gospel highlights one particular point of pain for many people across time: divorce. Before we get too far, it’s important to point out that this can be a difficult reading to digest especially for the many of us who have experienced divorce firsthand—either within our own marriage or that of a loved one. Over the years, too many homilies and sermons have used this gospel passage to judge and condemn. Today, let us approach the text with the greatest sensitivity and care for each other.

It can be easy to chalk up Jesus’ teaching on divorce and remarriage as legalistic without taking a deeper look. Phrases like “What God has joined together, no human being must separate” and “commits adultery” may seem harsh at first glance. But this is exactly the opposite of what Jesus intends. Upon further reflection we encounter a Jesus in today’s gospel who subverts patriarchal norms and sides with the oppressed. His radical actions give a glimpse of the kingdom of God still to come—a kingdom of possibility and grace.

Jesus preached this message at a time when women held little to any rights. Men held the power to initiate divorce, as we see in the Pharisees’ question to Jesus: “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They pay no attention, legally or socially, to the needs of the wives despite the great threat of divorce to their livelihoods. The women Jesus encountered who experienced divorce could easily end up with nothing—no money, no shelter, no protections—regardless of the reason for the divorce.

So Jesus, ever concerned for the lowly and least, expands the norms for divorce. In verse 12, he makes note of the woman’s ability to divorce her husband. Both parties hold responsibility for proceeding with respect and reverence. Jesus’ empowerment of women in the divorce proceedings reflects his push toward greater justice for the marginalized.

To be clear, Jesus does not advocate for divorce on a whim or as a simple solution to marital challenges. The Mosaic Law may allow for divorce, but in a perfect world, love lasts forever until death do us part. This is the world Jesus comes to usher in—a world overflowing with God’s everlasting peace and unity where there will be no more death, no more mourning, or crying or pain (Rev 21:4).

It’s no secret that we are not yet living in this perfect world. We mourn. We cry. We feel pain. And sometimes, our relationships die. Knowing we cannot bring about the kingdom on our own, Jesus calls us to embrace God’s abundant grace, to receive the possibilities of the coming kingdom like a child—eager, energized, full of wonder and awe.

Our lives will, no doubt, continue to unfold under the shadow of the cross for the foreseeable future. As we navigate the countless difficulties of our day—especially any relational challenges—may we lean on the hope of Jesus for the coming of God’s perfect kingdom.

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