In talking about the call to the vocation of marriage in my work with Vocation Brisbane, invariably, the question comes up, ‘How far is too far?’ Today’s Gospel passage helps us to understand what God’s desire is for us in this space.

The New Covenant that Jesus brings raises the stakes, moving us from the permissiveness of the Old Covenant into the fullness of God’s call. In Deuteronomy 24, divorce is permitted for Israelite non-Levitical laymen, softening the law because of their hardness of heart. Jesus restores the original integrity of marriage, as we hear in Genesis 2, elevating it to a sacrament in the New Covenant.

We can sometimes be tempted to follow the letter of the law, seeking loopholes instead of the heart of the commandments. In society, there are plenty of things that civil law permits that we know we shouldn’t participate in as Christians. Yet, the heart of this call is echoed in today’s first reading, ‘always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.’ (2 Cor 4:10)

Let us seek to keep not only our actions free from sin but also our eyes and hearts. We have been called to a higher law, one that seeks to imitate Christ through living with integrity and holiness. If you have to ask how sinful something is, it’s best to choose the most charitable and virtuous action, by following Christ into the fullness of the New Covenant.

+ Jesus, help me to follow You in a deeper way. Allow me to pursue You with the wholeness of my life. Amen.

by Nick Kelly