Gospel Reflection

October 06, 2012

Anticipated Sunday Mass

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Stephen Mifsud (Mission Society of St. Paul  – Quezon City)

MSSP House Chapel / Mass for the poor)

Reading 1 Gn 2:18-24

The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 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, 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." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (cf. 5) May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Reading 2 Heb 2:9-11

Brothers and sisters: He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, " that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 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. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them 'brothers.'

Gospel Mk 10:2-16

The Pharisees approached Jesus 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 mothe 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 commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 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 belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

or Mk 10:2-12

The Pharisees approached Jesus 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."

HOMILY

From my experience, I can make a guess that 99% of the people here have someone in their family or relatives whose marriage broke down.

To tell you the truth I ask myself: How will those who experienced marriage separation feel  after listening to the gospel of today?  Are the words of Jesus too harsh? Will the gospel stir up past or present guilt; a sense of failure or inadequacy?

Divorce is a difficult issue for the priest to speak about because Jesus’ statements  look idealistic, with strong words and for our times they might look old-fashioned.

In today’s culture, we have grown used to television soap operas and "reality shows," with their casual sexual situations and language.  The marriages failures that we hear about are countless… even of ideal couples. When you look around you see so many family problems and infidelities.

So what is the relevance of Jesus words for us living in this time?

To answer this we need to understand a bit the context of marriage in time of Jesus.

First, in Jesus’ time weddings were arranged by the parents and so a woman’s had no say at all. Women were second class, servants of the husband and family.  Secondly, In Jesus time men could divorce their wives, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." The problem was that she could be divorced for the mere fact that her cooking was not good.  So, for example, if a wife burned the pot of rice she might find herself "dismissed.  And, what would happen to that woman? … She would became outcast from her own family… At that time there was no job for woman except  prostitution.    

So, with this background in mind can you realize how much of a good news was Jesus’ condemnation of divorce to the women who were listening to Jesus. 


When you see the context you see how Jesus is on the side of the person who is suffering injustice, inequality, selfishness.  The criteria of Jesus when he speaks on divorce is not the law but the wellbeing of the person. 

Christ showed the truth about marriage, not to condemn but to show the beauty of the person, the beauty of marriage.  To show what is at the heart of marriage… Marriage is not just an institution… Marriage is not a factory of children, its not just sex and pleasure…its not just a headache to find money,  but a beautiful life “become one flesh” becoming one heart, one mind, one spirit. To experience the love of God through each other.

Some, or rather, many marriages are not built on reciprocal love … total self giving. How beautiful it is to see a family who respect each other!  who talk and discuss things in a gentle way!  who are ready to sacrifice with love, without grumbling!  who give all they have, their money and their time for the family with love!
Love cannot be selfish , looking only at my rights.

Selfish love leads to abuse.  For example saying bad words because my tongue is mine … that’s an abuse !  To  leave your family to go with another man/women because I am fed up. !  Is not that selfish and abuse to the whole family.  To quarrel and fight in front of children … because I am right … Is not that an abuse!

At the heart of marriage is selfless love… and its so difficult to find nowadays! But not imposible. As Christians we need to always look at the ideal Christ presents to us… marriage based on love and the respect of the other, putting yourself at the service of the family … with joy.  And when you have temptations to quit … remember that when I am hurting my family because of my selfishness, I am hurting myself because my husband/wife is one in flesh with me.  Remember also that true happiness in family comes when there is true love and faithfulness.

 You may also want to see: Gospel Reflection: by Rev. Fr. Jun Sescon

A Holy Life

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Feast day – October 07

Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of  Christians over the Turks at Lepanto — a victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716. The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as unhistorical, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form — with the 15 mysteries (joyful, sorrowful and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light to this devotion.

The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the gospel. The main focus is on Jesus — his birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus' Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glorys remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity.

“[The rosary] sets forth the mystery of Christ in the very way in which it is seen by St. Paul in the celebrated ‘hymn’ of the Epistle to the Philippians — kenosis [self-emptying], death and exaltation (2:6-11).... By its nature the recitation of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as grasped by the heart of her who was closer to the Lord than all others” (Paul VI, Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, 45, 47). (AmericanCatholic.org)

When the heresy of the Albigensians was growing in the district of Toulouse and striking deeper roots day by day, St. Dominic, who had just laid the foundations of the Order of Preachers, threw himself whole-heartedly into the task of destroying this heresy. That he might be the better able to overcome it, he implored with earnest prayers the aid of the Blessed Virgin. She instructed Dominic to preach the Rosary to the people as a unique safeguard against heresy and vice, and he carried out this commission with wonderful ardour of soul and with great success. From that time, then, St. Dominic began to promulgate and promote this method of praying. And the fact that he was its founder and originator has from time to time been stated in papal encyclicals.

From this salutary practice countless fruits have flowed to Christendom. Among these, we should especially mention the victory over the powerful tyranny of the Turks won at the battle of Lepanto by St. Pius V and the Christian princes he had aroused. For, as this victory was won on the very day on which the sodalities of the most holy Rosary throughout the world had been offering their accustomed supplications and carrying out the prescribed prayers, it was rightly attributed to these prayers. Gregory XIII testified to this fact when he decreed that for such a unique benefit thanks should always be offered everywhere throughout the world to the Blessed Virgin under the title of the Rosary. Other Popes have granted almost innumerable indulgences to the recitation of the Rosary and to Rosary societies.

Clement XI, noting the circumstances of the equally famous victory of Charles VI, the emperor-elect, over the innumerable forces of the Turks in Hungary in the year 1716, held that this victory was to be attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. The victory occurred on the feast of the Dedication of Our Lady of the Snows; and, at almost the time of the battle, the confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary was offering a public and solemn supplication in the city of Rome, with a great crowd of people pouring out fervent prayers to God with great devotion for the overthrow of the Turks and humbly imploring the powerful aid of the Virgin Mother of God to help the Christians. Looking also with the eyes of faith at the raising of the Turks' siege of the island of Corcyra shortly afterwards, he held that this victory too must be ascribed to the patronage of the Blessed Virgin. To keep alive, therefore, the memory of these great benefits and to assure a perpetual thanksgiving for them, Clement extended the feast of the Most Holy Rosary to the universal Church. Benedict XIII decreed that all these things be written into the Roman Breviary. Leo XIII in repeated encyclicals strongly urged all the faithful throughout the world to recite the Rosary especially during the month of October, raised the rank of the feast, and added to the Litany of Loretto the invocation "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary." He also granted a special Office to be recited by the universal Church on this feast. The Popes over the last century have repeatedly stressed the great importance of devotion to Mary through the Rosary.

 

Sources for this article were taken from:  The Saint of the day: http://catholic-thoughts.info/saints/

Prayer

O Virgin Mary, grant that the recitation of thy Rosary may be for me each day, in the midst of my manifold duties, a bond of unity in my actions, a tribute of filial piety, a sweet refreshment, an encouragement to walk joyfully along the path of duty. Grant, above all, O Virgin Mary, that the study of thy twenty mysteries may form in my soul, little by little, a luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening, and fragrant, which may penetrate my understanding, my will, my heart, my memory, my imagination, my whole being. So shall I acquire the habit of praying while I work, without the aid of formal prayers, by interior acts of admiration and of supplication, or by aspirations of love. I ask this of thee, O Queen of the Holy Rosary, through Saint Dominic, thy son of predilection, the renowned preacher of thy mysteries, and the faithful imitator of thy virtues.

Amen

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary – Pray for us

 

 

You may also want to see: A Holy Life - How to pray the Rosary
                                             A Holy Life - Prayer to Our Lady of La Naval

A Holy Life

Queen of the Holy Rosary, Our Lady of La Naval.

We gather as one people in celebration of a battle fought and won; a vow made and fulfilled; a time remembered and held dear; a miracle experienced and kept alive; love recieved and returned; your patronage sought and thanked for; God praised, God adored.

Mahal Naming Ina,

As our lips move in whispered prayers, our hands over beads, our knees bend, our eyes look up to you, we plead for your mercy, your grace your love.

O Mother of Peace,

Give birth to God in our hears. Give birth to Peace in our world. Give birth to the Word who heals all strife, conquers sin with love, overcomes death, brings us life. As once you interceeded for the victory of faith in these islands, pray for us now, now, in our struggle for truth and justice, for peace and love in Christ.

O Queen of the Philippines,

In your loving hands, you hold Jesus, our God, our King, our Savior. You hold him for us to adore and serve, to love and find salvation in. O Mother and Queen, our hearts may be small, but our love is enormous. And we ask you to come and take your place in us, in the company of your belvoed Son; to bless us with your abiding presence; to fill us and keep us in your love and protection; to lead us in the eternal Fiat and Magnificat to God, in whose name we gather.

AMEN.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Our Lady of La Naval – Pray for us

You may also want to see: A Holy Life - How to pray the Rosary