And the two shall become one flesh

Scripture for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time |USCCB 

Our Lord is teaching about the challenges of a committed married life in today’s gospel. The Pharisees were looking at a marriage just as a legal contract, not as a relationship meant for life. They thought that if the marriage didn’t work out, it was okay to just move on and get a divorce. Their view is much like the divorce lawyers of our time who arrange for a “no fault” divorce. But this is not what God intended for marriage. There is no such thing as a “no fault” divorce.

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught in today’s gospel that marriage is more than just a legal contract between two people. It’s a permanent relationship in the eyes of God between a man and a woman. Jesus clearly teaches about the permanence of marriage when he says, “God has made them male and female. For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

It's for this reason that it’s important to enter into the sacrament of marriage carefully and with discernment. Before being married in the Church, the couple needs to go through Pre-Cana in order to better understand the responsibilities of married life. Rushing into a marriage without proper discernment and understanding will certainly doom the marriage to failure.

When a couple comes to a point when they consider marriage, they need to realize that they are entering into a relationship with each other that will be blessed by God. They need to have mutual love and respect for each other and understand that this relationship is built on the foundation of God and His love for us. Also, there will be, as the marriage vows indicate, good times and bad times, health and sickness, and they promise to remain together until death. Further, in a marriage relationship, they need to be open to the possibility of having children within that relationship, if it’s God’s Holy Will. All this adds up to a marriage that needs to be entered into with a clear mind and hearts full of love for each other and for God.

The love sanctified in marriage is a holy bond. Two individuals become one in love. Sacramentally, marriage brings divine love into our midst, publicly witnessing to the power of two people’s love – and calling each of us to give life to divine love, no matter our vocation.

Let us pray for all married couples that they may see the love of God in each other. Let us also pray for those couples who are considering marriage that they seek to have God as the center of their marriage and to be true witnesses of God’s love for all of us.

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you...

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today we get into the heart of what it means to be a Christian: that of LOVE and FORGIVENESS. Not only are we to love those in our lives such as our family and friends, but we are also to love those that we don't really like or get along with. We all have those people in our lives that "press our buttons" and we find easy to either hate or strongly dislike. What Jesus is teaching us is not something that we can do very easily. Love of spouse or children or family is something that is easy. But Jesus is telling us to love those that hate us and mistreat us!! How can we possibly do this?

Our Lord goes on to teach that we are to turn the other cheek when someone strikes us. The natural reaction to someone striking us is to slug the person right back. This teaching goes beyond just physical assault but verbal abuse as well.   Our Lord tells us to offer the other cheek. This is very challenging, but our Lord is teaching us of the importance of forgiveness towards those who wish to harm us. 

This teaching of love of neighbor and of turning the other cheek is not a natural thing for us to do, but to be followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord expects us to do this. As our Lord points out, it's easy to love those who love us, but to love our enemies is something that we have to work on as we attempt to live out our calling as Christian. He's attempting to teach us and remind us that everyone, even those people we do not like, are also made in the image of God and are loved by God. 

Now, onto the practical: is the Lord expecting us to be in relationships that are not good for us emotionally or physically? I think not. We are to love all people, even those we have difficulty getting along with, but I think our Lord expects us, for our own physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, to keep our distance from those who would harm us. We are to step back from these relationships and pray for those who we have problems getting along with. Further, we are not to judge them or their behavior. Our Lord clearly says, "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37)

Our Lord is challenging us to love everyone in our lives, even those we find it hard to love. And we are to be forgiving of those who harm us, as we pray for them and their wellbeing.

Lord help us to love unconditionally and to be forgiving of all those in our lives that we find it hard to forgive. Amen.

“Ephphatha’ (that is, “Be Opened!”)

 

The Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB

In our gospel for today we hear of the healing of the deaf man with a speech impediment. Living out a life without being able to hear and having problems communicating must have been very difficult for this man. I’m sure because of his disability he avoided people. He couldn’t understand or hear what they were saying to him, and because of his speech impediment, he felt embarrassed to speak. Jesus, being sensitive to this man’s needs, took him away from the crowd to bring healing to him.

In many of Jesus’ healings He just Wills the healing to happen, and the healing happens. In today’s healing Jesus felt it was important to put his fingers into the man’s ears and then, spitting, touch the man’s tongue and says “Ephphatha” (that is “Be opened!”) The joy the man must have felt must have been overwhelming to him. I’m sure also that Jesus probably reached out to him with a hug and smile to bring him further comfort during this amazing healing.

Jesus then orders the others with the man not to tell anyone. But they were so amazed and overjoyed at this healing and the love and mercy Jesus showed towards this man that they proclaimed it everyone.

There are times in our lives when we, like the man in today’s gospel, needs to be alone with Jesus to share with him all our issues and problems. We have our cares and worries that only Jesus can respond to and help us with. We should always place all our cares and concerns into the loving hands of Jesus. We can spend this time alone with Jesus at church or in the privacy of our homes. Jesus is always there to reach out to us and give us the healing that we need. Jesus touches us spiritually whenever we study scripture to better understand God’s will for us in our lives. Further Jesus touches us physically every time we receive him in Holy Communion or receive His healing touch during confession. We just need to be patient with Him to bring that healing to us. The healing or answer to our prayer may not happen as fast as we may like, and it may not be in the way we ask, but Jesus will help us in the way that is best for us. Jesus is always there with His loving presence, waiting for us to turn to Him to ask for His healing touch.

Then, after we receive the answer to our prayers, like the people in today’s gospel, we need to go and proclaim Jesus to the world that so desperately needs the healing touch of Jesus. We are to bring other people to Christ by how we live our lives and show our friends and relatives that Jesus is indeed someone that does “all things well.” We may not be called to proclaim the gospel publicly, but we are called to bring Jesus to all we meet by how we live out our lives as Catholics and Christians. Lord Jesus, grant us the healing and peace that can only come from you. Amen