Reflection
Today’s Gospel, a challenge from the Pharisees about the Mosaic law permitting divorce, give Jesus the opportunity to correct that mindset and return us to God’s original plan.
When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he brought the Old Law to fulfillment. He did this in various ways. Some Laws of Moses needed to be interiorized. Not committing the external sin of adultery, for example, needed to be grounded in not committing the interior sin of lust. However, some Laws of Moses need to be corrected. The laws about hating and killing enemies needed to be corrected. As well, the law of Moses permitting divorce needed to be corrected. The law in Deuteronomy (24:1-4) tolerating the practice of divorce and limiting its abuses was a concession Moses granted because of the people’s hardness of heart and not because it was God’s original intention. Jesus described divorce and remarriage as a legal concession to the sinfulness of Israel (Mt 19:8). But instead of reaffirming these practices, he revoked the Mosaic permission and restored the original standard of lifelong marriage that God instituted at creation. Man and woman were created to become one flesh. A sacramental union created by God must not be separated.
Jesus is fulfilling the plan of God to save people from their sins. His Sermon on the Mount established the foundation of the New Covenant. Rather than have rules to adjudicate our sins, Jesus asks us to remove the source of sins, selfish desires which in this case is lust. We are called to love others with the love Jesus gave us; a pure heart fixed only on the beloved. While we may falter at times and stain our hearts with sin, We are called to reconcile with God and be purified so that we can indeed love with a pure heart.
Today’s Question for Prayer and Reflection
How can I be a better example of sharing in the love between Christ and his Bride, the Church?
Source for today’s reflection: https://epriest.com/reflections/view/2791