FRIDAY, FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Saint Gonsalo Garcia
Heb 13: 1-8 Ps 27: 1,3, 5, 8-9 Mk 6: 14-29
ARE WE FAITHFUL?
The author of the letter to the Hebrews speaks of marriage and urges to keep it pure. In the Gospel passage of today, we find that this pure relationship of marriage is defiled by King Herod who divorces his first wife and then seduces the wife of his half-brother, Herodias, eventually marrying her. It is very sad that when John the Baptist confronts Herod, he is imprisoned; and by Herodias’ scheming, he is beheaded. An innocent man of God is executed for someone else’s immoral act.
With this background, it is fitting that we need to go into a deeper meaning of the word ‘marriage’. It is often used in the Bible as an imagery or a metaphor to define the relationship with God. In Isaiah 54:3 Yahweh declares, “For your husband is your maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth.” What a privilege to be the spouse of the creator of the world! But what is Israel’s response to this marriage covenantal relationship?? We find it in Ezekiel 16:32-34: “You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all harlots, but you give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from every direction for your harlotries. Thus, you are different from those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot as you do, because you give money and no money is given you; thus, you are different.”
In the New Testament, Christ is the Bridegroom, and the Church is the bride. What a privilege that the Bridegroom dies for his bride in order to save her. The message of the Scriptures is that God is inviting us into the Trinitarian relationship that the Father, Son and Spirit share, and reminds of our responsibility to respond to His invitation; first, as an individual, and then as a faith community, i.e., the Church. God loves us and He is faithful. The question remains: Are we?
Response: The Lord is my light and salvation.
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