Post-feast of the Transfiguration; Holy Venerable-Martyr Dometius (360- 63)
1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Matthew 19:3-12
Dormition Fast
Read Matthew 19:3-12
If you find Our Lord’s words in the gospel today difficult brothers and sisters, you are not alone! The disciples themselves are stunned by Christ’s response to the hidden trap of the Pharisees. Seeking to trap Jesus within the school of thought of one of the two prominent Pharisees of the day (one more pro-divorce than the other), His interlocutors present Him with a polarising question- which is it? Either this…or that. Christ in His amazing answer brings His hearers back to the original intention of marriage and love, right back to the garden, where He goes above and beyond either of these two positions- it’s neither and so much more!
Here we see the foundation of the Holy Mystery of Matrimony as indissoluble, meant for eternity. But at the same time we are confronted with the uncomfortable truth- chastity is for everyone. As our hearts become softer, and we take more chances at really loving and really being loved, we come to gradually understand that there are not people ‘exempt’ from living sexual love the way God intended it. Sexual chastity is lived by unmarried persons through abstinence, in Christian marriage by respecting the unitive and procreative nature of each sexual act, by monks and nuns through celibacy, and people who struggle with same-sex attraction through celibacy. Chastity is for everyone, as holiness is for everyone, even if it is practiced differently in different vocations and circumstances.
Our Lord offers us today a view of human sexuality which transcends the world. As difficult as the struggle is, let us rejoice that we have found the Author of Life and Love and recognise our true fulfilment rests in accepting sex His way.