Friday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time
May 20, 2016 8:30am
Today’s gospel is one that I
think we need to approach in a both/and way, and not in an either/or way.
Here is what I have in mind.
Here at Saint Margaret’s and I
think in all parishes, we do our best to prepare couples well for marriage.
We talk with them and get to know
them.
We get clear on their intentions
to make this a life-long commitment, to make it an exclusive relationship, and
if possible, to share their love by creating a family together.
There is a 100-question inventory
that helps them to learn about themselves. There is a marriage preparation
program with experienced couples.
And there is the careful planning
of the wedding ceremony.
So, we do all of that.
And, most of the time, I feel
good about the couples whose marriages I witness.
But sometimes, it doesn’t work
out.
This can happen for a variety of
reasons.
And sometimes it is clear,
usually after counseling and some hard work, that the relationship cannot and
maybe should not be restored.
And this is where the both/and
comes in.
So while we lift up and work hard
for the permanency of a marriage commitment, the Church also has a tradition of
what we call annulments.
Pope Francis has made the
annulment process simpler.
And there is even talk within the
Church about allowing those divorced and remarried outside the Church to receive
Communion.
And all of this is going on out a
sense of empathy for the human situation, compassion, and we would say, mercy –
God’s mercy when we do not fully live out the ideals or calling of the gospel.
That’s what I mean by a both/and
approach.
I think it is a good way to
appreciate what is going on in the Church today regarding the Sacrament of
Marriage.
