“Being faithful and committed in our relations by mirroring the magnanimous, unshaken love of God!”

(Based on Sir 6:5-17 and Mk 10:1-12 – Friday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

In a small town in France, Louis and Zélie Martin began their married life with love and hope.

But life soon tested them.

Financial struggles.
The pain of burying four of their nine children.
The slow agony of Zélie’s battle with cancer.

Any of these could have broken them.

But they held on.
Not because it was easy…
… but because they chose to!

They believed love wasn’t just about emotions.

It was a promise.
A sacred bond.
They didn’t let suffering weaken their commitment.

They stood together…
… through every storm
… through every tear
… through every silent prayer whispered in the night.

Years later, their love bore a lasting fruit: One of their children would be known to the world as St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Little Flower)

Before she was a saint…
… she was a little girl who watched her parents love with courage, sacrifice, and unwavering faithfulness.

And then, the world learned something even more powerful.

The parents who raised a saint…
… became saints themselves.

Louis and Zélie Martin were canonized together – the first married couple in history to be declared saints.

Their love was not just beautiful.
It was holy.
It was heroic.
It is eternal!

Marriage is a sacred institution – a precious covenant – that demands a lifelong commitment and a faithful dedication, despite the ups and downs of life.

The life-love-story Sts Louis and Zélie Martin, beloved parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux reminds us…
… true love does not give up.

It fights.
It stays.

It finds strength in faith

The greatest love stories are not written in words, but in sacrifice.

And this is the love Jesus calls us to – a love that mirrors the magnanimous, unshaken love of God…
… when He expounds His teaching on the sacredness of the Covenant of Marriage.

The passage begins with a testing interrogation by the Pharisees, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mk 10: 2a)

St Mark clearly points the intention of the Pharisees in asking this question to Jesus: “To test Him” (Mk 10:2b)

Jesus was in the district of Judea, across the Jordan (Mk 10:1)

Is there something specific in this particular detail being mentioned – “across the Jordan?”

“Across the Jordan” was the place where John the Baptist had been working (Jn 1: 28)

By mentioning the place, St Mark alludes to the outcome that had befallen on John the Baptist.

John the Baptist had got into great persecution because of his open-condemnation…
… of the adulterous relationship of King Herod with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. (Mk 6:17)

By putting forward the “same question of divorce” before Jesus, the Pharisees were laying a much greater trap…
… If Jesus condemned divorce, it could amount to an act of treason against King Herod, the ruler of the land!

John the Baptist had lost his head due to the strong stance on the issue of divorce

Now Jesus, is also being snared into such a life-threatening trap!

But Jesus remains the Person that He is – uncompromising, unflinching, convinced, bold and daring!

A big lesson for us too, to learn from Jesus…

There will be situations in life when people get into our skin, trying to put us into confusion and even states of danger…
… Can we still remain undaunted and courageous to stand firm on our convictions and principles?

Jesus came to the world to demonstrate the magnanimity of God’s Love.

This magnanimity includes…
… His unconditional manner of loving us, irrespective of our worthiness
… His unreserved faithfulness to us, despite our many acts of betrayal and disloyalty

It is this model of God’s love that becomes the blueprint for us in loving others, and especially in a marriage relationship.

Partners, pledged in love to each other in marriage, ought to imitate the love that God has for us…

We have cheated and strayed away from what God wants of us…
… He still loves us and is faithful to us

We have, on innumerable occasions, spat at His face by our shameful deeds and defamed His name by our sinful acts…
… He still holds us close to Him and remains loyal to us

We have, despite many warnings, purposely hurt Him in thoughts, words and deeds and even rejected His graces by not co-operating with His Will for us…
… He still waits patiently for our return and constantly seeks to draw us to Him

We have failed Him many times, but He has always made efforts to try to win us
We have hurt and pained Him much, but He has still longs for us, with His soothing balm of acceptance

It is this “magnanimity of God’s Love” that becomes the basis, the inspiration and the ideal in every marriage relationship.

Therefore Jesus says, “What therefore God has joined, let not man put asunder” (Mk 10:9)

We live in a world where the quickest solution to many problems is found in “throwing it away!”

And the same mentality affects human relationships too… especially to those in marriage.

The challenge therefore is to dare to swim against these worldly currents and bring in the “Jesus Culture of Faithful Commitment” in human relationships, especially of marriage.

Theoretically speaking, this sounds quite good and wonderful.

But when it comes down to the actual practice.. in married lives… it is undoubtedly a very hard effort.

“But what is impossible for humans is possible for God” (Mk 10:27b), is the assurance of Jesus.

When the going gets really hard and we want to call it ‘quits’ in our relationships…
… let us look to Jesus who said “Yes to the Will of God” in the painful agony at Gethsemane

There may seem no hope ahead…
There may appear only meaninglessness ahead…
Still, can we say Yes to God’s Will – to be faithful and committed?

When none of our efforts of restoration work out and we get ‘fed’ up and feel to have reached the ‘limit’ in relationships…
… let us look to Jesus Crucified, who was never ‘fed’ up with our misdeeds and our constant misunderstanding and misuse of His love

It may look like the end of the road…
It may seem that all the past was mere fantasy and the future appears to be non-existent…
Still, can we hold on to Hope in God – to be true to our promise and be loyal?

The promises made…

to our Faith in Baptism
to the spouse in Marriage
to the Lord in Consecrated and Priestly Life
… all demand an undissolved commitment, an undiluted faithfulness and an unmixed dedication.

Let us grow in the understanding of “being faithful and committed” in our relations…
… and mirror the magnanimous, unshaken love of God!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Ten Commandments – The Second Commandment

This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord.
The patron saint provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession.
The “baptismal name” can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue.

“Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment. (CCC # 2156)