The Gospel according to Mark (10:1-12)
Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached him 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.”
Reflection: The Pharisees were constantly trying to trap Jesus. Though this is a sad fact, it does teach us a lesson about seeking the truth.
One of the most basic goals we must strive for in life is to seek the truth. We must seek to know the truth, and then allow that truth to set us free. On one level, the Pharisees were seeking the truth. They asked Jesus a question about the Law of Moses and His interpretation of that law. Though it is good to ask such a question and to seek an answer from Jesus, there is a subtle distinction that we must make.
The distinction has to do with the motive of the asker. In this case, the Pharisees were asking Jesus a question not because they were seeking the truth; rather, they were asking it with the intention of trickery and manipulation. They were looking for anything they could to try to trap Jesus so as to condemn Him. The much better way to ask Jesus a question is to come to Him for two reasons.
First, we must come to Him asking questions because we humbly believe that He is the source of all Truth. This takes humility because it requires that we acknowledge that Jesus knows better. He has the answer, a better answer than we have.
Secondly, when we ask Jesus a question, we should examine our motivation. Hopefully, our motivation consists in the single fact that we want to know. We have come to believe that He is the source of truth and, therefore, we turn to Him so that we will understand. So, not only do we humbly believe He has the answers, we also sincerely want to know them. This form of an inquisitive and open heart disposes us to receive all that He says to us, as if we were dry land ready to soak up a gentle rain.
Action: Today take some time to slow yourself down and pray one decade of the rosary, meditating on the wedding feast at Cana, for the strengthening of marriages within family and friends.
Audio Reflection:
