Homily for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Gn 2:18-24; Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12

To be honest with you, I feel challenged to give a homily today; I wish we had a deacon to do it. It is challenging because the topic is sensitive; someone may get hurt. However, since it is an important topic, I would like to offer two main points.

First, the sacredness of marriage; second, the challenges that can arise from it.

High school experience: why it seemed like Catholic couples had more lasting marriages. “Because we get married in church.” While true, that explanation didn’t capture the whole picture.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 40% of marriages end in divorce. For Catholics: around 20.7%.

The big question is why Catholic Marriage lasts long or why the percentage of divorces is very low?

There are two main reasons. First, Catholicism is a divine bond, a covenant, and a sacrament created by God himself: Marriage is not just a social contract. It is not a human invention;

God is the heart of this covenant, there for “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

This is the beauty of Catholic marriage: it is not just a human arrangement but a divine union that reflects the love between Christ and His Church.

Second, as Jesus said, “So they are no longer two but one flesh.”

Before marriage, each person comes from a unique world filled with challenges, dreams, joys, and sorrows. But when they marry, those two worlds become one flesh and one soul, sharing a single destiny and life. This bond is so strong that only death can separate them.

First reading: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;

Gospel: But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, And the two shall become one flesh.

Many married couples try to keep their covenants well because they know that they are no longer two but one flesh. They know that if they do something against the other, they also do something against themselves because they are not two but one flesh.

Story of fighting couple: “Remember, you came from my ribs, so don’t try to dominate me!” The wife quickly shot back, “Well, you came from dust!”

Matthew Henry comments, “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near to his heart to be beloved.”

They are no longer two but one flesh, equal before God.

2. The challenges of marriage:

Catholic Marriage is beautiful and divine. However, we must also recognize marriage is always challenging, and not every marriage endures. If I had the power, I would like to canonize …

For those who have faced divorce, the Church wants you to know that no one is excluded from the Church and God’s love; God’s love knows no bounds, and His mercy is always available, no matter our mistakes.

The Church teaches that while there may be necessary divorces, there are no “good” ones. Someone always gets hurt/ Someone always gets hurt. I have never heard anyone tell me that I am glad to divorce, but what I heard is painful situations that lead to separation. Some do not have a choice, and the pain is profound and often felt deeply and unfairly.

The Church also encourages healing for those who are hurting due to painful marriage situations. The Church offers all means of healing; the sacraments, especially the sacrament of reconciliation, can be a powerful step toward restoring one's relationship with God.

Pope Francis reminds us that the Church is a “hospital for sinners,” not a rest home for saints.

The most important thing to know is that Jesus never excludes anyone. Everyone belongs, even if we fail to keep our covenant. Jesus was always hanging out with sinners.

So today, let us celebrate the beauty of the sacrament of marriage and support one another through our struggles.

We are called to walk together with those who are hurting and struggling in their states of life. Amen.