LITURGY

28th Sunday Year B

 

WORD OF GOD
I prayed and understanding was given me;
I entreated and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I esteemed her more than sceptres and thrones;
compared with her, I held riches as nothing.
(Wisdom 7:7-8)
 

WORD FOR TODAY
They say home is where the heart is. Similarly, if you want to know where your real values lie then ask yourself what it is that takes up most of your thoughts and energy. Is it getting and having things? Or is it about the quality of your life before God? If it’s the latter, then you’ve acquired true wisdom.
 

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
May the Father grant you the light of faith so that you may discern the path of true fulfilment.
Amen.
May the Son instruct your hearts so that you may follow his word in the daily decisions of life.
Amen.
May the Holy Spirit inspire you and grant you the gifts of wisdom and understanding.
Amen.
And may God, ever loving and wise, send his blessing upon you, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

FAITH IN FOCUS: JUST A BIT OF PAPER?
People who live together as partners, without getting married, often say that marriage is just a bit of paper. What difference does it make if you are married or not?
Well, Christian marriage is much more than a consenting adult relationship, more than a convenient arrangement. Christian Churches hold it in high regard as a “holy mystery”. And Catholics call it a sacrament.
Christians believe that the love of husband and wife is like a mirror: it reflects God’s love for the world and in particular Christ’s love for the Church. So their married life is a privileged way in which they can make Christ present to today’s world.
Christian marriage has no room for pre-nuptial agreements. That’s because it’s unconditional. For better for worse, in sickness and in health means that the couple agree to stay together come what may and to face whatever life’s challenges may prove to be.
To begin married life with certain pre-conditions, or with the idea that if things don’t work out then there’s always another option on the horizon, runs contrary to the idea of Christian marriage.
And linked with this is the concept of indissolubility. Sadly, there are cases when everyone agrees it is better for a man and woman to live apart. But if all the circumstances were right at the time of the marriage, then a second marriage is not an option. (Annulments are only granted when things were clearly wrong from the start.)
It goes without saying that Christian marriage is between one man and one woman. That’s because the love shared, and particularly its sexual expression, demands a total giving, a complete sharing of lives together. Each partner gives themselves to the other in a gesture of absolute trust and unreserved love. That’s what the older language about worshipping with the body actually meant. They are no longer two but become one body.
It’s easy just to live together. But to be united in Christian marriage is a vocation to something much deeper.
 

 

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