Homily for February 24, 2017).
It is a
thing of divine coincidence that while our first reading today centres on
Friendship, our Gospel passage is on the indissolubility of marriage. The best
marriage is that which the couples are best friends to each other. It is a
grave irony to be married to someone and have another person as a best friend.
Such outside-friendships destroy marriages silently and they always create room
for temptations to infidelity. Sometimes, we maintain such friendship in the
name of seeking advice but even as our first reading says, “Let your advisers
be one in a thousand.”
As the
book of Ecclesiasticus explains, there are different types of friends and
somehow even in marriage, these types of friends exist. There is a friend who
is there only for convenience and will not stand by you in the day of trouble.
Ask yourself, if your spouse gets locked up in prison, will you still stay and
remain faithful in the marriage? There is also a friend who changes into an
enemy and will disclose a quarrel to your disgrace. How often do spouses go
about narrating issues before the world? You cannot be fighting your spouse in
the name of seeking for justice; that would mean transforming yourself from
lover to enemy. Again, there is a friend who is only faithful in the time of
prosperity but walks away when poverty comes. It is sad to say that many have
married for the sake of money only to end the marriage when money was no longer
forth coming.
“A
faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he that has found one has found a
treasure; there is nothing as precious as a faithful friend.” The question of
divorce will never arise if couples decide to be faithful friends to one
another through thick and thin; remaining deeply committed to each other for
better for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer till death do
them apart. By His very nature, God is against divorce. This is because to
divorce a person means to give up on a person and despite our sinfulness and
unworthiness, God does not give up on us. Since God never gives up on anyone,
He does not expect us to give up on our spouses no matter how bad they are or
become.
I
understand that what I am saying is very difficult to practice, in fact, in
Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus preached it, even his disciples were shocked and
exclaimed: “if that is the case, then it is better not to marry at all.” Dear
friends, with God all things are possible. Nothing is beyond repair when God is
involved. God will never give up on your marriage as long you yourself refuse
to give up. Hang on there even when things are difficult. Divorce is not a
solution.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, make me a faithful friend. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Ecclesiasticus
6:5-17 and Mark 10:1-12).
Fr. Abu.
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