Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. 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. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate."

Sometimes we harden our hearts to the commandments of God because they are “too hard.” However, all of God’s commandments are for our own good. They teach us how to be reverent, respectful, and responsible to God and all His children. This one commandment against divorce hasn’t been a popular one from the time Jesus first gave it, but he wasn’t preaching the gospel to be popular. He was preaching it to save souls, to give an example of holiness, and inspire us to better lives. This goes beyond the issue of divorce to the issue of trusting in God. This doesn’t mean staying in an abusive relationship (physical or otherwise), but rather that we shouldn’t enter or exit a marriage or any relationship without trying everything within our power to love each other properly.

Have we hardened our hearts to certain commandments of God? If so, then how can we soften our hearts and come to trust in Him more than our own judgment? Have we taken Jesus’ example of living out his Father’s Will to heart?

O Lord, soften our hearts so that we might come to know, love, and serve you and your children as we should.

Amen.