God does not want us to be alone

27th Sunday Ordinary Time

There is no getting around it. Today’s Gospel will hurt. Let us acknowledge that pain and admit there are no simple answers when families struggle with divorce.

The lectionary allows a shorter version of today’s Gospel reading. Don’t do it. To better understand this difficult passage, we need to hear it within the larger context of Mark’s Gospel. And the concluding section here of Jesus blessing the children gives us that connection.

Mark’s main focus is on the outsider: John the Baptist in the desert; the healings of the outcast or foreigner. Throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples that God’s reign is not found in the powerful but in those who have been left out of society’s care. By putting children front and center today and the last two Sundays, Jesus continues to turn our gaze to the vulnerable.

Recognizing that Jesus is drawing our attention to God’s will and not to the rules of divorce, we can avoid simplistic statements that imprison couples in bad marriages “for the sake of the children.” With Mark’s focus and in light of the first reading, we can announce instead the good news: God does not want us to be alone. God created us for one another, especially for those cast off. Whatever divides one from another—racism, sexism, hate, violence, selfishness—is never God’s will for us.

This post was first published in “GIA Quarterly: A Liturgical Music Journal.”

Image credit: Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash.

Read more reflections on the Sunday readings here:

• Restraint and Generosity
• Going Further
• Can we be salt and light?
• Who is advocating for those in need?
• Bonded to Christ’s Mission