Every young man and woman has an image of what they consider to be the perfect partner. But one thing they cannot do is to create someone according to this image. They must search for their ideal person. Such is not the case with God. God does not love people because they are beautiful. Rather, people become beautiful because God loves them. He has the power to create people according to the image He has for them.

Ezekiel, in the first reading explains that it was God who made His people beautiful. Then forgetting from where their beauty came from, the people gave themselves over to harlotary, a symbol of their abandoning God for pagan idols and disgraceful living.

God did not abandon His people. One reason Jesus condemned divorce is that Christian marriage is a human expression of God's love for His people. Leaving aside any discussion of today's problems involving divorce, we should acknowledge that we have been made beautiful people by God. What we do does not make us loveable. It is His almighty power which makes us worthwhile. That we must not forget, for we must respond to God's love by the complete devotion of our lives.