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Jesus' good news, then, was that the Kingdom of God had come, and that he, Jesus, was its herald and expounder to men. More than that, in some special and mysterious way, he was the kingdom.
- Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990), Jesus: the Man who Lives
(The reign of God is in our midst: Jesus!)
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EX 16:1-15, 60, 63; IS 12:2-6
MT 19:3-12
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
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, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
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;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Pass through the city [through Jerusalem] and mark an X on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it.” —Ezekiel 9:4
The Lord destroyed the idolators of Jerusalem. Only those marked with a cross-like figure on their foreheads were spared (Ez 9:6). This was a prefigurement of the end of the world. Only those with the seal of the Lamb of God will be saved (Rv 7:3). Those with the mark of the beast (Rv 13:17) will be damned.
When you were baptized, you were probably signed with the sign of the cross. This symbolizes the fullness of salvation. If you live the meaning of the sign of the cross, you will be saved and live in the love of Jesus forever. Live the cross.
Prayer: Father, may the central priority of my life be to accept Your Son, Jesus, as my Lord, Savior, and God.
Promise: “Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by My Father in heaven. Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in their midst.” —Mt 18:19-20
Presentation Ministries
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Abandonment to Divine Providence
- by Jean-Pierre de Caussade
BOOK II,
CHAPTER III. THE TRIALS CONNECTED WITH THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT
SECTION IV. Distrust of self
The fourth trial of souls in the state of abandonment: the obscurity of their state, and their apparent opposition to the will of God.
The hearts of Jesus and Mary, bearing the fury of that darkest of nights, let the clouds gather, and the storm rage. A multitude of things in appearance most opposed to the designs of God and of His order, overwhelmed their faculties; but though deprived of all sensible support they walked without faltering in the path of love and obedience. Their eyes were fixed only on what they had to do, and leaving God to act as
He pleased with all that concerned them, they endured the whole weight of that divine action. They groaned under the burden, but not for a single instant did they waver or pause. They believed that all would be well, provided that they kept on their way and let God act.
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