MALE AND FEMALE…

Ezekiel 16:1-15,60,63
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me:2 “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations,3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite.
4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel string was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor swathed with bands.5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you; but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

6 “And when I passed by you, and saw you weltering in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live,7 and grow up like a plant of the field.’ And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full maidenhood; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, behold, you were at the age for love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yea, I plighted my troth to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord GOD, and you became mine.9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you, and anointed you with oil.
10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with leather, I swathed you in fine linen and covered you with silk.11 And I decked you with ornaments, and put bracelets on your arms, and a chain on your neck.
12 And I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.13 Thus you were decked with gold and silver; and your raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth; you ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful, and came to regal estate.
14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor which I had bestowed upon you, says the Lord GOD.15 “But you trusted in your beauty, and played the harlot because of your renown, and lavished your harlotries on any passer-by.

60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant.63 that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord GOD.”

Matthew 19:3-12

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?”
4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one’?6 So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”
7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”8 He said to them, “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman, commits adultery.”10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.”11 But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.”

MEDITATION 

THE PROPHET EZEKIEL use metaphoric language to describe a marriage bond that developed between God and His people after He found them neglected exposed to the elememants with the umbilical cord still attached to the mother. 

Despite being lavished with love, fine food and clothing up untill adulthood, this child regrettably cut the umbilical cord, broke the marriage union by indulging in harlotary. Notwithstanding these treacherous acts, Yahweh is prepared to forgive the shame this child has caused!

THE GOSPEL READING: When confronted with the question whether divorce is licit, our Lord begin to underscore the age old understanding that marriage is an exclusive bond between a male and female! Herein we also infer that a so-called ‘union’ between one or more than one male or females are not marriage bonds such that the Catholic Church cannot sanction or bless such relationships. Christ affirm that marriage is a permanent union between a woman and a man except in a case of unchastity! “Unchastity” (v9) or ‘porneia’—a Greek term with a broad meaning which include; prostitution, adultery, paedophilia, bestiality, masturbation and homosexuality are regarded as improper immoral acts that nullify the marriage union.

Our Lord also note that there are “eunuchs” male and female who have made a vow to abstain from the sexual act “for the sake of the kingdom!” Herein we observe the vow of celibacy that Catholic priests and religious sisters make when they are ordained to be in service of Christ and His Church. If in any way, shape or form you and i have fallen prey to or was injured by sexual aberations by our spouse that contradict and nullified God’s Word, we may seek an annulment and or forgiveness that is, conditioned on our resolve to not indulge in these immoral crimes again! 

LET US PRAY:Isaiah 12:2-6

2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted.5 “Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.