27TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B

-

 


WHO RULES THE HOME?

Mk 10:2-16

 

 


 

A friend once told me that in their family, there is peace. This is because it is the women who rule over the men. When the women prevail, and the men are subservient, peace reigns. Another friend of mine insisted that in his family, only he is in-charge; that he made it clear to his wife that she will always be under him. And this, he said, is the secret of their successful marriage.

 

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that the true secret of a happy, lasting, and fruitful marriage is when God rules. That means, that within a successful marriage and family is the awareness that God is present in the lives of husband, wife and children. What God has joined together – isn’t this a powerful reminder that it is God who brings together two strangers into a bond of mutual love? It is not the stars, or destiny, but God unites man and woman in love. No one can separate – another powerful reminder that separation does not flow from his design but from weak and stubborn human hearts.

 

Marriage is not easy, never a trivial matter. It is a sacrament, a mystery. And this means precisely that what happens in marriage affects people’s relationship with God. A married person who is faithful to his or her spouse if faithful to God. But an unfaithful person betrays God. A relationship built on trust and freedom reflects the goodness of God, while one that is oppressive and deceptive blocks the rays of God’s light from shining through.

 

For Catholics, marriage is not mere human relationship but also a relationship with God. Have you heard of the Croatian traditional Catholic wedding? In Croatia, Catholic bride and groom pronounce their vows while holding a crucifix. This makes them aware that they pledge love and fidelity through sickness and health, riches and poverty, bliss and trials not only to their spouse but to the Lord above all. After the wedding, the crucifix occupies a prominent place in the family altar where the couple pray with their kids everyday for all kinds of graces. No wonder they say, divorce is rare in Croatia. Shouldn’t our churches introduce this approach to wedding vows as well?

 

Let us pray for married couples, especially for those undergoing many sorts of trials in their relationships. Let us pray for those considering marriage that they may be spiritually prepared. Let us pray for those who experienced failed marriages that they may not feel rejected or abandoned but encouraged to continue asking the Lord for guidance and strength.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HOLY MASS IN FILIPINO (TAGALOG)

-
Image
ANG BANAL NA MISA PAMBUNGAD NA AWIT Pari:    Sa ngalan ng Ama, at ng anak, at ng Espiritu Santo. Bayan: Amen P.         Sumainyo ang Panginoon. B.        At sumainyo rin. P.         Mga kapatid, aminin nating ang ating mga kasalanan upang tayo’y maging marapat sa pagdiriwang ng banal na paghahaing ito.             Sinugong Tagapagpagaling sa mga nagsisisi,             Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. B.        Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. P.        Dumating na Tagapag-anyayang mga makasalana’y magsisi,             Kristo, kaawaan mo kami. B.         Kristo, kaawaan mo kami. P.         Nakaluklok ka sa kanan ng Diyos Ama para ipamagitan kami             Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. B.         Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami. P.         Kaawaan tayo ng makapangyarihang Diyos,             Patawarin tayo sa ating mga kasalanan,             At patnubayan tayo sa buhay na walang hanggan. B.        Amen. GLORIA/ LUWALHATI
Read more

SIMBANG GABI DAY 1: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

-
Image
FIRST DAY: DECEMBER 16   (from the book: Where is the Child?by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: StPauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen's photo First Reading: Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8   Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.   Hay is the one who does this, whoever holds fast to it: Keeping the sabbath without profaning it, keeping one’s hand from doing any evil. The foreigner joined to the Lord should not say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people”; Nor should the eunuch say, “See, I am a dry tree.” And foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, to become his servants—All who keep the sabbath without profaning it and hold fast to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will
Read more

SIMBANG GABI DAY 2: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

-
Image
SECOND DAY: December 17   (from the book: Where is the Child?by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: StPauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen's photo   First Reading: Genesis 49:2, 8-10   Jacob called his sons and said [to them]: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise—your hand on the neck of your enemies;the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s cub, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches, lies down like a lion, Like a lioness—who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and he receives the people’s obedience.”     A.             Short Background on the First Reading   1. Who was Judah? Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (or Israel). Jacob was considered the father of the nation of Israel and his twelve sons were cons
Read more