MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Sunday - October 03, 2021

Sunday - October 03, 2021

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.”

 

-St. Louis Marie de Montfort

October 3, 2021

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 140

 

Reading 1                                                     Gn 2:18-24

The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone.

I will make a suitable partner for him."

So the LORD God formed out of the ground

various wild animals and various birds of the air,

and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;

whatever the man called each of them would be its name.

The man gave names to all the cattle,

all the birds of the air, and all wild animals;

but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

 

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,

and while he was asleep,

he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib

that he had taken from the man.

When he brought her to the man, the man said:

    "This one, at last, is bone of my bones

        and flesh of my flesh;

    this one shall be called 'woman, '

        for out of 'her man’ this one has been taken."

That is why a man leaves his father and mother

and clings to his wife,

and the two of them become one flesh.

 

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

 

R. (cf. 5)  May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

 

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,

    who walk in his ways!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;

    blessed shall you be, and favored.

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

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

    in the recesses of your home;

your children like olive plants

    around your table.

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

Behold, thus is the man blessed

    who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion:

    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

    all the days of your life.

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

May you see your children's children.

    Peace be upon Israel!

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

 

Reading 2                                                     Heb 2:9-11

Brothers and sisters:

He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, "

that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

 

For it was fitting that he,

for whom and through whom all things exist,

in bringing many children to glory,

should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.

He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated

all have one origin.

Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

 

Alleluia                                                                      1 Jn 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If we love one another, God remains in us

and his love is brought to perfection in us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12

 

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,

"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"

They were testing him.

He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"

They replied,

"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce

and dismiss her."

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."

In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.

He said to them,

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another

commits adultery against her;

and if she divorces her husband and marries another,

she commits adultery."

 

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,

but the disciples rebuked them.

When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,

"Let the children come to me;

do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to

such as these.

Amen, I say to you,

whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child

will not enter it."

Then he embraced them and blessed them,

placing his hands on them.

 

OR:

 

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,

"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"

They were testing him.

He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"

They replied,

"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce

and dismiss her."

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."

In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.

He said to them,

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another

commits adultery against her;

and if she divorces her husband and marries another,

she commits adultery."

********************************

 

Supernatural Love in Marriage

Do you love someone who isn't loving you back? Have you experienced God's supernatural love helping you love those who are difficult to love?

 

For those of us who are married, we expect to be loved by our spouses as much as we need to be loved. And we assume that it's always going to be mutual: We will always be loved by our spouse with the same passion as we love them.

 

However, most marriages enter difficulties that require supernatural love as well as supernatural persistence. That's why we need the Sacrament of Matrimony instead of just a civil ceremony at the courthouse or beach. Marriages need divine grace to endure with the permanence that God provides.

 

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus explains that the law of Moses permitted divorce (Deut. 24:1) because of the hardness of people's hearts. This is not an approval of divorce. He wants us to have hearts like his own, which never stops loving anyone.

 

In the days of Moses, when a marriage became difficult or unsatisfying, many men abandoned their wives. Although marriage was, from the beginning (Genesis Chapter 1) supposed to be a permanent covenant that united one man with one woman, a bill of divorce would allow an abandoned or rejected woman to remarry for her protection. It was never intended to be an approval of divorce.

 

Marriage is a reflection of God's faithful union with us. Permanence in marriage is a divine gift from God so that we can reflect him well. If we don't believe in the permanence of love within marriage, how can we believe that God is always in love with us -- including when we don't deserve it? And how can the children and others who watch us believe?

 

Remember, sometimes the lover goes to the Cross for the beloved. The vocation of marriage ordains the spouses to be a reflection of Christ's passion for all.

 

God never forces us to stay "married" to him. He loves us even when we turn away from him. Likewise, an unloved spouse is called by God to continue loving the one who abandons the marriage, even if only from afar. This is also true in any God-ordained friendships, and between priests and the laity they serve, and parents with their children.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Lord Jesus, I want to build my marriage on You, the solid rock. Come and reign in it and may we, husband and wife, let You lead us with Your love, remaining together, as You remain in our Father. Amen.

 

God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”