Homily for Friday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel passage, the Pharisees confront Jesus about the Mosaic Law on marriage and divorce. Jesus understands the spirit of this Law and explains that Moses allowed divorce because of the hard hearts of the people, but it is God's will to make marriage a sacred and binding union.

According to the Law, a man was permitted to divorce his wife if he found something "indecent" about her. During Jesus' time, there were two schools of thought about what constituted indecency justifying divorce.

The Shammai school interpreted it narrowly, considering only adultery as indecent. The Hillel school interpreted it much more broadly. Things like a wife ruining a meal, speaking disrespectfully about her husband's family, fighting with others, or talking to a strange man could be considered indecent. The latter was the prevailing approach during Jesus' time and led to divorce for petty reasons being quite common.

The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is not just a legal contract or a social institution but a vocation. It is a divine calling, a path to holiness. Some may believe that marriage should always give them happy feelings and whatever they desire. However, marriage is about giving to one another and receiving from one another. It requires both partners to give and not be selfish. Marriage aims to make married people saints, achieved through love and not using one another. The marriage vow is sacred and is made to love one another unconditionally every day and moment for the rest of their lives. Love is about seeking the good of the other and serving one another in the spirit of God.