27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Genesis 2:18-24. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives – Psalm 127(128). Hebrews 2:9-11. Mark 10:2-16.

God made them male and female… and the two shall become one flesh

The reading from Genesis reminds us, if nothing else, that the human person is not made to be alone. We are born into relationship, and we only have life in so far as we have relationships authentically. To live relationally is to live with a commitment to and for the other. It is to move beyond the bounded sense of ‘I’, to recognise the porous nature of our identity.

Marriage is a particular expression of this living relationally. The stern teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark allows us to reflect on just how significant the commitment is, how lifegiving it can be. It is for other times to parse the implications meant here but for our prayer, we might reflect on who in our lives we feel bound to: what are the relationships that give me life, that allow me to be truly me?