He Will Turn the Heart of Sons to their Fathers
Gospel Reflection for February 28th, 2025
Now I am sending to you
Elijah the prophet,
Before the day of the Lord comes,
the great and terrible day;
He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons,
and the heart of sons to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with utter destruction. [1]
It is important to understand two things when our Lord gives us His teaching on marriage in today’s gospel: 1. His authority. 2. Its eschatological character. It’s also significant to remember that all prophecy found in Sacred Scripture does indeed lead to our Lord Jesus Christ. The passage above is given to Zechariah in the New Testament regarding his son St. John the Baptist—who will make straight the paths preparing the way for our Lord. In a fantastic book Saint John the Baptist: Priest, Prophet, and Martyr written by Fr. Sebastian Walshe O.PRAEM, Fr. Walshe explains what it means for John coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, “The angel Gabriel explains that the turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers means the turning of the hearts of the disobedient (the children) to the wisdom of the just (their fathers)…In other words the turning of the sons of Israel to God their Father is prepared by restoration of right relationships within their own families.”[2]
The gospel narrative for today finds Jesus once again challenged by the Pharisees who ask Him:
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him.”[3]
At this point, It will be meaningful to remember from last Friday’s gospel reflection Jesus’ teaching on the coming of Kingdom of God—that in His person is the sovereign authority and action of God coming to man. Jesus at the sermon on the mount sits on the seat of Moses—and from His person He now gives the law. Our Eastern Christian brothers and sisters refer to John the Baptist as “The Forerunner.” It is the forerunner who gives us understanding on what it means by the restoration of right relationships within our own families as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. Fr. Walshe reminds us regarding St. John, “he gave his life in witness to the sanctity of marriage and family.”[4]
When challenged by the Pharisees Jesus explains that the Sons of Israel desired, by the hardness of their hearts, to become disobedient to both the purpose and goodness of God’s creation, but this was not what was intended:
“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.”[5]
Jesus’ command for our earthly journey toward God is a restoration of right relationship within our own families. In fact, the disciples are struck by Jesus’ teaching causing them to question Him. Jesus doubles down, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”[6]
The magisterium of the Catholic Church for centuries did not permit divorced Catholics, who are remarried or not living chastely, to receive communion as an understanding from this teaching from the Lord. The magisterium under the current Pontiff, Pope Francis, with the encyclical Amoris Laetitia, has somewhat softened the magisterium’s approach on the issue of divorce and the reception of communion. Notwithstanding, any development of doctrine found in the ordinary magisterium like an encyclical, let the faithful be reminded of the price paid by John the Baptist for defending the sanctity of marriage and the purpose of his prophetic witness—making straight the path for our Lord Jesus.
[1] Mal 3:23–24, NABRE.
[2] Fr. Sebastian Walshe, Saint John the Baptist: Priest, Prophet, and Martyr (Gastonia, NC: Tan Books, 2025), 18-19.
[3] New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mk 10:2.
[4] Fr. Sebastian Walshe, 19.
[5] New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mk 10:6–8.
[6] New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mk 10:11–12.