THE GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Friday - August 12, 2022

Friday - August 12, 2022

I have no greater desire to die than to live; 

if our Lord gave me the choice I would choose nothing; 

I only will what He wills; 

It is what He does that I love.

-- St. Therese of Lisieux

August 12, 2022

FRIDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Lectionary: 417

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    EZ 16:1-15, 60, 63

 

The word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.

Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:

By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan;

your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.

As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut;

you were neither washed with water nor anointed,

nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.

No one looked on you with pity or compassion

to do any of these things for you.

Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,

the day you were born.

 

Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.

I said to you:  Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.

You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty;

your breasts were formed, your hair had grown,

but you were still stark naked.

Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.

So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;

I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;

you became mine, says the Lord GOD.

Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,

and anointed you with oil.

I clothed you with an embroidered gown,

put sandals of fine leather on your feet;

I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.

I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms,

a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,

pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.

Thus you were adorned with gold and silver;

your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.

Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food.

You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.

You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was,

because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you,

says the Lord GOD.

 

But you were captivated by your own beauty,

you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,

and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,

whose own you became.

 

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,

and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,

that you may remember and be covered with confusion,

and that you may be utterly silenced for shame

when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD. 

 

Or

 

Ez 16:59-63

 

Thus says the LORD:

I will deal with you according to what you have done,

you who despised your oath, breaking a covenant.

Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,

and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you.

Then you shall remember your conduct and be ashamed

when I take your sisters, those older and younger than you,

and give them to you as daughters,

even though I am not bound by my covenant with you.

For I will re-establish my covenant with you,

that you may know that I am the LORD,

that you may remember and be covered with confusion,

and that you may be utterly silenced for shame

when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  ISAIAH 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6

 

R. (1c)  You have turned from your anger.

 

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. You have turned from your anger.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You have turned from your anger.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You have turned from your anger.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2 See 1 THES 2:13      

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,

but, as it truly is, the word of God.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           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.”

 

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

THE VALUE OF CELIBACY EVEN IN MARRIAGE

Celibacy is meant to be a gift, a great joy. Jesus confirms this in today's Gospel passage when he speaks of those who renounce marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

 

As someone who's been married to the same man since 1975, I certainly know the joys of a physical union. But this is not what gives me the greatest pleasure in my relationship with Ralph.

 

Ignore all the media hype and social emphasis on the supposed "necessity" of having sensual pleasures to prove love and to feel loved. Forget the lies that are so prevalent in our world today, which claim that fun on a date means ending up in bed together. Sex is not needed for a close relationship, and there are plenty of other ways to have romantic fun.

 

This truth is misunderstood by couples who think it's best to live together before the wedding. It's unknown to young men who have said no to the priesthood because they don't want miss out on sex and to women who have said no to religious life for the same reason. It's been hidden from homosexuals who believe they must find a bed partner or else they're missing something important. It's not been explained well to couples who use artificial birth control because they don't want to abstain for a couple of days during the woman's fertile time.

 

Jesus acknowledges our physical, hormonal drives by saying: "Not everyone can accept this teaching." At the same time, he makes it clear that those who don't have physical relations are just as normal as those who do. Is it surprising that a quadriplegic can be happily married and that the spouse would find their spiritual and emotional union profoundly satisfying? Or that a priest would find complete fulfillment in a spiritual union with his bride, the Church?

 

With compassion, we who are married can support and encourage those who live celibately. This means including singles in our family events. It means being conscious of what we wear, dressing modestly instead of looking like a temptation. It means taking a stand against entertainment that promotes marital physical pleasures without marriage between a man and a woman. And it also means taking time to educate ourselves about the difference between what scripture teaches and what the world says to the contrary -- and why.

 

Since God gave us the gift of desiring physical intimacy, what's the value of celibacy? Jesus implies that it's better than being married. We know from the first part of this reading that he's not against marriage. But why would he agree with his disciples when they said, "If that is the case between husband and wife, it is better not to marry"?

 

Note the beautiful description of God's "wedding" (the covenant with Israel) in today's first reading. We become his bride when we commit ourselves to loving him faithfully. Those who are single and celibate don't have to divide their time and energies between God and an earthly spouse; they can experience giving love and devotion to God full-time and without a spouse getting jealous or becoming a distraction.

 

God is the greatest Lover in the universe!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Lord, may every couple give You the place You want and need to reign in their relationship. May every division or annoyance be surrendered to Your reconciling love. Amen.

 

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

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