October 4 – Twenty seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Marriage and Divorce

First Reading  Genesis 2:18-24
God creates woman from Adam's rib.

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 128:1-2,3,4-5,6
A prayer for God's blessing

Second Reading  Hebrews 2:9-11
Christ was made perfect through suffering so that we might all be consecrated.

Gospel Reading
Mark 10:2-16 (shorter form Mark 10:2-12)

The Pharisees question Jesus about the lawfulness of divorce. In reply, Jesus quotes from the Book of Genesis and counters that God's original intention was that men and women would become one flesh in marriage. Jesus describes the teaching of Moses as a concession made to God's original intention because of human stubbornness. Jesus' teaching was more restrictive than the teaching of the Pharisees, which permitted remarriage. Divorce tears apart the bonding and the union that love impels us to attain. Divorce, Jesus says, has to do with laws. Marriage has to do with love. Marriage is far more than merely a license to live together. Marriage takes us back to our beginnings, to Adam and Eve. When read together, however, these passages present a strong picture of Jesus' emphasis on the importance of family. God intended for women and men to be joined together in marriage. Among the purposes of marriage is the raising of children. By welcoming children and fostering their relationship with God, parents and families bear witness to the Kingdom of God. It is our responsibility to speak in support of marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman in an enduring bond of love. This union is ordered to both the mutual good of the spouses and to the procreation and raising of children.