27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
Today’s first reading from the book of Genesis Gn 2:18-24 and Gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Mark 10:2-16 talk about the sacrament of Matrimony, one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. The sacrament of Matrimony is one of the two sacraments of Christian Service, and the other is the sacrament of Holy Orders. According to the catechism of the Catholic Church #1601 "the matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring", Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament (cf. CIC, can. 1055 § 1; cf. GS 48 § 1). So the goals of the sacrament of matrimony are the good of the spouses, procreation and the education of offspring in the Catholic faith. The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. Hence, this sacrament gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1799) - CCC #1661. So what does this love with which Christ has loved his Church involve? This involves four essential elements: Communication, Listening/hearing, Understanding and Sacrifice.
Communication - if couples truly want to let the love of Christ with which He loved His church be evident, alive and active in their lives and their union, they have to communicate with one another and in a respectful manner.
Listening/hearing - Couples have to listen to and hear each other as they communicate, because communication is useless unless couples hear each other out with their hearts and not just with their ears.
Understanding - Couples have to strive to understand each other better in their union and in their relationship with God. Understanding in family life means to be sympathetically aware of other people's feelings; to be tolerant and to be forgiving.
Sacrifice - Couples have to sacrifice for their common good and by doing so, their love for each other grows and they can deepen their faith in God.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church especially in our families by communicating effectively and efficiently, by listening to or hearing each other with our hearts and not just with our ears, by understanding one another and lastly, by sacrificing for the greater glory of God’s name. Amen!
