19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 3 / (Green)
Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
You have turned from your anger.
1st Reading: Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63
The word of Yahweh came to me in these terms, “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem its sins. You say on my behalf: Your beginning was in Canaan; there, you were born. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day you were born, your cord was not cut; you were not bathed in water to make you clean; you were not rubbed with salt, nor were you wrapped in cloth. There was no one to look with pity on you; (…)
But I passed by; and saw you, immersed in your blood. I said to you, in the midst of your blood, “Live!” I made you grow, like a plant of the field. (…)
But you relied on your beauty; you trusted in your fame; and you began to give yourself to every passerby, like a prostitute.
But I will remember my Covenant with you in the days of your youth and, make in your favor, an eternal Covenant. So that you may remember, be ashamed, and never open your mouth again, because of your humiliation, when I have pardoned you for all you have done,” word of Yahweh.
Gospel: Mt 19:3-12
Some Pharisees approached him. They wanted to test him and asked, “Is a man allowed to divorce his wife for any reason he wants?”
Jesus replied, “Have you not read that, in the beginning, the Creator made them male and female? And the Creator said: Therefore, a man shall leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body. So, they are no longer two, but one body. Let no one separate what God has joined.”
They asked him, “Then why did Moses command us to write a bill of dismissal in order to divorce?” Jesus replied, “Moses knew the hardness of your hearts, so he allowed you to divorce your wives; but it was not so in the beginning. Therefore, I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, unless it be for immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
The disciples said, “If that is the condition of a married man, it is better not to marry.” Jesus said to them, “Not everybody can accept what you have just said, but only those who have received this gift. There are eunuchs born so, from their mother’s womb. Some have been made that way by others. But there are some who have given up the possibility of marriage, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who can accept it, accept it.”
Reflections
Let no one separate what God has joined
Jesus quotes the Old Testament, “Let no one separate what God has joined,” and defends the indissolubility of marriage, which is a sign of God’s undying love.
Every sacrament makes visible God’s love and grace. In the Eucharist, the consecrated bread and wine make present the body and blood of our Lord. In marriage, the love of the couple for each other is the visible sign of God’s love. A couple that nourishes and cares for each other, understands and forgives one another, remains faithful to each other throughout their lives makes palpable God’s abiding love for the world.
Daily Reflection 2018
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
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