9th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Wednesday - They will neither marry nor be given in marriage

 In the course of his public ministry, the Lord doesn’t often talk directly about marriage, but when he does, it’s often controversial.

On Friday of the 7th week of Ordinary Time we considered the Lord’s teaching on marriage and divorce. There, the Lord put an end to the debate of the pharisees and the scholars--that aside from those circumstances where lawful impediments exist ,(siblings cannot marry, parents cannot marry their children, etc.) a husband and wife, truly joined in the bond of holy matrimony, cannot be separated, because God has joined them.

In today’s reading, the Lord gives another unexpected teaching: that in heaven, in the resurrection, there is no marriage. So a man and a woman joined on earth in holy matrimony, will not be married in heaven: “When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage”

Earthly marriage is a sacrament by which spouses are blessed to become a sign of God' steadfast and permanent love for us—Christ’s indissoluble bond with the Church.

Yet, the relationship between souls in heaven will be based on their shared love for God, rather than on earthly bonds. Earthly marriage, though sacred and important, is ultimately a preparation for the eternal union with God in heaven.

While earthly marriage ends with death, the love and grace experienced within a holy marriage are not lost. The sacrament of marriage is a means for the sanctification of the spouses, helping them grow in holiness and preparing them for eternal life. In heaven, the love shared between spouses on earth will be transformed and perfected in their shared love for God.

Whether married or single or celibate, the Lord’s teaching here reminds us all that earthly attachments and institutions, even those as vital as marriage, are temporary. We must live for heaven in mind—serving God in this life, by being faithful to our earthly commitments and vocations like marriage and the priesthood and the universal call to holiness, while always giving priority to God. 

Notice, too how, in this passage Jesus admonishes the Sadducees for not knowing the Scriptures. They lack understanding of God’s will, because they haven’t sought to truly understand God’s Word. To quote St. Jerome, “Ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ.”

So again, whether marriage, single, or celibate, we are to dispose our minds and hearts so very often, to God’s Word, by reading and reflecting on the Sacred Scriptures to guide our faith and activity.

Through the holy mysteries of our faith, may we be strengthened in that unity with God  through Christ which brings us our sanctification and salvation for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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That during this month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, all Christians may witness to the tender love of Christ for sinners through our prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life—and that single and celibate Christians may witness to the sacrificial, all-embracing love of Christ for all.

For the sick, the impoverished, the lonely, those suffering from mental illness, those most in need, and those near death: may God, through the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, be close to them in their trials

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

7th Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Friday - God is the author of marriage

One of the joys of my priesthood is to meet with engaged couples for marriage preparation. It’s always interesting to see where they are on their faith journeys. Some of them are devout and go to mass every week, or more. And some haven’t really been to mass since their confirmation. Some couples begin marriage preparation with little or no awareness of God’s presence with them, and have very little understanding of Church teaching.

No matter where they are on their faith journey, in marriage preparation, we start at the beginning. We read from the scriptures, we look at church teaching regarding marriage. One of the concepts that focus on is that God is the author of marriage. Marriage is not a man made institution that we are free to tamper with, alter or change. 

The Vatican II document on the Church in the Modern World emphasizes this point when it says, “The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws.... God himself is the author of marriage.”

So part of marriage preparation is coming to an understanding, appreciation, and desire for not just what the world says marriage is, but that beautiful institution which God has designed. 

Church teaching on marriage is rich and beautiful, and of course, founded upon the Word of God. 

In the Gospel today, the Lord Jesus himself addresses marriage, and puts to an end, once and for all the debate about the possibility of divorce. There are lawful impediments to marriage: siblings cannot marry, parents cannot marry their children, a person cannot be forced to marry another, there must be consent. 

But a man and a woman, truly joined in the bond of holy matrimony, cannot be separated, because God has joined them. 

The indissolubility of legitimate marriage is disregarded by much of society. Many choose to enter into adulterous relationships to the detriment of their spouses, their children, and their souls.

The Catechism comments on today’s reading thusly: it says, the Lord Jesus’ “unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy—heavier than the Law of Moses. By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to “receive” the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ’s cross, the source of all Christian life.”

Let us pray for all engaged and married couples, that they may live faithfully to the Lord’s teaching regarding the Sacrament of Marriage, that marriage may continue to make the Church fruitful, that it may be a source of blessing for their families and for the world for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That Christians may respond generously to the perpetual call to prayer, fasting, and works of charity. 

For our young people beginning summer vacation, that they may be kept safe from the errors of our culture and kept in close friendship with Jesus through prayer and acts of mercy.

For all married couples, that they may be faithful to the Gospel in every dimension of their married life and give all an example of God’s ever-faithful love.  

That during this month of May, all people may turn their hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, imitating her example of Faith, Hope, and Love.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord