Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Marriage: Faithful Love
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. In poignant, at times almost crude terms, springing from a heart that loves deeply and is hurt by infidelity, the prophet Ezekiel reminds the people of God’s covenant love. What the people are, what we are, we are by God’s love. He has linked his destiny to ours and cannot forget or abandon us, even it we desert him.
Gospel. God reveals some qualities of his own love in the love of husband and wife. It is a love that reveals, in which a person discloses himself to another person as intimately as possible. It is a love that accepts the other person as he or she is and is willing to share everything together. It is a love that sacrifices all self-interests for the partner. It is a faithful love. It is also a love that is creative, that brings out the best in the other person. Is this not an image of God’s love and, conversely, is God’s Trinitarian love and his love for us not the model of all human love?
Opening Prayer
God, your name is love;
everyone who loves knows you
and anyone who fails to love
can never have known you.
Keep us from separating what you have united:
husbands and wives, parents and their children,
your Son and his Church, friends in their joys and sorrows.
Let all live in your creative, lasting love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Or:
A Love Story
The word of the Lord came to me in these words:
“Son of man, make known to Jerusalem its sins.
You say on my behalf: Your beginning was in Canaan; there you were born. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.
When you were born, your cord was not cut; you were not bathed in water to make you clean; you were not rubbed with salt, nor were you wrapped in cloth.
There was no one to look at you with pity; no one compassionate enough to give you any of these cares. You were left exposed in the open fields because you were seen with disgust on the day you were born.
But I passed by and saw you, immersed in your blood. I said to you, in the midst of your blood, “Live!”
I made you grow like a plant in the field.
You grew up, became tall, and was coming of marriageable age. Your breasts were formed and your hair had grown, but you were naked and exposed. Later, I passed by and saw you at the age of love; I spread part of my garment over you to cover your nudity. I made a covenant with you with an oath—word of the Lord—and you were mine.
Then I bathed you in water;I cleansed you of your blood and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with embroidered cloth and put soft leather sandals on your feet. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with silk.
I adorned you with jewelry, putting bracelets on your arms, a necklace around your neck
and a ring in your nose.
I gave you earrings and a magnificent crown for your head. You were adorned with gold and silver; your clothing was fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You were fed on the finest flour, honey, and oil; you became very beautiful and rose to be queen.
Your beauty was perfect; and your renown spread through the nations because of the splendorI had given you—word of the Lord.
But you relied on your beauty; you trusted in your fame; and you began to give yourself to every passerby, like a prostitute.
But I will remember my Covenant with you in the days of your youth and will establish an everlasting Covenant in your favor.
Then you will remember, feel ashamed, and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven you for all you have done,” says the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1c) You have turned from your anger.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You have turned from your anger.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You have turned from your anger.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You have turned from your anger.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but, as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Some Pharisees came to him. They aimed to test him and asked:
“Is a man allowed to divorce his wife for any reason he wants?”
Jesus replied:
“Have you not read that in the beginning, the Creator made them male and female?
And the Creator said: Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
So, they are no longer two, but one body. Let no one separate what God has joined.”
They asked him:
“Then why did Moses command us to write a bill of dismissal in order to divorce?”
Jesus replied:
“Moses knew the hardness of your hearts, so he allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not so in the beginning.
Therefore, I say to you: whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another, commits adultery.
The disciples said:
“If that is the condition of a married man, it is better not to marry.”
Jesus said to them:
“Not everyone can accept what you have just said, but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others. But some have given up the possibility of marriage, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who can accept it, accept it.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– 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 the kingdom of God, that they may never become loners but that their hearts may be spacious and warm, open to all people and to all needs, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
around this table with bread and wine
we celebrate our community
and remember Jesus’ love.
Let your Son accompany us
wherever we share the same food
and walk side by side toward the future
in faithfulness and trust.
Make us keepers of one another’s happiness
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Faithful God of the covenant,
you have entrusted love to us
not as a finished product
but as an assignment for life.
Let the love of Jesus invest our love
with indestructible fidelity and generosity
that it may weather all storms
and keep growing in depth
until you crown it with your joy forever.
Blessing
What God has joined together, let no one separate. Husband and wife are one, and they have promised to be one in sickness and health, in good days and in bad days. May God keep them united and may he bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 19: 3- 12
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe
God blesses the choices you make with Him
Today is the Church's commemoration of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Franciscan missionary priest, publisher, evangelist, and Martyr. His lifelong motto was "To Jesus through Mary." He is recognised as an advocate of Mass Media to promote Marian devotion. When the Nazis took control of the country in 1939, Kolbe was imprisoned in the Auschwitz death camp. In 1941, he volunteered to take the place of a man who was sentenced to die in retribution for an escaped prisoner. His offer was accepted, and he passed away two weeks later on August 14, the day before Mary's Assumption.
St. Pope John Paul II canonised him in 1982, calling him a "martyr of charity." He is the patron saint of journalists, media communicators, families, and chemically addicted people.
Matthew offers a catechesis on marriage, divorce, and relationships, possibly addressing community struggles. He reminds them of Jesus' teachings, emphasising marriage as a sacred sacrament, not just an ordinary union, reflecting God's creative plan. Jesus said, “What God has joined together, let no one separate,” but many still question if divorce is legal. The Gospel teaches that marriage is a Sacrament willed by God, meant for life, not just a short period.
Marriage is rooted in love, surrender, and sacrifice. The Bible teaches that married people are 'no more than two but one,' reflecting love that sacrifices and surrenders entirely. Jesus compared his love for his followers to the love between spouses, illustrating love without conditions and total surrender. St. Paul described this relationship as like that between the Church and Christ. True love, like Jesus's, involves loving without conditions, even unto death. Those who believe in Jesus and follow his teachings would not consider separation.
The disciples' fear mirrors ours today. They say, “it would be better not to marry!” Many young people fear making life choices—marriage, family, religious life, or priesthood—and worry about failure. Avoiding choices means not trusting God. Pope St. John Paul II told youth: “God will not make choices for you, but He blesses the choices you make with Him.” Jesus also encourages us: “Do not be afraid, only believe.”
Coffee With God 18 August 2023 - Transformation is God's grace