Friars Corner: God’s plan for marriage
Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR
Genesis 2:18-24; Psalms 128:1-6; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16
Obviously, the Biblical theme in both Old and New Testaments for marriage is the same, a grown son or daughter shall leave their parental home and be joined to their spouse and the two shall become one. This union is a permanent one, largely for the proper care and rearing of the children coming from that union.
St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians 1:3-5,
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens! God chose us in him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love; he likewise predestined us through Christ Jesus to be his adopted sons (children). (NBA 1970 edition)
Note that Paul is speaking about every spiritual blessing that already has been offered to us as children of an all-knowing and loving creator (God). Yet we all know that we live in a sinful, broken and confused world, which we see every day all around us. God wants to save and heal us in his almighty plan. We see that healing much in the earthly life of Jesus.
River of healing
In the last chapter of the Book of Revelation 22:1-2, St. John is shown a glimpse of heaven and he sees “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal flowing from the throne of God (our Father) and the Lamb (Jesus) down the middle of the street. On either side of the river are the trees of life, with their twelve crops of fruit, yielding fruit each month. Their leaves are for the healing of the nations.”
This river is some of God’s power flowing to the unique trees of life. These trees (the saints of God in heaven) bear fruit 12 times a year, once each month. Their leaves are used for the healing of the nations. God’s river feeds them. This water then flows out of heaven and comes down on the earth into seven major streams in the sacramental life of Christ’s church. Each sacrament gives us divine power to accomplish great things in our lives (the fruit). The good works of our lives help bring Christ’s healing to the nations. This divine water can do more if we, “take the lid of understanding up,” to allow his power to flow.
God’s power channel
Marriage is one of God’s power channels, the sacraments. The first book of the Bible (Genesis) tells two stories of creation. God created Adam yet he was not complete among all the animals. So God gave him a beautiful woman to be his lifetime companion. They were male and female. They were the first humans alike is some ways but very different and for different life purposes as indicated by their “different plumbing.” Both sexually joined to help God continue his creation of life on earth. Their bodies and brains were designed for this purpose. There are no other human genders on earth.
With the creation of new human life at conception (not birth, nine months later) there is a responsibility of the parents to care for, educate and train their children for the responsibility of being productive adult humans to continue God plan. This is part of the fruit we are to bear in life. God gives parents the grace to do this. Both parents can have God’s grace if they want and use it.
Yet there is a death process going on to destroy human life, which we see from the Genesis story, in the snake at the tree in the center of Eden. That one, his fellow fallen angels and countless human accomplices, are about satan’s death work even in the world today.
God’s plan
Now I quote for you a commentary paragraph about God’s plan from Fr. Roland Faley’s book Footprints on the Mountain.
Today’s teaching on the permanent and indissoluble character of Christian marriage is as inspirational to some as it is painful for others. There are those in every Sunday assembly who have lived this ideal with generosity and intensity. Others have endured great suffering because that ideal could no longer be lived. Yet in the church there is room for everyone. It continues to proclaim the teaching on marriage because it has no choice. It not only comes from Christ but its wisdom lends itself to building up the human family, the church, and all of human society. On the other hand, the church suffers with those who have found it impossible to live this commitment. Human weakness tells us that we all fall short (of the glory of God) in one way or another. Today the church’s pastoral ministry seeks to alleviate where possible the pain connected with broken marriages, as we all strive to move, if only by inches, closer to that heavenly sanctuary where Christ has preceded us and to which he calls all of us without exception.
Looking for love
We are all looking to be loved and cared for yet sometimes we look in the wrong places. There is much to say about all of this. If we grow up in a good Christian home with parents trying to love each other and do the right things we come out okay and prepared to live a good life. If we grow up in a broken unloving environment we come out broken. Jesus knows and wants to heal and care for us. We can allow the Holy Spirit and good people to help us find healing in the right places.
Love is greatly distorted in our culture. It often has us filling our life with bad things that truly harm and kill us. St. Paul gives us sixteen aspects of Jesus’ love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. I express them in the positive aspect, which is easier to understand and put into practice. Love is:
1) patient
2) kind
3) respectful of others
4) humble (not self-seeking pleasure
5) open to all
6) courteous
7) willing to help
8) understanding
9) forgiving
10) compassionate or merciful
11) truthful
12) enduring
13) trusting
14) hopeful
15) persevering
16) lasts forever.
These are good concepts yet not easy to put into practice. We need God’s graces that flow in and through us from several of his sacraments and our daily prayer life.
God loves you
I pray this is helpful for some of you. I also pray over all of you who are reading this, that the Holy Spirit anoint your mind and heart to understand more of God’s plans for your life and accept them without fear. God knows all about you and wants to fill you with more of his love. I pray he will heal in you and your family what needs to be healed so you can move on in life with more peace and joy to help build up the “Body of Christ.”
Be open, God loves you intently and you cannot stop his loving you. Our freedom is to believe and accept his plan. May the Holy Spirit draw you closer to the loving heart of the Holy Trinity. The more you receive the more divine glow you have to share with others.
Have a blessed week, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
(© 2018 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)
