Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(Sirach 6:5-17; Mark 10:1-12)
In the gospel Jesus not only crimps the male prerogative to divorce in accord with the original intent of creation, he also reverses the consequence of original sin. At their judgment God tells Eve that she will be dominated by Adam. Now, Jesus indicates, there will be equality again between the two. Behind this audacious move Jesus intends both to save women from the ignominy and poverty of being divorced and to urge husband and wife to become the best of friends.
The reading from Sirach indicates the value of such a relationship. A “best friend” listens to our venting to help us tolerate life’s vagaries. She or he also protects us from the consequences of rash action by proffering wisdom when we are angry or confused. Other friendships may be as deep as water on a tabletop. They only coax us to avoid responsibility and then offer platitudes in distress.
We want to encourage our young to look for a spouse who will be a true friend. Too often men marry women more from sexual attraction than from virtue. And women look for men for much the same reason as well as their capacity to provide life’s comforts. These values are out of line with the Kingdom Jesus preaches. If our young are to live as Jesus would have them, they will take as much care in finding a spouse as a Fortune 500 corporation in choosing a CFO. They will search for a person who is -- most of all – faithful, honest, caring, and wise.
Showing posts with label friend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friend. Show all posts
Homilette for Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
(John 15)
We can note a certain tension in the New Testament that the gospel today suggests. In different places Paul calls Christians “slaves of Christ” (I Cor 7: 22 et al.) while John quotes Jesus today as saying that he does not consider his disciples slaves but friends. How should we accommodate this difference of perspective?
There is no inherent contradiction in being Christ’s slaves and his friends. A slave can win the confidence of his or her master to be treated as a friend or even as a relative. I once read the story of a slave in a Georgian Catholic family who so loved her masters that she stayed with them after Emancipation and eventually was buried in the family plot.
In calling Christians “slaves of Christ” Paul means to emphasize that we follow Jesus unreservedly. If he tells us – as he does – that it is a sin to divorce one person to marry another, we do not divorce, at least in the sense that the word is interpreted by the Church. In calling his disciples “friends” the Jesus whom we meet in the Gospel According to John means to underscore his confidence in us. He trusts us implicitly to understand his words and to carry out his will.
The two terms – slaves and friends – should be seen as complimenting one another. At times we may have difficulty comprehending what Jesus means. It is hard, for example, for the family of a murder victim to pray for the perpetrator of the crime. Yet they do so out of faithfulness to their master. Most of the time, however, we can reflect on and appreciate the wisdom of Jesus, our friend, when he shares with us, for example, how we eat his body to have eternal life.
(John 15)
We can note a certain tension in the New Testament that the gospel today suggests. In different places Paul calls Christians “slaves of Christ” (I Cor 7: 22 et al.) while John quotes Jesus today as saying that he does not consider his disciples slaves but friends. How should we accommodate this difference of perspective?
There is no inherent contradiction in being Christ’s slaves and his friends. A slave can win the confidence of his or her master to be treated as a friend or even as a relative. I once read the story of a slave in a Georgian Catholic family who so loved her masters that she stayed with them after Emancipation and eventually was buried in the family plot.
In calling Christians “slaves of Christ” Paul means to emphasize that we follow Jesus unreservedly. If he tells us – as he does – that it is a sin to divorce one person to marry another, we do not divorce, at least in the sense that the word is interpreted by the Church. In calling his disciples “friends” the Jesus whom we meet in the Gospel According to John means to underscore his confidence in us. He trusts us implicitly to understand his words and to carry out his will.
The two terms – slaves and friends – should be seen as complimenting one another. At times we may have difficulty comprehending what Jesus means. It is hard, for example, for the family of a murder victim to pray for the perpetrator of the crime. Yet they do so out of faithfulness to their master. Most of the time, however, we can reflect on and appreciate the wisdom of Jesus, our friend, when he shares with us, for example, how we eat his body to have eternal life.
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