＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Genesis 2:18-24

Yahweh God said,

“It is not good for Man to be alone; I will give him a helper who will be like him.” Then Yahweh God formed from the earth all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air and brought them to Man to see what he would call them; and whatever Man called every living creature, that was its name.

So Man gave names to all the cattle, the birds of the air and to every beast of the field. But he did not find among them a helper like himself. Then Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to come over Man and he fell asleep.

He took one of his ribs and filled its place with flesh. The rib which Yahweh God had taken from Man he formed into a woman and brought her to the man. The man then said, “Now this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.

She shall be called woman because she was taken from man.” That is why man leaves his father and mother and is attached to his wife, and with her becomes one flesh.

 

Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

 

   ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Hebrews 2:9-11

 But Jesus who suffered death and for a little while was placed lower than the angels has been crowned with honor and glory. For the merciful plan of God demanded that he experience death on behalf of everyone.

 God, from whom all come and by whom all things exist, wanted to bring many children to glory, and he thought it fitting to make perfect through suffering the initiator of their salvation.   So he who gives and those who receive holiness are one. He himself is not ashamed of calling us brothers and sisters.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Mark 10:2-16

Some (Pharisees came and) put him to the test with this question, “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?”   He replied, “What law did Moses give you?”  They answered, “Moses allowed us to write a certificate of dismissal in or­der to divorce.”

 Then Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you, because you are stubborn. But in the beginning of creation God made them male and female,   and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife,   and the two shall become one body. So they are no longer two but one body.   Therefore let no one separate what God has joined.”

 When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked him about this  and he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against his wife,   and the woman who divorces her husband and mar­ries another also commits adultery.”  People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this.

 When Jesus noticed it, he was very angry and said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”   Then he took the children in his arms and laying his hands on them, blessed them.

 

 

Gospel Reflection：

Read:

Jesus defends the sacredness of marriage by telling the Pharisees that their law of divorce allowed by Moses is an accommodation of their stubbornness. The original intention of God regarding marriage is for it to remain valid forever.

He explains the practical meaning of the inviolability of marriage to His disciples later. He also teaches them to be gentle and mild to little children because they are the mirror of how people should receive the Kingdom, that is, childlike trust and confidence.

 Reflect:

Adults tend to complicate matters while children have a more simple approach to file. Take for example marriage. It is supposed to be a pact between two presumed responsible adults who, not really knowing where their marriage will bring them, yet knows what is expected of them to make the marriage work; fidelity, sharing of responsibilities, equal partnership, respect and the likes.

But when things go wrong and difficulties set in, they take hardened stance to the point that divorce seemed to be the only way, they could not let go of their anger.

But look at the children. When they fight, they do not harbor anger. They seek ways and means in their own childlike way how to restore the broken relationships. The child does not know how to keep anger for a long time.

It is the special skills of adults to harbor resentment ad infinitum. That is why Jesus contrasts the adults in marriage and the children. And He proposes that we learn from children how to cope with disagreement that tend to sour marriage to the point of divorce.

Respond:

How do we react to conflict and disagreement? Do we sulk away and harbor bad feelings for a long time to the point that reconciliation becomes hard and impossible? Let us learn from the children who move on immediately after fighting with each other. And let us say a prayer for the preservation of marriage as an institution in society.