Marriage Is Sacred

 

 Mk 10:2-12

 What  God Has Joined Together....

² Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

⁵ “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹² And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Even with a declining divorce rate in the USA these days, or so many couples (48%) simply living living together, this teaching on marriage seems totally irrelevant. But on the other hand it is more relevant than ever. The financial and social pressures couples face present huge challenges to the longevity of their commitment, and it seems to me that only with God's grace, a vibrant spiritual life and the support of a faith community can marriage not only survive, but thrive in today's world. The teaching of Jesus needs to be blasted from the rooftops and preached in our churches if marriage is to succeed.

Bro. Rene

Dear God bless and enhance married couples and their families with a deeper love of you and a more consistent practice of their faith. Amen.

Nothing Like Success

 

 

 

 

 Lk 10:17-24

 Rejoicing

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

There is nothing like the joy of succeeding on a mission or assignment. Exhilaration replaces apprehension, accomplishment surpasses anticipation. Our brief passage this morning is filled with the joy of success. We certainly need this kind of encouragement today with wars raging and election turmoil dominating the headlines. We have not formally been sent out two by two to preach and heal, but the mission is still ours and we can accomplish it in small ways in our families, workplaces and church communities by offering a helping hand or word of encouragement, or just a friendly smile or "hello."  Just acknowledging the presence of another can make the day for him or her. As Jesus sent out the seventy-two on their first mission, so he sends us as well. Let us be confident that the  Spirit who accompanied them, accompanies us and will be the cause of our rejoicing.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, send me to others with your Spirit and WE shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.   

 

 

 

 

 

Rejecting Jesus

 

 Lk 10:13-16

 Blindness

¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

¹⁶ “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

As we celebrate the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi we reflect on a man who was at one time blinded by the attractions of  the world, but  who gradually saw the futility of it all, turned from his worldly ways and 800 years later still has a profound influence on the way we treat creation.  He opens our eyes to see its beauty and its reflection of the loving care of God for us.  Above all, he opens our eyes to the Wonder of Wonders, Jesus Christ! Having been in Assisi again this past June, there's no mistaking his on-going presence and influence on people, Blessed Carlo Acutis, being one of them. Carlo, a 15 year old boy died quickly of an fast moving version of leukemia, but in his short life, practiced what St. Francis preached. If a teenager can  do it, so can we.

Bro. Rene

St. Francis and Blessed Carlo, pray for us that we may do all we can to follow Jesus and lead others to him. Amen

 

Lambs Among Wolves

 

  Luke 10: 1-12

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

While we are not among the original 72, the commission to go out into the field like lambs among wolves is still in effect, and as challenging now as when Jesus originally gave it. Just look at the decline in the number of  people practicing their faith, the number of churches closing due to lack of members and priests, the decline in moral values such as honesty and truth. We are ripe for a new evangelization, and who is going to answer the call except you and me? We can begin with  the people with whom we have contact or rub shoulders, especially in our own families.  Tough when our own children have drifted and do not practice the faith we nurtured in them. Our prayers, our on-going love and good example, our words of encouragement, a direct nudge...whatever we can do to help them see the light and return to observing values and active practice instilled in them when they were young, these can work. Believe, Believe, Believe!

Bro. Rene

Dear God,help me to put into practice the commission you gave to the 72 with the assurance that you will guide my with your grace and inspiration. Amen.          

 

Become Like Little Children

 

 

 

 

 

 Mt 18:1-5, 10

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

 

Jesus extols the lowliness, innocence, and simplicity of a little child when asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  One would think a brave, intelligent, articulate adult would have been the answer, but no, it's a child who gets the place of honor! Jesus's answer is a wake-up call to us to 'KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID!" as folks in AA love to remind us. We might benefit from observing and imitating children more often, asking ourselves, "What can I learn from this child that will make me a better adult?"

 Bro. Rene

 

Dear Jesus, help me to become a trusting, spontaneous child again. Amen. 

Resolutely On His Mission

 

 Lk 9:51-56

Samaritan Opposition

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Jesus knew what was coming: more opposition, rejection, and death, but that did not hold him back. No, even more resolutely, he headed for Jerusalem to fulfill his mission, as painful as it was going to be. 

Today we celebrate the memorial of St Therese of Lisieux, whose short life ended with her confinement to the convent infirmary and her painful suffering from tuberculosis. There was no penicillin in her day. She offered her suffering for missionaries and promised to do good from heaven after her death in 1897, so much so that she was canonized in 1925, only 28 years later. Her miracles and popularity continue to this day as she lives up to her promise. From her convent infirmary,she followed in the resolute footsteps of the suffering Jesus and stands as a model for us as we deal with disappointment and pain. How blessed are we to have her as our patroness!

Bro. Rene

St. Therese, pray for us that we might offer our sufferings and disappointments as prayers for others. Amen. 

Example Speaks

 

 

Mk 9:38-43; 45; 47-48

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

³⁹ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰ for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Causing to Stumble

⁴² “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ where“‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

"Actions speak louder than words" goes the old saying we learned as children. It sums up today's Gospel neatly and succinctly.  We need such a "bullet" to hit us between the eyes and wake us up and put us back on the right track. We slip so easily into misbehaviors by cutting corners, or by following the false dictum that "everyone else is doing it, so why not me?" No, if Jesus recommends cutting off the foot that walks us into sin, then he would also require a substantial turn around in behavior that deviates from common sense, the commandments or the law of charity.  There's no cutting  corners; it's all or nothing.

Bro. Rene 

Dear God, help me to examine my words and behaviors and discard all that is contrary to your laws. Amen