Friday February 25, 2022

Friday of 7th Week in Ordinary Time

Joined Together By God

                                   

Introduction

James gives practical advice. We have to wait in patience for the coming of the Lord, and also be patient with one another. Then, we should be reliable people who stand by their given word.

To Christ, marriage is planned by God to be indissoluble. Infidelity in marriage and divorce are against the will of God, whose faithfulness is the model of fidelity in marriage. In this Eucharist, we pray for fidelity for our Christian couples and for all of us in our commitments for fidelity to God and our neighbor.

 

Opening Prayer

You have created us, Lord our God,
for friendship and for durable love,
and you have shown us in Jesus, your Son,
how to live for one another and for you.
May we learn from him
to remain faithful to one another,
each one according to one’s calling in life.
Let our love for one another be
the language in which you speak to us
and the sign that you are near to us
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

1st Reading – James 5:9-12

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No,” that you may not incur condemnation.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12

(8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.

 Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

 He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
 He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
 He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

 

Alleluia – SEE John 17:17B, 17A

Alleluia, alleluia.

 Your word, O Lord, is truth;
 consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel – Mark 10:1-12

 Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached him and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

 

Intentions

–          For the homes built on unselfish love, that through them, we may understand better all the depth of God’s love, we pray:

–          For homes that are broken and for partners who have failed each other, that people may show them understanding and that God may give them mercy, we pray:

–          For those who have renounced marriage for the sake of serving God in others, that they may never become loners, but that their hearts may be spacious and warm, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Our God and faithful Father,
we have brought bread and wine before you
and are gathered around the table of your Son
to celebrate that we are, and want to be ever more,
a covenant community with you and with one another.
Accept our thanks and praise
and let us experience here,
that you are on the way with us
whenever we are united with one another
in serving and loving faithfulness,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Our God and Father,
you have entrusted love to us
not as a finished product
but as an assignment for life.
Let the love of your Son,
which we have experienced here in this Eucharist
invest our love with indestructible faithfulness,
that it may weather all storms
and keep growing in depth,
until you crown it with your joy
that lasts, for ever and ever.

 

Blessing

We admire reliable, faithful love. We find a model for it in God’s love, as exemplified in Jesus. May our love also be strong and faithful, especially in marriage. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary 

Gender Bias

 “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?” The gender bias is inescapable. The question carries reference only to the “right” of men to divorce their wives. There is no corollary as to the legitimacy of a wife divorcing her husband. Not even such a possibility exists in their thoughts. Contrast this with the later response of Jesus to the disciples, in which he is inclusive of both genders in his rejection of divorce. He equates both men and women in his ruling of right and wrong—precisely because, as he responded to the Pharisees, God has made human beings male and female. Even when the explicit theme of the discourse is the question of divorce, let us not lose sight of the hidden assumptions and false priorities that underlie such questions. Had there been gender equivalence in their minds, perhaps the question of divorce would not have occurred at all! 

Reflection taken from Bible Diary 2022;

written by Fr.Paulson Velyannoor, CMF