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Fr. Joseph’s Weekly Missive for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
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January 12, 2022“For as a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; And as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.” (Isaiah 62:5).
The major theme for this 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on one of the sacraments of service, which is the sacrament of the holy matrimony, as we start our daily ministries in ordinary time.
Because of misunderstanding and ignorance, marriage has devolved from being a sacrament, which is blessed and willed by God, to a mere civil contract, to a social convention, to a personal convenience. As a result, the divorce rate is high in today’s society.
Many people fail to understand the essence and reason of marriage. The Church teaches that the essence of a true marriage is based on love, a true love that images God’s outpouring love, but never on our selfish lust.
The Bible tells us that God is love. We all are made “in the image and likeness” of God, and of that divine love. One of the expressions of our love is marriage. In Genesis, Adam says to Eve: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.”
Jesus also repeats it and says: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. They are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” Therefore, marriage is a divine and ancient institution, sanctified by Christ and is one of the 7 sacraments of the Church.
The Bible starts with one wedding, that of Adam and Eve in the Garden, and ends with another wedding, the marriage of the Lamb. And throughout the Bible, marriage is the symbol of the covenantal relationship between God and His chosen people. The Bible depicts God as the faithful groom and God’s chosen people, the Church, as His beloved bride. Their true love should last forever.
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topics invite us to serve God and one another in the sacrament of the Holy Matrimony and in our family whether nucleus or extended families.
How can we invite Jesus Christ to enrich our family life?
Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.
