Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 13, 2021
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
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, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
When I first read through this gospel, I wondered what insight I, an unmarried woman, could bring to this reading. So I decided to draw on my experience of teaching about marriage as a sacrament in my sophomore Theology class last year.
My favorite image of the Church to teach was the bride of Christ. I remember gaining an even greater understanding and appreciation of this image. The self-sacrificial love that Jesus has for all of us is the same love that should exist between a husband and wife within the sacrament of marriage. Throughout the Old and New Testament, there are countless instances where this imagery is used to explain the depth of the love that God has for his people. Teaching this image helped me gain a deeper understanding of how great God’s love is for me through thinking about the strong marriage that I have seen throughout my life in my family.
Sadly, I found that this image does not always resonate with students. What they are influenced by in their daily lives goes against this image of eternal love and commitment. With the divorce rate as high as it is, it almost seems easier to go with the attitude that the disciples have and just decide that “it is better not to marry.” But this cannot be the case for everyone. Callings from God are not simple or easy. Most of the time, they take courage and strength. This is the same with the vocation to marriage. Though it is not for everyone, those who are called to enter into this covenant must do so knowing that they become a reflection of the love that God has for each of us.
Prayer
Lord, you teach us to hold the covenant of marriage in the highest dignity. Bless all husbands and wives in their promises of love and fidelity to one another. Help all couples experiencing difficulties. Assist all members of your Church to support and encourage one another in our vocations. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Hippolytus was one of the most important writers and thinkers in the Church before the fourth century. He was a learned priest in Rome and renowned for his eloquence. He became overzealous, however, and spoke out against several popes for being too lax with people who strayed from the faith, or for not denouncing a certain heresy forcefully enough. He thought the faithful should be an undefiled body of people, and was elected as a rival pope.
Pope Pontian (pictured here) was elected in 230, and was able to reconcile with Hippolytus and restore union to the Church. Shortly afterwards, the Roman emperor began persecuting Christians, and both Pontian and Hippolytus were exiled to Sardinia, which was known for its harsh conditions. Before his arrest, Pontian stepped down from his role as pope so that the Christian community could select another leader in his absence.
Both men labored in mines and died there due to exhaustion. The bodies of both men were retrieved and returned to Rome for burial and veneration as martyrs for the faith. Relics of both saints rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Saints Pontian and Hippolytus, you were bitter rivals who reconciled before your exile and death—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Pontian is in the public domain. Last accessed March 27, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
