In today's 1st reading we would find that it is written that
they are naked and not ashamed. Our sexuality is much more than just our bodies.
It was after sin when they felt ashamed that they were naked. Sexuality is
good. We cover our bodies not because our bodies are bad but what’s changed is
our attitude. The original meaning of
sexuality was restored when Jesus came to earth and delivered us from our sins.
Being free of sin renders us with no egotism, no possessiveness, no desire to
dominate and without any fear and shame.
Let us pray that our egotism be healed and respond to God with faith,
humility and love. The Sacrament of Matrimony is very sacred because it
reflects God's desire to be in a relationship with man. This is how we should
look at marriage instead of just a union between man and woman, God should be
at the center. When people petition for marriage annulment cases several things
are investigated, 1. whether it’s defective consent there was defective
diriment impediment or a defective form. In a formal marriage annulment case
usually it’s a defective consent. In such case the direction of the tribunal
would like to know whether the spouse has an intention against children. There are 4 goods of marriage and one of those
goods is to have children. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1643 "Conjugal
love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter -
appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration
of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that,
beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and
it is open to fertility.
In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural
conjugal love, but with a new significance which not only purifies and
strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression
of specifically Christian values." The
openness to children is one of the essential parts of marriage. If a party
chooses marriage and somehow chooses in some way to avoid having children to
frustrate the marital act to exclude children from inception through to end
then that’s an invalid marriage. It’s a
great starting point for the tribunal to investigate. This is a
canonical opinion from a canon lawyer and to find out whether the marriage is
invalid or valid there is a need to petition a tribunal where a person
resides. No relationship in this world
can last if God is not in the middle. We always have to put God in the center
of everything. Amen. Hallelujah!
Genesis 2:18-24
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, 23 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.” 24 That is why a man
leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become
one flesh.
It is a very challenging task and we need to know how to
really walk in God's ways in order to live a happy and favored life. There is
only one thing needed and that is to follow the ways of the Lord. Whenever we
come to a point in our lives when we encounter trials and difficulties and
standing up firm in our faith in God seems to be an impossibility then all the
more should we remain faithful and true to God. The psalm reading tells us
exactly why. This fear being spoken of in today's psalm is the holy fear of the
Lord and is different from other kinds of fear that we know. It's more of the
kind of fear that is coupled with respect and is the beginning of wisdom as
written in Proverbs 1:7. We have to be perfectly aware of this and strive to
maintain it within ourselves so as not to lose sight of this aspect of God's
Holiness. Over the years, the olive has been the symbol of peace, wisdom,
glory, fertility, power and pureness. The olive tree and olives are mentioned
over 30 times in the Bible, in both the New and Old Testaments. It is one of
the first plants mentioned in the Bible, and one of the most significant. For
example, it was an olive leaf that a dove brought back to Noah to demonstrate
that the flood was over. The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem is mentioned several times. Olive
oil has long been considered sacred; it was used to anoint kings and athletes
in ancient Greece .
It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal
flame" of the original Olympic Games. Victors in these games were crowned
with its leaves. Today, it is still used in many religious ceremonies. Today's
psalm mentions and compares children to olive plants. We have always been awed
by such great affection a mother has for her child. We've seen a lot of things
throughout time that attest to this. I am a mother myself and I have done
things beyond my capacity because of how much I love my children. This love of mothers for their brood grows
into something very special which explains why they are referred to or likened
to olive plants around the table. Let us hope and pray that the Lord will
continue to look after our families. No matter how difficult this year is, for
our families we have to be confident in God's assurance in today's Psalm
reading. If we truly believe that we have an Extraordinary and Awesome God then
we, too must be willing to take on the challenge of doing something out of the
ordinary and really get out of our way to live out what God calls us to do.
Nothing is ever wasted for it has always been proven throughout all generations
that those who follow and obey the Lord will surely be blessed not only today
but all the days of our lives. We really have to always start with the basics,
keep it simple and really get down with the real stuff. We've got to take
things one step at a time. We know for a fact that we humans have a tendency to
make things complicated. We know exactly
why. It is because we want to make excuses, create our own rules and get away
with it. God tries to make it as simple as possible for us but we just don't
want it His way because we've got to have it our own way. That's when the
problem starts. It is always easier said than done but we've got to take God's
word for it. I like the writing on the shirts of my son, Jude and these young
people when they attended the YFC (Youth for Christ) Youth Camp. It says,
"It's not about me, it's all about God." It's right on target and
what it is all about. For in the end and to top it all, it will all come down
to us as a blessing and favor from God. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 128:1-2. 3. 4-5. 6
R: May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
1 Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! 2
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored.
(R) 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants around your table.
God stooped down to the level of human beings and experience
sufferings and death despite His Divine and Majestic nature all for the sake of
God's great love for us that knows no boundaries. But we should remember always
as St. Augustine
said, “God who created us without our help will not save us without our
consent.” Amen. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 2:9-11
9 Brothers and sisters: He who “for a little while” was made
“lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things
exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their
salvation perfect through suffering. 11 He who consecrates and those who are
being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call
them “brothers,”
If God said so then we should know better than to disobey.
Actually this kind of thinking and belief has a tendency to make us react
negatively. It's not because obeying God entails a lot of hardships and trials
but in truth our human nature is inclined to rebel whenever we are being told
by someone of what to do. We sometimes assert our independence in the wrong
way. It would help us if we first assess the situation before we react. If
somebody not trustworthy or not knowledgeable tells us something it would
really benefit us if we just ignore and let the words that our left ear heard
just pass through our right ear. We should be careful in dealing with other
people and could really help if we lessen our interactions with them. But if
our God speaks to us about something then we can never question the credibility
of His words because He is a God who knows best. And if we are hoping and
looking forward to a life of peace and joy we just better have to take His word
for it and be like the children spoken of in the gospel today. Children have
the gift to just receive and let their minds go to a place where adults don’t.
They have the ability to animate things and have joy. They are always intently
listening and receiving. This is the key to having access to the continuous
existence of the flow of grace. If we look at the world around us and hear the
news of what’s happening then we could lose hope if we listen to everything
that’s going on around us. Unless we’re grounded in faith we could not survive
it. We should pray that we continue to mature as Christians. We have always come to mass and
witness in the altar what priests are doing all over the world. We have to come
into touch with the reality that the Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament
is what’s redeeming the world. The world is fragile and unstable. We need to be
around this table in the altar for constant infusion of God’s life and grace.
This is our life, destiny and future. We need to be grounded in this truth and be
able to say that we are stable in our relationship with God. We need to have a
conviction in this world that the Lord is present to us in the altars of
sacrifice. The Lord Himself established this act of worship that contains
incredible power. We need to be grounded to our faith in the Eucharist and
truly enter completely for us to be nourished and strengthened. It should not
become just an act of routine. If this happens then this could be very sad and
empty of its true meaning. Being grounded to the truth of the Eucharist could
really change our faith and belief and therefore bring forth change in our
lives. We always go to mass but our act of worship in the Eucharist table
should change us for the better. We have to believe that the Lord is working in
our lives whenever we come to receive the Eucharist. This should be firmly
based on the stability of the truth that God is really present for us. It is
like when we run in the sand and mud, we become unsteady because it is
unstable, our feet can sink. We need stability in order to stand. We need a
firm ground to walk on and find something to anchor ourselves to. We look at a
child's heart that is fully grounded. We need to follow its example so that no
matter what we see in our experiences, the trials and the tests, if we’re
grounded and stable we can always surrender our life to God and live in peace.
We have to be firmly grounded on the truth of the Lord's presence in the
Eucharist in order for a fountain of joy and excitement to burst forth from us.
This is in the knowledge that something new is going to happen each time we
receive Him in the Eucharist. Let us pray that we be like children and utilize
our inventive hearts so as to enter into an act of worship and believe. We are always confronted with the greatest
temptation of not entering into the act of worship and know in our hearts and
minds that God is present completely in this Most Blessed Sacrament. We have to develop this attitude that the
Eucharist is indispensable and what’s most real and powerful for us. We need to
be able to say that this is what matters most to us. In doing so we can make
decisions that needs to be done and say, "Here I am Lord here is what I’ve
done help me to be better tomorrow." Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 10:2-16
…People were bringing children to Jesus that he might
touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 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 kingdom of God
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