Tag: free will

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother.” | Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:1-12, today’s readings)

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.”

As Jesus teaches the crowds, some Pharisees approach him and ask, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They are testing him with this question. He responds by asking, “What does Moses command you?” They answer, “Moses permits a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” Jesus explains that because of stubbornness, Moses allowed divorce but that from the beginning, God created humans as male and female, intending for a man to leave his parents and become one with his wife. In responding this way, Jesus calls us to a deeper understanding of marital commitment, fidelity, and the need for grace in overcoming the challenges that couples may face in every marriage. As Sirach says in the first reading, “A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds.”

God, thank you for the gift of marriage, a sacred covenant you established by your divine will. What you have joined together, no one should separate. Jesus’ teaching reminds spouses of the commitment they make to each other and the importance of working through challenges. Give me the grace to understand that marriage is a reflection of your love for the Church as married couples embody patience, kindness, and humility in a union that gives all glory to you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

To be salted with fire. | Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:41-50, today’s readings)

“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

Jesus continues to speak to the disciples, answering their questions and teaching them. From the same chapter in Mark, in the home of one of his followers, Jesus takes a child in his arms and says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” Shortly after, Jesus says: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” He tells them it is better to lose a limb or an eye if they cause you to sin and enter Gehenna, a place of unquenchable fire. It is ours to own when God holds us accountable for our actions as natural consequences follow. By being “salted with fire,” a means to purification in this life’s trials and in purgatory, Jesus encourages us in his mercy to be accountable for the faith and charity we show even as the Holy Spirit refines us in true faith and charity.

God, help me take to heart the words of Sirach in the first reading, who urges me to keep from the error of relying on my own strength and presuming your mercy. “Say not, Sirach writes, ‘Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.'” As Jesus makes clear to the disciples, make clear to me that I am responsible for the words and actions I choose through your gift of free will, ardent in my faith and trusting in your mercy and justice through Jesus Christ your Son. Lord, make me know your ways; teach me your paths.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.