First reading: Gn. 2:18–24

The LORD God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.

Second reading: Heb. 2:9–11

Brothers and sisters: He “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

Gospel: Mk. 10:2–16

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “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.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” 

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

In other words

by Fr. Elmer Ibarra, SVD (Melbourne, Australia)

The Philippines and Vatican City are the only sovereign countries where divorce is still outlawed. While in some sectors, especially the Philippine Church, this is something to be proud of, in other sectors, especially those who are not religious or don’t practice any religion, this is very difficult if not problematic.

In the Gospel today, Jesus is being tested not because his listeners, particularly the Pharisees, are sincere in clarifying the issue of divorce, they want to trap or embarrass him. During the time of Christ, there were two points of view about granting a divorce. Some would say that divorce should only be granted in extreme circumstances like a husband or a wife committing adultery, or if a wife can’t have a child. On the other hand, a husband may file a divorce because the wife was a nagger or the wife didn’t know how to cook. However, Jesus did not wish to engage in an endless debate so he declared that from the beginning there is no such thing as divorce. It was because of their hard-headedness that Moses allowed divorce.

With Jesus’ mindset, we have to support those who are experiencing difficulties. in their marriages. We also have to advocate sincere discernment. Discernment is not just about people who want to be priests or nuns, it is also for couples who are seriously thinking of getting married to know if they are ready enough to mitigate the difficulties of married life.

From this Gospel we can also learn lessons from little children. During the time of Christ, children were considered “second-class citizens.” Children did not have a voice in society. Yet, Jesus honored children by declaring that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Why is this the case? What is it in children that Jesus loves them so much?

Children are generally very kind, very loyal, forgive each other easily, and are very generous. One time, a generous charity held a party for children who live in poor communities. So the party was going well when a priest noticed a child didn’t finish his food. When asked whether something is wrong with the food, the child said, “There’s nothing wrong with the food. I’m just saving some of this for my older brother who can’t come to the party because he’s too old to join the party.” hopefully, may we also become like children so that we can also be admitted to the Kingdom of God.