Religious Views On Marriage

OCTOBER 03, 2021, Sunday
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 140

Reading I
Gn 2:18-24

The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him."
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
various wild animals and various birds of the air,
and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name. 
The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,
and while he was asleep,
he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib
that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:
    "This one, at last, is bone of my bones
        and flesh of my flesh;
    this one shall be called 'woman, '
        for out of 'her man’ this one has been taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one flesh.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (cf. 5)  May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
    who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
    blessed shall you be, and favored.

R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
    in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
    around your table.

R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Behold, thus is the man blessed
    who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life.

R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

May you see your children's children.
    Peace be upon Israel!

R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Reading II
Heb 2:9-11

Brothers and sisters:
He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, "
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated
all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

Alleluia
1 Jn 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If we love one another, God remains in us
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" 
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" 
They replied,
"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her."
But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment. 
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. 
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate." 
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."
And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
"Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these. 
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it."
Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

OR:

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" 
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" 
They replied,
"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her." 
But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment. 
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. 
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate." 
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."

 

REFLECTION:

God’s original plan for marriage was that of a man and woman ‘become one flesh’. This teaching is a call to each one of us to live out our own vocation in life as wholeheartedly as possible, allowing that because of human weakness the ideal is not always totally achievable.

The unity and love of a happy marriage is a gift from God. Unfortunately, however, many married people, for various reasons, have been unable to live this gift fully.

Maybe our prayer today could be for marriage. if. If you are married, offer your love and your concern for your spouse to God - ask for God’s help in your love. We might all pray for those who find their marriages difficult or are close to breakdown. We can bring to our prayer those about to be married, giving thanks for the gifts we receive through the married love of others.

PRAYER: 

Two 'cares' in the gospel today - care for marriage and care for children. Maybe in prayer today we can bring to mind people who are close to and who have marriage or family cares, and pray for them. Help us, Lord, to truly care for the earth, for marriage and for children in our society.

True Greatness (Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels - B)

OCTOBER 02, 2021, Saturday
MEMORIAL OF THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 460/650

Reading I
Bar 4:5-12, 27-29

Fear not, my people!
    Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
    not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
    that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
    with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
    and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
    the anger of God; and she said:
“Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
    God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
    that the Eternal God has brought
    upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
    but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
    bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
    because they turned from the law of God.
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
    He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
    turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you 
    will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.”

Responsorial Psalm
69:33-35, 36-37

R.    (34) The Lord listens to the poor.

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
    you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
    and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
    the seas and whatever moves in them!”

R.    The Lord listens to the poor.

For God will save Zion
    and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
    and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall inhabit it.

R.    The Lord listens to the poor.

Alleluia
Ps 103:21

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

REFLECTION:

Today's feast of the Guardian Angels celebrates God's loving care of each one of us, in the form of the angels. He sends them to guide and protect us.

Jesus sets the bar for entrance into the kingdom quite high: we must change and become like little children. Where do I need to change most? Ours is a world of narcissists, where so many are engrossed by themselves and their importance, so that being like a child is really counter-cultural. I ask for light and wisdom to see where and how I can become like a little child.

Jesus warns us to respect children. I let myself feel sorrow at the scandal of child abuse, within and without the Church. I pray for the victims and the abusers, and for our leaders, humbly and compassionately. I consider how I look at the children present in my life.

PRAYER:

I can thank God for his care – observing the signs of it in my life, and ask him to help me develop a deeper relationship with him.

Whoever Listen and Reject (Feast of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus - B)

OCTOBER 01, 2021, Friday
MEMORIAL OF SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (White)
MISSION DAY FOR RELIGIOUS SISTERS
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 459

Reading I
Bar 1:15-22

During the Babylonian captivity, the exiles prayed:
“Justice is with the Lord, our God;
and we today are flushed with shame,
we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem,
that we, with our kings and rulers
and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors,
have sinned in the Lord’s sight and disobeyed him.
We have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God,
nor followed the precepts which the Lord set before us.
From the time the Lord led our ancestors out of the land of Egypt
until the present day,
we have been disobedient to the Lord, our God,
and only too ready to disregard his voice.
And the evils and the curse that the Lord enjoined upon Moses, his servant,
at the time he led our ancestors forth from the land of Egypt
to give us the land flowing with milk and honey,
cling to us even today.
For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God,
in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us,
but each one of us went off
after the devices of his own wicked heart,
served other gods,
and did evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.”

Responsorial Psalm
79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9

R.    (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
    they have defiled your holy temple,
    they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
    as food to the birds of heaven,
    the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

They have poured out their blood like water
    round about Jerusalem,
    and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
    the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
    Will your jealousy burn like fire?

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
    may your compassion quickly come to us,
    for we are brought very low.

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Help us, O God our savior,
    because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
    for your name’s sake.

R.    For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Alleluia
Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Lk 10:13-16

Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. 
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

REFLECTION:

Jesus entrusts his mission to the disciples, so that listening to them is like listening to him. He also promises that he will always be faithful to his disciples, that they are united like vine and branches. We are those disciples now, and through the community of his followers, Jesus spreads his gospel message today. Prayer is a time of offering ourselves as listeners to him, so that we have the meaning of the gospel and love of Jesus to share.

PRAYER:

Lord, you have done deeds of power in my life. I did not always recognize them, or use the opportunities. As I end this month, I take confidence in the thought of you looking for the lost sheep, forgiving again and again, loving me as I am in my weakness.