Read James 5:9-12, Ps. 103:1-4,8-9,11-12, Mark 10:1-12
“Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors.” (James 5:9)
In today’s first reading, St. James says we should stop grumbling, complaining or judging other people so that we ourselves would not also face judgment. The only way we can avoid judging people is to learn to judge ourselves. This is the practice of “examination of conscience.”
Coming down to the Gospel passage, the disciples are shocked to hear Jesus’ stand on divorce. From the very beginning, God intended that marriage is for better, for worse, and for an entire lifetime. When they got into the house, the disciples had to ask Jesus again whether or not he really meant what he said. And behold, he repeated: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery and if she marries another, she commits adultery.”
Marriage is not about finding the right person, rather it is about being the right person for another. If we apply what St. James says, we can see that most times, marriages have issues because of a desire in us to shift the blame to the other person. We never see anything wrong with ourselves. We never try to work on ourselves.
There is no perfect human being on earth. Each and every one of us has serious issues and left to our brute animal nature, no two humans can live together in perfect peace and harmony, not even identical twins. Yet, God so designed us to live as a family and he made marriage the normal way of life for human beings.
That people are succeeding in marriage, celebrating silver, bronze and golden jubilees is not a matter of luck. It is choosing to love each other despite their obvious imperfections. Your marriage will succeed, when you learn to judge yourself rather than judging your partner; when you learn to admit your faults and say: “I am sorry.”
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to see my faults and learn to live in peace with others rather than judge and condemn them. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. (Friday of week 7 in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: James 5:9-12, Ps. 103:1-4,8-9,11-12, Mark 10:1-12).