October Devotion: The Holy Rosary

This feast was established by Pope Pius V to commemorate the great victory of the Christian army against the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
All soldiers on the battlefield prayed the Rosary for three hours and the wind has shifted in their favor. They were able to defeat an army three times bigger, in one of the greatest naval victory in history.
Pope Pius V named this the Feast of Our Lady of Victories, to be celebrated on October 7th.
In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this memorial to Feast of the Holy Rosary.

Pope Paul VI established the form that we celebrate this feast today, in 1969 under the name “Our Lady of the Rosary”.
“The celebration of this day invites all to mediate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so singularly associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God.”

Madonna del Rosario

Caravaggio

1607

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries
(Mondays and Saturdays)
1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]
The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

The Fifteen Promises Granted to Those Who Recite the Rosary [Catholic Caucus]
Essays for Lent: The Rosary

Radio Replies Second Volume - The Rosary
Town Rejects Rosary as Offensive and the Prayers that Changed Everything
No-contact order over a student's rosary
Collecting 860 rosaries result of a lifelong passion (Catholic Caucus)
After rosary campaign, Florida sheriff abruptly shuts down abortion clinic on Marian feast
Public Rosary in San Francisco to draw thousands [Catholic Caucus]
Chicago's Incredible Floating Rosary
Enourmous Rosary floats over Chicago
Surprised by the Joyful Mysteries (of the Rosary) [Catholic Caucus]
HISTORY OF THE ROSARY [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

The Rosary-a tool for evangelization [Catholic Caucus]
OUR LADY AND HEAVEN’S PEACE PLAN (Say the Rosary) [Ecumenical]
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 5th Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple (Patristic Rosary)
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 4th Joyful Mystery: The Presentation (Patristic Rosary)
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 3rd Joyful Mystery: The Nativity (Patristic Rosary)
Praying the Holy Rosary in October
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 2nd Joyful Mystery: The Visitation (Patristic Rosary)
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 1st Joyful Mystery: The Annuniciation (Patristic Rosary)
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] On the Rosary
Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: 15 [20] Mysteries of the Holy Rosary & When They Are Prayed

It Was the Rosary: Mainz Priest Talks About His Vocation
Rosary to Halt Construction of NYC Mosque (Catholic Caucus)
British Soldier Shot in Afghanistan is Saved by His ROSARY...Like His Great-Grandfather in WWII
Catholic Caucus: Rosary Beads Saved My Life, British Soldier Says
British soldier shot in Afghanistan is saved my his ROSARY
Rosary returned to Vietnam vet as pledged 44 years ago
Rosary for the Bishop celebrates six months of prayer, global expansion
Rosary Rallies for Priests Give Final Flourish to Their Special Year (ECUMENICAL)
The Unseen Power of the Rosary
Worldwide Rosary Relay to Offer Prayer for Priests

Boy Suspended For Rosary -- Reinstated
NY school sued after teen suspended over rosary
Student Suspended for Wearing Rosary Beads
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] The 3:30 Beads!
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Private Devotions to Mary: The Rosary
Benedict XVI Promotes Rosary in Fatima [Catholic Caucus]
Archbishop Naumann, Bishop Finn Lead Mother's Day Rosary at Planned Parenthood
Did the Apostles Pray the Rosary? (First Novena to the Holy Spirit?) [Catholic Caucus]
The Importance of the Meditated Holy Rosary -- What the Popes have to say [Catholic Caucus]
A Ladder from Earth to Heaven: The Rosary for All Christians

Jesus is in the Holy Rosary
The Rosary, a powerful weapon against the devil
History of The Scriptural Rosary [Ecumenical]
The Lord Is with Thee
Rosary of Our Lady's Tears(Catholic Prayer Thread)
The Rosary and Me - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Rosary promoted as path to Christ and peace [at third annual Rosary Bowl NW]
The Efficacy and Power of One Hail Mary [Ecumenical]
“ Let Us Do It!“ (Sunday: Rosary to be simultaneously prayed on five continents)
The Fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary

[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
The Family Rosary [Try it for Lent!] (Catholic Caucus)
History of the Scriptural Rosary - Meditating on The Word
Rosary Resurgence [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: How to Pray the Rosary: Contemplating Christ With Mary [Ecumenical]
[Oregon] Rosary Bowl focuses on links between prayer, evangelization
Praying the Rosary By Bishop Fulton J. Sheen(Catholic Caucus)
Rosary-Prayers Aiming to Break Record [Catholic Caucus]
Rosary vs. Repetitious Prayer [Ecumenical]
The Luminous Mysteries [of the Rosary]: Knowing Jesus in His Public Ministry

Rosary Is a School of Mary, Says Pope: Encourages Recitation [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
New campaign launched to promote family rosary
The Rosary and the Republic
Chant the Rosary... in Latin!
(...)and the rosary
Estimated 50,000 recite rosary in event at Rose Bowl
Our Lady of Victory (HLI Page)
Rosary to Mark St. Martha's Feast
Pray the Rosary
Rosary Aids Spiritual Growth, Says Pope

Remembering Lepanto
The Battle that Saved the Christian West (October 7, 1571: Battle of Lepanto)
Battle of Lepanto: Armada of the Cross
Remember Lepanto
How Europe Escaped Speaking Arabic
Bishop compares election to Battle of Lepanto
Bishop compares election to Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto
Civilization in the Balance: The Battle of Lepanto and Election ‘08
LEPANTO

A Call To Prayer: This Lepanto Moment [Repost]
Lepanto, 1571: The Battle That Saved Europe
Celebrating the Battle of Lepanto
Clash of civilizations: Battle of Lepanto revisited
Lepanto, Bertone e Battesimo, Oh My!
Lepanto Sunday
Our Lady of the Rosary of La Naval (A Mini-Lepanto in the Philippines)
Swiss Guards at the Battle of Lepanto, 7 October 1571
Battle of Lepanto
LEPANTO, 7 OCTOBER 1571: The Defense of Europe

Battle of Lepanto
Remember Lepanto!
The Battle of Lepanto
On This Day In History, The Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto
Chesterton's Lepanto
The Miracle At Lepanto...
Lepanto
The Naval Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto

October, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – The Mission of Religious That consecrated religious men and women may bestir themselves, and be present among the poor, the marginalized, and those who have no voice.

https://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=29

Year B - 27th Sunday in ordinary time

Divorce - What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mark 10:2-16
2 An the Pharisees coming to him asked him: Is it lawful for a man to repudiate his wife? tempting him.
3 But he answering, said to them: What did Moses command you?
4 Who said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put repudiated her.
5 To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept.
6 But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.
7 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife.
8 And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh.
9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.
10 And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing.
11 And he said to them: Whoever repudiates his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her.
12 And if the wife repudiates her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery.
13 And they brought to him young children, that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 Whom when Jesus saw, he was much displeased, and said to them: Let the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.
15 Amen I say to you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it.
16 And embracing them, and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Pharisees of my time were very educated persons who had deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and outdid others with their piety and religiosity. However, the same as with the theologians and bible Christians of these times, they misinterpreted the Holy Scriptures many a time because they leaned much on human reason instead of accepting the Word of God with faith.

God is immutable, equally is His Word. In every human family, there is a parallel with the first human family that God created with His own hands. In the divine plan, man is united to a woman so that they become one special entity, which is strengthened by the blessing of God. God wants his children to proceed from the love of a family, which has been formed in a holy manner.
Unfortunately the human idea is very different to the desire of God. Adultery or forbidden sex outside marriage is the cause of the destruction of the moral principles of these times. Even more perverse is homosexuality. Human beings live their lives searching for pleasure and they despise the divine laws. Devastating consequences of this sexual permissiveness are the destruction of life before being born in the wombs of the mothers, an aversion to marriage, and children who grow without the maternal and paternal love found in perfect homes.

The man and the woman of these times don’t want to assume the matrimonial responsibility that involves fidelity until death. The future husband and wife must elect carefully their partners; they must not do it just for the physical attraction, but in response to the love of God who wanted man to have a companion for life. Many marriages break up because they don’t accept the matrimonial covenant that is made before God for life. A man and a woman get together to become one single flesh, a new fountain of life that will generate children for God.

I hate divorce (Malachi 2:16.) In the same way as spouses betray one another, I am betrayed by all those who abandon me for the pleasures of the world, adulterating our relationship in that manner.

The first matrimonial event occurred in Paradise; there it received the blessing of my Father for all times. When I began my ministry among men, I performed my first miracle at the Wedding of Cana, in order to sanctify again the Sacrament of Matrimony. After final judgment, there will be the wedding of the Lamb with His Church, (Apocalypse 22:9) This union between God and his people will be eternal and faithful, just as God expects from the union between a man and a woman.

Let the little children come to me, do not stop them in the womb. Those who welcome a little child as my gift, welcome the Kingdom of Heaven.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

Marriage Is a Miracle! A Homily for the 27th Sunday of the Year

Msgr. Charles Pope • October 6, 2018 •

Both today’s first reading and the Gospel speak to us of the miracle of marriage. If your marriage is working even reasonably well, it is a miracle! We live in an age that is poisonous to marriage. Many people look for marriage to be ideal, and if there is any ordeal, they want a new deal. Our culture says, if it doesn’t work out, bail out. Marriages are also a miracle because they are, ultimately, a work of God.

Today’s readings bring before us some fundamental teachings on marriage. Let’s look at today’s Gospel in five stages.

I. Rejection – The Gospel opens with the Pharisees approaching Jesus and asking, somewhat rhetorically, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” Jesus, aware of their hypocrisy (they do not really want an answer from Him on which to base their lives), asks them in return, “What did Moses command you?” They gleefully respond, in essence, that Moses permitted a husband to divorce his wife as long as he “filled out the paperwork,” if you will.

Jesus will have none of it, telling them that Moses only permitted this regrettable thing called “divorce” because of their hardened hearts.

Among the rabbis of Jesus’ time, there was the belief that this seemingly lax provision permitting divorce resulted because Moses had reasoned that if he were to say to the men of his day that marriage was until death then some of them might very well have arranged for the death of their wives. So, in order to prevent homicide, Moses permitted the lesser evil of divorce. It was still an evil, however. God Himself says in the Book of Malachi,

And this again you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering … You ask, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord is witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So, take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and covering one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. Yes … take heed to yourselves, and do not be faithless” (Malachi 2:13–16).

Thus, in the opening lines of today’s Gospel, Jesus highlights how the Pharisees and many other men of His time have rejected God’s fundamental teaching on marriage. Jesus is about to reiterate that teaching. For now, though, just note that the rejection evidenced in the question of the Pharisees is one that Jesus ascribes to hearts that have become hardened by sin, lack of forgiveness, and refusal to accept God’s plan.

God hates divorce not only because it intrinsically rejects what He has set forth but also because it is symptomatic of human hardness and sinfulness.

II. Restoration – Jesus, having encountered their hardened hearts, announces a restoration, a return to God’s original plan for marriage. The Lord quotes the Book of Genesis, saying,

But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. And 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.

Note that Jesus begins with the phrase, “but from the beginning of creation.” In other words, anything that may have happened in the aftermath of Original Sin, any compromises or arrangements that have emerged during the reign of sin, are now to be done away with in the reign of grace that will come as the result of Jesus’ saving death and resurrection.

On account of the grace that will be bestowed, we are now able, and expected, to return to God’s original plan for marriage: one man and one woman in a lifelong, stable relationship that is fruitful, bringing forth godly children for God and His kingdom. This is God’s plan, a plan that has no room for divorce, contraception, or anything other than fruitful, faithful, stable love.

In today’s Western culture there have been many attempts to redefine God’s original and perfect plan for marriage, substituting something erroneous, something humanly defined. While current attempts to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions are a particularly egregious example, they are not the first or only way in which God’s plan for marriage has been attacked.

The attempts began in the 1950s, when divorce began to occur among Hollywood celebrities (e.g., Ingrid Bergman). Many Americans, who seem to love and admire their Hollywood stars, began to justify divorce. “Don’t people deserve to be happy?” became the refrain. In this way marriage, which up to that point had as its essential focus what was best for children, began subtly but clearly to be centered on what was best for adults. The happiness of the adults began to take precedence over well-being of the children in the mind of most people.

During the 1950s and 1960s pressure began to build to make divorce easier. Until the late 1960s, divorces had been legally difficult to obtain in America; wealthier people often traveled to Mexico to secure them. In 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the first “no-fault” divorce law, making divorces fairly easy to obtain. Within ten years most states had similar laws. As a result, divorce rates skyrocketed.

This was the first redefinition of marriage. No longer was a man to leave his father and mother and “cling to his wife.” Now, at the first sign of trouble, men and women could just renege on their marriage vows, in direct contradiction to God’s plan. Thus, we engaged in what amounts to a redefinition of marriage.

The second redefinition of marriage occurred when the contraceptive mentality seized America. It began in the late 1950s and continues to this day. Though God said to the first couple, Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth … (Genesis 1:28), children have become more a way of “accessorizing” a marriage than an integral part and an expected fruit. Children are no longer seen as an essential purpose of marriage, but only an optional outcome based on the wishes of the adults. This directly contradicts God’s instruction to “be fruitful and multiply.”

The third redefinition of marriage—the current rage—is the attempt to extend it to include same-sex unions. The absurdity of this proposal flows from the sinful conclusions of the first two redefinitions, which in effect state that marriage is simply about two adults being happy and doing whatever pleases them.

If that is truly the case, then there seems little basis to protest same-sex couples getting “married,” or, frankly, any number of adults in any combination of sexes, getting “married.” (Polygamy and/or polyandry are surely coming next.)

The heterosexual community has misbehaved for over fifty year now, redefining essential aspects of marriage. The latest absurdity—and it is an absurdity—of gay “marriage” flows from this flawed and sinful redefinition. We have sown the wind; now we are reaping the whirlwind.

In the end, Jesus will have none of this. He rejects the attempts of the men of His time to redefine marriage. Through His Church, His living voice in the world today, He also rejects the sinful and absurd redefinitions that our culture proposes, be it divorce, contraception, or homosexual “marriage.”

God has set forth that a man should leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and that the two of them become one flesh. In making a suitable partner for Adam, God created Eve, not Steve; hence homosexual unions are excluded. A man is not a suitable partner for a man; a woman is not a suitable partner for a woman. Further, in making a suitable partner for Adam, God did not make Eve and Ellen and Jane and Sue and Beth. Hence, polygamy, though mentioned and tolerated for a time in the Bible (but always a source of trouble) is also not part of God’s plan.

God intends one man, for one woman, in a relationship of clinging; that is, in a stable relationship that bears the fruit of godly offspring.

This is the Lord’s plan; Jesus does not entertain any notion from the people of His day that will alter or compromise the original design for marriage. He thus announces a restoration of God’s original plan for marriage, as set forth in the book of Genesis.

III. Reality – As is true today, Jesus’ reassertion of traditional, biblical marriage was met with controversy. In Matthew’s account, many of the disciples react with disdain, saying, If that is a case of a man and his wife, it is better never to marry (Matt 19:10).

In today’s Gospel we see that the disciples are somewhat troubled by what Jesus says and ask Him about it again later. Jesus does not back down; He even intensifies His language, saying, Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.

There will be no apology from Jesus: divorce/remarriage is adultery. There may have been some in Jesus’ time (and today) who would hold up their divorce papers and say that they have a divorce decree. Jesus implies that He is not impressed with some papers signed by a human judge and is not bound by the decision of some secular authority. What God has joined together, no man must separate. Jesus once again establishes that once God has joined a couple in Holy Matrimony, the bond which God has effected is to be respected by all, including the couple.

Marriage has a reality beyond what mere humans bring to it or say of it. Marriage is a work of God; it has a reality and an existence that flows from God’s work, not man’s. All of our attempts to redefine, obfuscate, or alter marriage as God has set it forth are sinful and not recognized by God.

IV. Reemphasis – Now comes an interesting twist, which includes a reminder of one of the most essential purposes of marriage:

And people were bringing their little children to Jesus 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 hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

This is not a new element to the story; neither have we gone into a separate pericope. Rather, Jesus’ remarks about children remind us of the essential reason that marriage is structured the way it is. Why should marriage be between two heterosexuals? Why should it be stable? Why should it include a father and a mother rather than two fathers, or two mothers, or just a mother, or just a father?

The fundamental answer is that the essential work of marriage is to procreate and then raise those children. Because children are marriage’s most fundamental fruit, it makes sense that marriage should be structured based on what is best for them. The fact is, children are best raised in a stable, lasting environment in which their parents have committed to each other in mutual support and partnership in raising them. Further, it makes sense psychologically that a child should receive influence from both father and mother, the male parent and the female parent. There are things that a father can teach a child that a mother cannot; there are things that a mother can teach a child that a father cannot. Psycho-social development is best achieved in the environment that God and nature have set forth: every child growing up with both a father and a mother, a male and a female influence.

Anything else amounts to something that is less than ideal. To the degree that we intentionally impose the less-than-ideal on children, we are guilty of doing them an injustice. Bringing children into the world prior to marriage or apart from it, such that they will be raised in a single-parent home, is an injustice. It is even more unjust that children conceived under these promiscuous circumstances are far more likely to be aborted.

This preference for stable, lasting, heterosexual unions clearly excludes homosexual ones. Same-sex “parents” are far from ideal for a child. To raise children in such circumstances intentionally is an injustice, for it is to subject them to that which is unnatural and far from ideal.

Catholics have every obligation both to uphold and insist upon traditional marriage as what is right and just, not only because it is God’s plan, but because it is clearly what is best for children. Marriage is fundamentally about children. It is not simply religious sensibility that should lead us to this position; it is a position deeply rooted in natural law, common sense, and what is best for children.

Traditional marriage should be encouraged in every way. Becoming “fuzzier” about what marriage is, or “defining it down” does not help our culture to esteem traditional marriage. Traditional marriage has pride of place because it is focused on raising the next generation and is critical to the essential functioning of our society.

There is much talk today about the rights of people to do as they please. So-called gay “marriage” is presented within this framework. Sadly, many who discuss rights only refer to the rights of adults; they seem to care much less about what is best for children. What is good and right for children needs to have a much higher priority in our culture today than it currently does.

Jesus reemphasizes the teaching on marriage by pointing to the young children before them and telling the disciples not to hinder the children. One of the clearest ways we hinder children from finding their way to God and His kingdom is with our own bad behavior: promiscuous sexual acts (endangering children through abortion or single-parent households), divorce (placing children in divided situations and saddling them with confused loyalties), and insistence on adult rights taking precedence over what is best for children. To emphasize all of this bad behavior, Jesus points out the young children and says, “Do not hinder them.” Our bad behavior does hinder them.

V. Reassurance – To be sure, this teaching about marriage is to some degree “heavy weather.” Indeed, many in our culture have tried, and failed, to attain to the vision of marriage that the Lord teaches. There are complicated reasons, too many to note here, that so many people struggle to live this teaching today.

Whatever our own failures have been, we need to go to the Lord with a childlike trust, a trust that cries out for help. Jesus says at the conclusion of today’s Gospel, Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.

Children often feel overwhelmed, and when they do they run to their parents for help. It is in this spirit that the Lord asks us to receive this teaching. Indeed, many may well have to run to God and say “Abba, God, I don’t know how to live this teaching. My marriage is in ruins, and I don’t know how to save it. I’ve tried, but my spouse is unwilling. I can’t go back and undo what I did years ago.”

Note how the Lord embraces the child in this Gospel. He is willing to embrace us as well, in our failures and our difficulties. If we have failed, we should be like a young child and run to the Father. What we should avoid most is being relentlessly adult-like, digging in our heels and saying, “God is unreasonable; the Gospel is unreasonable!”

In the end, only God can accomplish strong marriages and strong families for us. We must run to Him as Father and seek His help. Even if one has failed in his/her marriage, one must still impart to the next generation what God teaches.

God’s plan remains His plan for everyone, no matter our personal failings. We have every obligation to run to Him, trust Him, and ask for His help. Even in the midst of our own personal failures, we can and must announce and celebrate the truth to others. In the end, God does not give us His teaching in order to burden us or to accuse us but rather to bless us. We must be assured of His mercy and His ability to write straight, even with the crooked lines of our lives.

If we in this generation have failed, and many of us have failed, we must still announce God’s plan for marriage to the next generation. We must not cease to hand on God’s perfect plan.

If we in this generation have failed, and many of us have failed, we must still announce God’s plan for marriage to the next generation. We must not cease to hand on God’s perfect plan.

Sunday Gospel Reflections

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Genesis 2:18-24 II: Hebrews 2:9-11

Gospel
Mark 10:2-16

² And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"
³ He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"
⁴ They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away."
⁵ But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
⁶ But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'
⁷ 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
⁸ and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh.
⁹ What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
¹⁰ And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.
¹¹ And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her;
¹² and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
¹³ And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them.
¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
¹⁶ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.

Interesting Details

(v.4) Jesus explains the intention of the law on divorce. Accepting that divorce was a common custom, Moses' law sought to protect the wife from abuse. The 'certificate of dismissal' was a public proof that the wife was free from obligations to her husband, and could remarry.
(vv.6-9) Jesus goes beyond Moses and uses the Genesis passage "in the beginning of creation" to explain God's original intention. In creating male and female, God intended marriage to be for one man and one woman, an indissoluble union ("the two become one body"). This union is also unbreakable because God is the author (v. 9). In these few verses, Jesus challenges spouses to live faithfully and united until death.
(v.11) In Jewish law, a man could only commit adultery against another man, i.e., if he has relations with the other man's wife. He could not commit adultery against his own wife. Jesus, revolutionary for his times, is explicit that a sin is committed "against her" when a man divorces his wife. He elevates the woman to the real equality of the man.
(vv.13-14) Mark describes a lively scene here. Children are brought to Jesus, "to have him touch them," an act of blessing. The disciples argue against this, probably reflecting the ancient view of children as unimportant. Jesus, in turn, rebuffs his disciples. This passage points out how the disciples continue to misunderstand Jesus.
(vv.14-15) In asking us to receive his teaching like a child, Jesus invites us to look within and realize our own human helplessness. Like a child, we must recognize our lack of power, and thus with open hearts, receive God's teachings as a gift. Children accept the gift of the kingdom in a way adults do not--they receive with total trust.

One Main Point

God, who is Love, defines for us--created in His image--what love is. It is the giving up of one's self, as in a marriage, "so they are no longer two but one body." It is the trust and hope present in every child's heart.

Reflections

What teachings of Christ am I struggling with right now? Can I trust Him enough to follow His way, even if , currently, I lack understanding?
Reflecting on my childhood, how happily dependent I was on my parents, and how I eagerly awaited their gifts, I ask God to restore that attitude to me. So that with open heart, I trust His teachings; I trust that they will lead me to my true and everlasting happiness.

'Prove yourself a monk, not outwardly, but inwardly, by freeing yourself from the passions.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3694569/posts

Saint of the Day — Our Lady of the Rosary

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Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: October 7th

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

October 07, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart 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. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."(Mk 10:2-9).

The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is ordinarily celebrated today, is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of Genesis, 2:18-24, "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.'" This reading has been chosen to show the origin of the Church's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.

The second reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews, 2:9-11, "He who 'for a little while' was made 'lower than the angels', that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Today's reading talks about Jesus' exaltation through abasement.

The Gospel is from St. Mark, 10:2-16. On the "divorce" section of this Gospel see today's first reading. Christ clearly states that from the very beginning, God's plan for marriage was that it should be a life-long unity of one man and one woman. Its purpose is the procreation of children and their education, as well as the mutual love and fulfillment of the husband and wife. These demand this life-long bond. Divorce, which tries to break this bond, breaks the law of the Creator who decreed what was best for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the human race.

The last four verses of today's Gospel describe an incident which is in no way connected with the previous discussion but which has a very useful lesson for all Christians. It describes Christ's love for children and while manifesting this love he stresses the need for all his true followers to be childlike. "I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." To receive the kingdom of God is to accept the teaching of Christ and live according to it in his kingdom on earth. He who does this will enter, after death, into the eternal kingdom of heaven. Christ says, however, that we must accept "like a child": his kingdom on earth, his teaching and the Church he founded to carry on that teaching. It does not mean: in a childish way, an unthinking, uneducated way, but in a child-like way-a humble, grateful, receptive way. A child is unselfconscious, content to be dependent on others' care and generosity. Christianity is a gift of the generous God to us, we have done nothing and never could do anything to merit it. We must accept it simply and gratefully as a gift; we could never deserve it.

While Christianity is a religion of reason and conforms in all its aspects to the rational nature of man—its basis is the revelation of God who is the author and foundation of all rationality—yet it is the heart of man rather than his intellect which Christ means to capture. The assent of the intellect to the doctrine revealed by Christ is not sufficient of itself for a Christian to earn the eternal kingdom; faith is the total acceptance and commitment of the believer to God through Jesus Christ. The man of true faith commits himself to God with a filial childlike trust, assured that if he does all that he can God will do the rest.

Therefore, our Christian faith must be childlike, a trusting, humble and obedient faith. This is the kind of faith that will move mountains—the mountains that loom so large in the vision of too many Christians today—the mountains of doubt, selfishness, unwillingness to be subjected to authority. Christ asks us, if we would be his followers: to take up our daily cross and climb the way to Calvary after him. This daily cross is made of the troubles and trials of life from which no one can escape. They can be borne with reluctance and grumbling or they can be accepted as the loving God's means of training us for the future life. Every true Christian accepts his trials in the latter way, for if he is true to his faith he knows that his years on earth are his apprenticeship to prepare him for his eternal life.

God is surely not asking too much of us when he asks us to live our Christian faith in childlike humility, candor and confidence during the days of our pilgrimage on this earth.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Benedict XVI
pope from 2005 to 2013
Encyclical letter "Deus caritas est", § 9-11

"The two shall become one flesh"

In the world of the Bible, God's relationship with Israel is described using the metaphors of betrothal and marriage; idolatry is thus adultery and prostitution… But God's eros for man is also totally agape. This is not only because it is bestowed in a completely gratuitous manner, without any previous merit, but also because it is love which forgives… In this biblical vision, on the one hand we find ourselves before a strictly metaphysical image of God: God is the absolute and ultimate source of all being; but this universal principle of creation—the Logos, primordial reason—is at the same time a lover with all the passion of a true love. Eros is thus supremely ennobled, yet at the same time it is so purified as to become one with agape… The first novelty of biblical faith consists… in its image of God. The second, essentially connected to this, is found in the image of man.

The biblical account of creation speaks of the solitude of Adam, the first man, and God's decision to give him a helper… The idea is certainly present that man is somehow incomplete, driven by nature to seek in another the part that can make him whole, the idea that only in communion with the opposite sex can he become “complete”. The biblical account thus concludes with a prophecy about Adam: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).

Two aspects of this are important. First, eros is somehow rooted in man's very nature; Adam is a seeker, who “abandons his mother and father” in order to find woman; only together do the two represent complete humanity and become “one flesh”. The second aspect is equally important. From the standpoint of creation, eros directs man towards marriage, to a bond which is unique and definitive; thus, and only thus, does it fulfil its deepest purpose. Corresponding to the image of a monotheistic God is monogamous marriage. Marriage based on exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of the relationship between God and his people and vice versa. God's way of loving becomes the measure of human love.

A Christian Pilgrim

JESUS’ TEACHING ON MARRIAGE

(A biblical refection on THE 27^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME [YEAR B] – 7 October 2018)

Gospel Reading: Mark 10:2-16

First Reading: Genesis 2:18-24; Psalms: Psalm 128:1-6; Second Reading: Hebrews 2:9-11

The Scripture Text

And Pharisees came up and in order to test Him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away.” But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart 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. So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”

And in the house the disciples asked Him again about this matter. And 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 they were bringing children to Him, that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it He was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to Me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands upon them. (Mark 10:2-16 RSV)

The Jewish faith has a great respect for marriage, but it also recognizes that divorce is possible under certain conditions. In Deuteronomy 24:1, there is a law permitting a man to divorce his wife if he finds some “indecency” in her. In Jesus’ day, there were two different ways the rabbis interpreted this passage.

One group of rabbis taught indecency meant adultery and they believed a man could divorce his wife only if she was unfaithful to him. Another group said indecency pertained to trivial matters like being a lousy cook or embarrassing her husband in public. You can guess which of these two interpretations of the law was more popular.

Although the man could divorce his wife, the wife could not divorce her husband without his permission . Even then, Jewish law recognized only a few conditions under which this was possible (e.g., if he became a leper or raped a virgin). This unequal treatment undoubtedly was the result of the male dominated society.

When a man decided to divorce his wife, he had only to write a note declaring his intention to divorce her (that’s the decree of divorce in today’s Gospel) and then give this note to her in the presence of witnesses. It was that easy!

Quoting Genesis 2, Jesus rejects the liberal understanding of divorce and says marriage is forever. A man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. Likewise, a woman who divorces her husband and marries another man also commits adultery.

This teaching poses many problems for Christians who want to uphold the sanctity of marriage but also want to show compassion for those who realize they made a mistake. Did Jesus mean that a couple who are in a bad marriage must either stay married for the rest of their lives or remain single if they choose to get a divorce? Or was Jesus speaking about the ideal for which all of us should strive but not necessarily attain?

Different Christian denominations answer these questions in a variety of ways, some permitting divorce and remarriage, others prohibiting it, and still others granting annulments. The one thing certain about this issue is that it will continue to be the focus of theological and scriptural debates for many years to come.

Because divorce is often a very painful experience, those who are going through it need to be supported and prayed for, not condemned.

(Adapted from Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels – Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 210-211.)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to overcome all disunity. Pour out Your grace on every family that has been through divorce. Heal them and restore their hope. Let Your love flow in all of us and flow out of us so that we might be Your witnesses. Amen.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for October 7, 2018:

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mk 10:11-12) Jesus’ teaching is clear: marriage lasts for life.

Helping Win the Battle

Pastor’s Column

27^th Sunday Ordinary Time

October 7, 2018

Life can at times be a real battle zone! Things can be very peaceful, and then all of a sudden we are in a war-zone, and often we do not see this coming. Fortunately, our faith gives us many tools of spiritual warfare that we can use very effectively! Sometimes, it is precisely when the tasks seem beyond us that the Lord is actually inviting us through the Holy Spirit to let him wage these battles for us, whether we are fighting against sins, worry, crises of all kinds, or every kind of difficulty. Here is a short list of some of the tools God has given us.

Repentance. There are few actions we can take against evil in our lives that are more powerful than a good and sincere confession.

Forgiveness. Holding onto unforgiveness is like swallowing battery acid! Forgiveness is not a feeling. Rather, it consists of three parts: praying for the person who harmed us, not speaking ill of that person to others, and being kind to them if we are near them.

The Word of God. Using scripture effectively means having passages ready to help us when we are down. Why not begin your own list of scriptures that help you as you read the Bible? Jesus used scripture to do battle against Satan in the desert and we can too.

The Eucharist. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, this is the moment to really thank God and offer him our particular problem. He is there for us in great power. Praying before the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration chapel is very powerful as well.

Calling on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always ready to assist us if we but remember to ask! A very powerful and quick prayer to use would be “Come Holy Spirit!”

Practicing the Presence of God. This very effective practice involves learning to pray ourselves through the day by remembering that, no matter how we may feel or perceive it, God is always with us, watching over us and helping us. If we can just remember the Lord as we go through the day then many battles will be easier.

Intercessory Prayer. Here we enlist others to pray for us! This includes making use of our prayer chain, asking a favorite saint to pray for us, asking the Mother of God to intercede for us by praying the rosary, praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (who will in turn pray for us), asking others to pray for us, and asking our relatives and friends who have died to intercede are helps! Often, praying for others instead of ourselves also unlocks many graces.

Praise and Thanksgiving. Giving thanks in all things is the most powerful of prayers in difficult circumstances!

Father Gary

Reflections from Scott Hahn

What God Has Joined: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Download Audio File

The Sacrament of Matrimony, Rogier van der Weyden, 1445-1450

Readings:
Genesis 2:18–24
Psalm 128:1–6
Hebrews 2:9–11
Mark 10:2–16

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a trick question.

The “lawfulness” of divorce in Israel was never an issue. Moses had long ago allowed it (see Deuteronomy 24:1–4). But Jesus points His enemies back before Moses, to “the beginning,” interpreting the text we hear in today’s First Reading.

Divorce violates the order of creation, He says. Moses permitted it only as a concession to the people’s “hardness of heart”—their inability to live by God’s covenant Law. But Jesus comes to fulfill the Law, to reveal its true meaning and purpose, and to give people the grace to keep God’s commands.

Marriage, He reveals, is a sacrament, a divine, life-giving sign. Through the union of husband and wife, God intended to bestow His blessings on the human family—making it fruitful, multiplying it until it filled the earth (see Genesis 1:28).

That’s why today’s Gospel moves so easily from a debate about marriage to Jesus’ blessing of children. Children are blessings the Father bestows on couples who walk in His ways, as we sing in today’s Psalm.

Marriage also is a sign of God’s new covenant. As today’s Epistle hints, Jesus is the new Adam—made a little lower than the angels, born of a human family (see Romans 5:14; Psalm 8:5–7). The Church is the new Eve, the “woman” born of Christ’s pierced side as He hung in the sleep of death on the cross (see John 19:34; Revelation 12:1–17).

Through the union of Christ and the Church as “one flesh,” God’s plan for the world is fulfilled (see Ephesians 5:21–32). Eve was “mother of all the living” (see Genesis 3:20). And in Baptism, we are made sons and daughters of the Church, children of the Father, heirs of the eternal glory He intended for the human family in the beginning.

The challenge for us is to live as children of the kingdom, growing up ever more faithful in our love and devotion to the ways of Christ and the teachings of His Church.

Oct 6, 2018

27th Sunday - "Marriage - Two are made One

"And the two shall become one flesh"

Mark 10: 2-12

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100718.cfm

Any one of us priests could write a book about all that we have seen and heard. Maybe call it: “Ministry – Believe it or not!” I think a center chapter of the book would be entitled: “Weddings – I’m not making this up!”

Yes, an Elvis impersonator did appear during the Nuptial Mass and present the rings. (A planned secret of the Best Man who didn’t tell anyone, including the priest, bride and groom, this would happen). Yes, the Bride did skip and sing down the middle isle with her Father – in Church. Yes, I was asked to officiate at a wedding near the bottom of a 500 ft waterfall. (I said “no”). Yes, the tearful Groom did sing to his bride after vows were exchanged as the college choir, of which he was a member, sang the love song from the movie “Titanic” – My heart will go on – in the background. I’m not making any of this up – believe me. And yes Wineries and Country Clubs are encouraging couples to celebrate their nuptials at their venue and many couples, Catholic and otherwise, are doing so. They then come to the Church after the fact and want Father to “bless” their marriage. On and on . . . Then we hear the Biblical explanation of marriage to seriously consider:

Our Gospel this Sunday begins with a legal question asked of Jesus by the Pharisees: “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” Being somewhat of a loaded question as it always was by the Pharisees, Jesus in typical Jewish style responds with another question: “What did Moses tell you?” Then the debate begins after the question designed to trap Jesus both between Jewish tradition (Moses) and the recent challenge of John the Baptist, now gone, who criticized Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. The larger context is worthy of reflection.

Our first reading from the Book of Genesis is a beautiful one put in context. “The Lord God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” (Gen 2: 28). So we are presented this week with two pictures. Genesis states that from the moment of creation, our God who creates purely out of love creates a being to love and to be loved. The “suitable partner” for the man was of course one created from the same substance as him – a woman; a partner with whom to share equally and to be seen as equal in nature and purpose. So, we interpret this as the foundation of the married state from God himself – two equal partners, created with dignity, not only for each other but together to be loved by God himself. Those two equal partners would be given a great privilege – to bring new life into the world and to do so motivated by selfless love because that is how they were created by God who can only love selflessly. That union was not intended to be broken once joined together. As St. Paul reminds us: “As Christ loves his Church.” This human bond, covenant, was a life-long bond that would be ended only at the time of physical death.

Now, we may see such a lofty idyllic image as more of a hope than a reality in light of what we see today. So the Pharisees question in the Gospel may be closer to our lived experience. The whole question of divorce comes in, something that everyone of us is familiar with either in one’s family or maybe in your own personal experience.

With our present day sensibilities and properly correct language we may be a bit uncomfortable by this Sunday's Gospel. Jesus' commentary on marriage, divorce, and adultery is a challenge to the present day cultural experience of the 50% divorce rate, single parent households, the same-sex "marriage" debate, the painful reality of infidelity we find in marriages, the silent monster of sexual abuse, the lower number of couples being married in a Church ceremony, the not uncommon number of unmarried couples living together (male/female) with an undecided sense of whether to ever marry, the number of children that are born out of wedlock, and the general acceptance of alternative lifestyles. Now that’s much closer to our world than it was to the time of Jesus.

Those of you who have children in any level of school know well that your children's friends more often come from "broken" homes and second marriages. But, for all the numbers which may paint a gloomy picture of marriage and family life, there are still thousands and thousands of healthy, not perfect, marriages and families throughout the world. Yet, the problems are daunting. We are faced these days with enormous challenges to what has been coined "traditional" marriage and two parent (male/female) households.

So, what is Jesus saying in the Gospel? His commentary essentially goes to the first reading from Genesis about the equality of man and woman and God’s original intent. God created us in his image not to be subservient or to dominate one another but to share life equally and to be complete before him. Yet in Jesus' time a husband could divorce his wife with barely a reason. All that was essentially needed was a "bill of divorce" and the marriage would be over with and the women sent off. So, it’s really two approaches to the marital union we hear today – one a reflection, as Jesus says, on our own human stubbornness. Moses allowed divorce because you were stubborn and unwilling to hear a higher purpose to marriage, that of God’s intent.

And the words of Jesus which has become and must always be upheld by the Church about the nature of the marriage covenant – that is a permanent bond of mutually shared life and love between two equal partners of male and female out of which is produced new life. And that God is inviting himself to every marriage which then can become a union of three.

So faithfulness, respect, equality, openness to life, and a spiritual dimension in which faith is not just words but a lived experience in family life is our ideal. As one writer put it: “A vision of what God’s people can be when they choose, by God’s grace, to live in God’s kingdom.” (David Fleer: Preaching the Sermon on the Mount; 2007). Jesus sets before us lofty ideals that are rooted in God’s intention. But, he does not expect the impossible of us and what he states about the nature of marriage is not impossible, by his grace.

What may be missing in some marriages is essentially that faith dimension. While there is no magic bullet for those who share faith and live it out in family life the odds are far more in their favor for success than they would be otherwise. The problems in married life are real and they may well go beyond merely Church attendance, even Church goers do scandalous things, but a return to the ideal and inviting God into one’s marriage as the third member, along with the support of a faith-filled community, can be a medicine to heal wounds. To recognize the deep spiritual value of marriage as a sacrament in which Christ offers his love and grace to a couple is an essential firm foundation on which to build one’s particular married life together. The ordained minister of Deacon, Priest or Bishop acts as the official witness of Christ and the Church to call down the Spirit’s blessing upon that couple as they minister the Sacrament to one another.

The Church offers a pastoral solution for those caught in a marriage they feel should maybe have not happened in the first place. Or a marriage that even after a number of years may now show what was indicated in the beginning, called the “annulment” process. That’s a whole other discussion but an important one. In the best but not the impossible world, both spouses must be invested in the relationship in a way that supports the other, that shares mutually in life and concerns around parenting, and that can grow to the great ideal Jesus reinforces in the Gospel: “They are no longer two but one flesh.” Like a child, trusting and open, we are invited to live and accept the teaching of Christ - it is ultimately, like all things of God, for our own good and the common good of the Church and society.

O God, who in creating the human race

willed that man and wife should be one,

join in a bond of inseparable love

these your servants who are to be united

in the covenant of Marriage,

so that, as you you make their love fruitful,

they may become, by your grace,

witnesses to charity itself.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

(Collect: Mass for the Celebration of Marriage)

Regnum Christi

October 7, 2018 – The Loving Hand of God’s Providence

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father Barry O’Toole, LC

Mark 10:2-16

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 him 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 him 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.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on you own, and yet you have generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased with what I have to give.

Petition: Loving Father, help me to be open to your message today.

Man Puts God to the Test: In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees put Christ to the test and call God’s plan into question. How brutally proud we can sometimes become in our relationship with God! Who are we to test God? The Book of Job reminds us that when we test God, it is we who end up being sifted like wheat: “Who is this that obscures divine plans with words of ignorance? Gird up your loins now, like a man; I will question you, and you tell me the answers” (Job 38:1-2)! We can only answer wisely by repeating Job’s response: “Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more (Job 40: 4-5). Do I sometimes question God’s providence by complaining, “Lord, why do you make me suffer?”

Asking Again for Good Measure: The disciples listened to Jesus’ reply about marriage and wondered. They were far more open than the Pharisees to Our Lord’s message, but this point is hard for the disciples to swallow as well. The second time around, Jesus reaffirms his same answer. Whoever divorces and remarries commits adultery. This passage reminds us that the Church bases her teachings on Christ’s own teachings. The Church is the means by which his demanding message reaches us without being watered down. Do I know and value the teaching of the Church as the guardian of Christ’s own words? Do I loyally defend her teachings?

Becoming Like Children: What Jesus likes so much about children is their sincerity, simplicity and purity. Instead of doubting or questioning God’s providence, they joyfully accept everything with a simple trust. Do I have these same attitudes in my dealings with my heavenly Father? Have I learned to discover the loving hand of his providence in every event and circumstance of my life? Do I thank him for all of the graces he lavishes upon me every day? Perhaps I have a long path to walk before I achieve this spiritual childhood.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, today I want to be humbler by not setting myself up as a judge of your decisions, but by simply accepting all the circumstances you have permitted throughout my life. Please, walk with me throughout this journey and protect me from the enemies that might besiege me. I want only to be your child.

Scripture Speaks: Faith like a Child

Gayle Somers

The Pharisees ask Jesus a question about divorce. Why did He answer their question with one of His own?

Gospel (Read Mk 10:2-16)

In Mk 10:1, we read that Jesus “went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to Him again.” This tells us that Jesus left the northern territory of Galilee and returned to the area near Jerusalem and the Jordan River. “Beyond the Jordan” was a region also called “Perea.” It was governed by Herod Antipas and was the location of John the Baptist’s ministry.

Knowing this helps us understand why the Pharisees asked Jesus a question about divorce to “test” Him. Recall that when John the Baptist preached against the divorces that Herod and his wife, Herodias, had obtained in order to leave their spouses and marry each other, he wound up in jail and lost his head. The Pharisees were hoping the same thing could happen to Jesus if He took a similar stand. They were waiting for the trap to spring shut.

However, as was often the case when Jesus was asked an insincere question—one meant to trap Him—He answered with another question: “What did Moses command you?” What better place to start than with Moses! The Pharisees pointed out that “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” In answering this way, the Pharisees played right into Jesus’ hands. How?

The “bill of divorce” by Moses, to which the Pharisees appealed, is found in Deuteronomy, a word that means “second law” in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. A careful reading of the Pentateuch (first five books of the OT) distinguishes the Levitical covenant God ratified with His people at Mt. Sinai (see Ex 19-24; Lev 27:34) from the Deuteronomic covenant ratified forty years later on the plains of Moab (see Deut 1;1-5; 29:1). This “second law” came about as a result of the hardness of heart in the Israelites, who, through their repeated infidelity to the Levitical covenant, proved themselves not ready yet to live its high ethical standard.

The laws found in Deuteronomy were thus temporary and concessionary, designed to permit lesser evils in order to avoid greater ones. For example, requiring a man to write a bill of divorce for his wife protected her from arbitrary and abusive disregard.

Jesus, however, wanted the Pharisees to think about what Moses had written as a first command. He went all the way back to Genesis, because the Jews attributed all five books of the Pentateuch to Moses’ authorship. In marriage, Moses taught that husband and wife are joined together by God to form “one flesh.” Their union enables them to live in the same way as God lives—in a communion of love within the Trinity, Three in One. Since that Divine union of love cannot be broken, neither can the marriage union. It is indissoluble, just as the Church teaches. To emphasize this point, Jesus told the Pharisees that a married person who divorces a spouse and marries another commits adultery. With this reference to Moses’ earliest “command,” Jesus silenced His critics—for a time.

How interesting it is to see that the next episode St. Mark describes is one that involves Jesus and children. Children are the visible fruit of the great “one flesh” mystery of marriage. Husband and wife who come together in the marital embrace can form “one flesh” in the conception of a child. It is not surprising, therefore, to see Jesus become “indignant” when the disciples tried to keep children away from Him. The face of a child represents to the world the truth that God’s plan for marriage is good and beautiful.

Why did the disciples want to shuffle them away from Jesus? Was it because they thought the weakness and dependency of children made them inconsequential to the mission they thought they were helping Jesus to establish in all His preaching about the Kingdom of God? If so, they must have been startled by what He said next: “…the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these…whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Not only are children perfectly able to receive the Kingdom of God—in utter weakness, completely dependent on grace—but they are to be constant reminders to adults that we, too, must receive it in exactly the same way.

The warm, blessed embrace Jesus extends to these children is a powerful icon of how all of us are welcomed into God’s family. If children disappear from a culture (through contraception, abortion, or the loss of true childhood), how will we remember who we really are?

Possible response: Lord Jesus, please show me today how to receive Your Kingdom as a child.

First Reading (Read Gn 2:18-24)

Here we have an opportunity to read again the story of man, woman, and marriage as it was “in the beginning.” We can see so clearly, without the distortion of the Fall, that, as the Church teaches, “The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator” (Catechism, 1605). As God solves man’s only problem in Eden (“it is not good for the man to be alone”), we can see that He does it in a way that retains both equality between the sexes as well as glorious differences. Their coming together in marriage, to “cling” to each other (the Hebrew word for “cling” is the root for the Hebrew word for “glue”) and become again “one flesh” helps us understand why divorce is unnatural and destructive. It is a ripping apart of what God Himself has “glued” together.

No wonder Jesus wanted the Pharisees to remember how it was “in the beginning” when answering their question about divorce.

Possible response: Heavenly Father, help us in Your Church to live marriage as You designed it, so that we can witness to its beauty, truth, and goodness.

Psalm (Read Ps 128:1-6)

The psalmist assures us that when we live life the way God designed it for us, we will experience the blessing of joy. God’s simple command to man and woman “in the beginning” was to be fruitful and to have dominion over the earth. In other words, He wanted us to be like Him: to create life, as He had done, and to work, as He worked for six days before He rested. Those who “walk in His ways,” as the psalmist says, and embrace His commands can expect blessing on their work (“For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork”) and on their family life (“Your wife shall be a fruitful vine…your children like olive plants around your table”). When God’s people live in God’s ways, they can anticipate great joy: “May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.” The song of praise we sing for a promise like this is in our refrain: “May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Heb 2:9-11)

When we see Jesus, in the Gospel, restoring marriage and child-bearing to the nobility it had “in the beginning,” and when we read the psalmist’s praise of the blessing of children, the fruit of marriage, we have a better appreciation of what we see in this reading in Hebrews. At first, it may seem difficult to find any connection with our other readings, but look carefully at its emphasis. Jesus, God’s own Son, was willing to become one of us—flesh and blood formed in a woman’s womb—in order to fully enter human life and save it from the destruction of sin, death, and the devil. His wholehearted embrace of human life, including its suffering, demonstrates unequivocally that God’s original design for us has not failed. Jesus is not ashamed to enter this drama and call us “brothers.”

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be—Amen.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, nothing confirms the joyous excellence of our human story more than Your willingness to share it and call us Your “brothers.” Thank You, O Lord.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, October 7

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of the
Rosary. Pope Pius V instituted this feast in
1571 to honor the Blessed Virgin for
victory at the Battle of Lepanto, which he
attributed to her intercession.