Tag: sin

“So they are no longer two but one flesh.” | Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:41-50)

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “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 today’s Gospel, some Pharisees approach Jesus and question him about divorce according to Jewish law. Jesus immediately makes clear to the Pharisees that marriage, a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, was not meant to be dissolved. No human being, Jesus says, should undo what God has done. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: “The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that had slipped into the old Law. Between the baptized, ‘a ratified and consummated marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power or for any reason other than death.'” (CCC 2382) Jesus upholds the sacredness and permanent bond of marriage and emphasizes the original plan of God for the union of man and woman.

God, help me comprehend the fullness of Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. Marriage in the Church is a sacrament and in your mercy is meant to be permanent. There is no mistaking Jesus’ words in private to the disciples. Help me also know your mercy in the teachings of the Church in cases of annulment, that the Church has the authority to determine whether in truth a marriage lacked something essential from the beginning, rendering it null and void. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of marriage, which you authored from the beginning of creation. Keep in your care those you have joined in this sacrament, and for the sake of your glory, guide to all truth those who seek your mercy.

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.

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed, “They will praise you for doing well for yourself,” He shall join the circle of his forebears who shall never more see light. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:41-50)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

In the consecutive Gospel readings for this week, Jesus refers to children and to the innocent when he 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.” The consequences for causing the innocent, the pure of heart, to sin is self-destructive. In response to this and from a place of love, Jesus teaches us that outright rejection of such an act—even to the drastic extent of cutting off the offending member—would be better than to cause another to sin. “It is better for you to enter into life maimed,” Jesus says, “than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” Lesser offenses also call for renunciation and detachment in this life because we belong to Christ and in order to have hands to receive and give the cup of his mercy.

God, help me comprehend that in Jesus I hear your word directly. “Receive the word of God,” the Gospel acclamation says, “not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.” Since it is Jesus your Son who speaks these words, give me the gift of fear of the Lord to sharpen the awareness in me that all is your gift and because of that, I tread always on holy ground. Lord, you are all good and deserving of all my love. Give me the grace, today and always, to belong to Christ and live in his peace.

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.

“He has done all things well.” | Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:31-37)

And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

People begin to recognize Jesus wherever he goes. Knowing he is capable of healing, people in the district of Decapolis bring him a deaf man who has a speech impediment. Mark tells us that Jesus takes the man with him away from the crowd. Jesus puts his finger into the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue, looks up to heaven, and says, “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened.” Immediately, the man’s ears are opened, and he is able to hear and speak clearly. Although Jesus instructs the people to keep quiet about this miracle, their amazement can’t be contained, and they proclaim his power and goodness to anyone who would hear.

God, you sent Jesus to heal the deaf and mute man, just as you sent him to heal all people. Help me be honest in examining my own life, what to bring to you that most needs healing. Jesus, the Divine Physician, knows better than I do what those things are. But in bringing them to him, I open myself to receiving his mercy, recognizing whose eyes are on me as I am healed. Lord, you want me to be free to love you, to be unencumbered so that I can hear and proclaim your word. For this, I need your grace and merciful gaze upon me. Stay with me, Lord!

From the Gospel acclamation: “Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.”

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.

“For saying this, you may go.” | Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:24-30)

She replied and said to [Jesus], “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Even as Jesus attempts to escape notice, he encounters a Syrophoenician woman who asks him to heal her daughter, who has an unclean spirit. Jesus at first responds to her in a way that reflects Jewish perspective in Jesus’ time toward Gentiles: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Willing to receive whatever Jesus could offer her, the woman’s response demonstrates her great humility, faith, and trust in him. As Jesus says these words, the woman’s daughter is immediately healed: “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” The woman who asks for scraps from the table finds so much more—the grace and mercy of the Divine Physician.

God, the woman who came to Jesus clearly knew what she wanted. But in her humility, she was willing to settle for scraps—a crumb of mercy to fall from the table. I often begin my day not knowing what to ask of you and find it hard to bring to the surface what I really need. You know better what I need than I do. Seeing how Jesus responded to the woman for the sake of her daughter, maybe the question is, What do you want to give me today? Give me the grace today to put aside what I think I need and recognize the gifts you place in plain sight before me. Give us this day our daily bread.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”

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.

“From within . . . come evil thoughts.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:14-23)

Jesus said to the disciples: “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

Jesus tells the crowd and later explains to the disciples: “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” The list of evils that plagued people of his time are no less a threat to souls today, and external practices fail to remedy the cause. From within, from the heart, sin defiles; from within, Jesus heals. He recognizes the root cause and invites us to repentance, reconciling us to the Father. By naming evils, he calls us near for the salvation of souls, to preserve us for eternal life through the power of his grace.

God, help me reflect on my inclination toward sin and my need for redemption. Time after time, Jesus associated himself with sinners, inviting them to repent and follow him. The list of evils Jesus names could go on and on. As much an identification of human illnesses, listing sin by name demonstrates the endless permutations of sin that Christ can heal as the Divine Physician. Help me recognize that there is no sin that Christ is not aware of, that there is no sin that he cannot eradicate through his passion, death, and resurrection. God, help me turn to you with a contrite heart in the hope of eternal life; help me trust in your mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “Commit to the LORD your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.”

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.

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 18:15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Jesus teaches his disciples about the need for unity with the Father and reconciliation among one another among members of the Church and within the community. What he teaches speaks to relationships on earth as well as one’s relationship with God. “Amen, I say to you,” Jesus says, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” His words guide us toward seeking resolution, forgiveness, and oneness with the Father.

God, help me understand and take in what you share with the disciples about resolving conflict and restoring unity. Whenever I am wronged by someone, help me remember first to address it privately with the person. “If he listens to you,” Jesus says, “you have won over your brother.” If conflict persists, in the witness and reflection of others, help me be willing to acknowledge any wrongdoing on my part and forgive as you forgive me. Give me the grace, Lord, to see as you see and free myself of anything that would bind me from belonging to you.

From the Gospel acclamation: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, And entreating to us the message of reconciliation.” Reconcile me to you, Lord of heaven and earth.

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.

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately.

The leper who approached Jesus suffered greatly from his disease. In Jesus’ time, leprosy was commonly understood to be a punishment for sin. Therefore, in curing the man immediately from his leprosy, Matthew shows us that Jesus had authority to heal both body and soul. By coming to Jesus, the leper is a great example of his trust in Jesus’ ability to heal him and that faith is essential in our relationship with God and his ability to heal us through his grace.

God, help me understand that the relationship the leper had with Jesus, coming to him in faith and trust, is exactly where I need to be with you. Through the recurrence of sin, I can delude myself in believing that what I have done is beyond your forgiveness. In saying, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean,” the leper comes to Jesus in childlike faith. Jesus’ reply to him shows that what you will is for all to be restored in wholeness to you. In a state of grace, the leper hears Jesus command him to show himself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses. In the same way after receiving absolution in Confession, I go with joy in a state of grace to offer myself to Jesus as I receive him in the Eucharist.

Thank you, Lord, for your gift of healing physical and spiritual illnesses through your grace, through the sacraments. When I have sinned, let to come to you in faith to receive your divine mercy.

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.

Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”

What catches my attention immediately from today’s Gospel reading is Jesus’ acknowledgment of the inevitability that things lead to sin. As people in constant need of God’s forgiveness, I feel relieved that Jesus recognizes the inevitability of fallen human nature. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the slate is wiped clean through contrition and the forgiveness of the priest, who absolves sins in persona Christi. To those who cause others to sin, however, Jesus says, “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Hearing and believing that, I want to put myself in check whenever an opportunity comes to cause others to sin. Jesus then tells the Apostles to forgive those who hurt you—over and over forgive them. Just as in the Our Father, forgiveness from God comes with a spirit that cooperates with his will in forgiving others. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Lord, you say to me, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur.” Let me consider further these words in relation to the Our Father. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The word us prompts us to consider that this prayer embraces others—our family, the community, and larger spheres of interaction. Keep me, Lord, from causing others to sin, and let me pray that you deliver them from the same. For this, Lord, the Apostles said to you, “Increase our faith.”

God, you take the little faith I have and assure me that astounding things can happen. Today, when I am troubled at the tasks I face, help me remember that you call me back to sit still and rest in you and forgive those who wrong me. Through your grace and my humility to receive it, keep me from being a people pleaser for the sake of pride. Instead, work in me today to accomplish all that is fully pleasing 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.

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