ACCEPTANCE

Joshua in today's 1st reading enumerated all the victories and mighty saving power of God from the time of Abraham to their present situation. It was really undeniable that our God is full of power and might. If we will just look at our own lives we will find out that we are no different than the Israelites, the chosen and beloved people of God. He was with us every step of the way, weathering it all through the sorrow, difficulty, pain and finally to always witness the sweet taste of victory and success. Amen. Hallelujah!

Joshua 24:1-13

...After you witnessed what I did to Egypt, and dwelt a long time in the desert, 8 I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them [the two kings of the Amorites] before you. 9 Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you; 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him. 11 Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. 12 And I sent the hornets ahead of you which drove them [the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites] out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow. 13 “I gave you a land which you had not tilled and cities which you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”

We should never doubt any longer that only God can take away our miseries, shield and protect us from our foes with His mighty and outstretched arm to split in two whatever hindrance that blocks our way and lead us through. During our darkest hour may we always remember and not forget the wonderful things God has done for us and at the same time make the learning experiences no matter how bitter and unpleasant it may be serve as a strong reminder of the lessons we have learned the hard way making it memorable enough and not easy to neglect and take for granted. We will always find the mercy of God granted to us numerous times already and repeatedly as it is stated in today's psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 136:1-3. 16-18. 21-22 and 24

R: His mercy endures forever.

...Who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever; 17 who smote great kings, for his mercy endures forever; 18 and slew powerful kings, for his mercy endures forever. (R) 21 And made their land a heritage, for his mercy endures forever; 22 the heritage of Israel his servant, for his mercy endures forever; 24 and freed us from our foes,...

When people petition for marriage annulment cases there are 3 things investigated, whether it’s defective consent there was defective diriment impediment or a defective form. When you have 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. 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.  There are also several grounds for annulment like lack of due discretion and incapacity to assume essential obligations on both or one of the spouses. 

Let us always think of marriage as not just a two way relationship but a triangle with God in the center. If we start to neglect or forget about this vital element then surely the marriage is bound to break once incompatible factors between 2 different individuals like man and woman set in. This is one of the reasons why everything should be directed to God in prayers. Although there may be other things to consider here, everything just fades in comparison to the truth that God is able to hold everything  together like marriage for example if He is in the center. It may not be easy to accept these things if we ourselves are not completely convinced especially with the present situation that is going on all over the world with regards to marriage. Despite of it all and more than anything else, we ought to hold on to God's word and allow it to be fulfilled in our lives. Let us commit to this very important reality and advice in today's gospel which is just right and fitting as we ought to do in Jesus name. Even in other areas and aspects of our lives, there are situations and events that we find hard to let go and avoid doing. Sometimes we find ourselves doing the same old mistakes and sins all over again. We ask ourselves, why and somehow today's gospel gives us an explanation although the issue here is about marriage we can also compare it with other things that affect our Christian life. We've come to this era or period of time when people develop a loose morality and everything seems to have become acceptable especially nowadays when the prevailing and existing situation greatly favors the popular demand of the majority. As human beings we have this desire to be accepted in the society where we belong and find it hard to define very clearly what is right and wrong in a society that has been so influenced by the values of this world. We'll just find ourselves up against something that has won over the acceptance and approval of this materialistic, practical and commercial place where we live. It is sometimes not easy to always stand up for what is right and be looked upon as not in conformity with the rest. It is always easy to just go with the flow instead of counteract especially when we deal with people who are born the way they are that it seems impossible to force them into something that is totally out of their range. Nonetheless, Jesus in today's gospel admonishes us to follow the commandments that serve as guidelines that the Lord our God has set before us but continues to respect our free will to decide what we ought to accept or not. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 19:3-12

3 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” 7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss [her]?” 8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” 10 [His] disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”