May 23 2024 4 mins
Friday 7th week in ordinary time "Mk 10:1-12"
Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?...Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart 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.' So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." The plans and laws of God are meant to help us achieve happiness. But the fact that the plan comes from God's Love doesn't mean that it isn't demanding. A man was extremely overweight. He was double the weight he used to be. He went to the doctor because he had constant headaches, sleep problems, difficulties in concentrating and being productive at work. His family life was also difficult. He was grumpy all the time and found it hard to make time for his wife and children. The doctor gave him the solution to all his problems: a diet. After a few months he went back to his normal weight and found himself better than ever. He could now sleep well, his headaches disappeared, he felt cheerful again and was more productive than ever at work. Everything was great except at meal times. His diet was demanding. On his next visit to the doctor he relayed the good news of his new condition but asked if certain allowances could be made: could he eat pasta, or a cake every now and then? Could he have a snack before going to bed? Was alcohol really prohibited? Couldn't he go to the gym only once a week instead of four times? The doctor had to say, "It is your headache, not mine, your mood, your work, your sleep and your family... Do what you want but remember how it was before!" We find happiness when we make the effort to fulfil the Loving Plan of God. It is always demanding, but God doesn't just give us a set of rules, a 'diet'. He gives us the Grace we need and He also follows the diet with us. My Mother, Virgin Most Faithful, may I learn not just to fulfil God's Loving Law as an obligation, but to cherish it every day of my life.
Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?...Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart 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.' So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." The plans and laws of God are meant to help us achieve happiness. But the fact that the plan comes from God's Love doesn't mean that it isn't demanding. A man was extremely overweight. He was double the weight he used to be. He went to the doctor because he had constant headaches, sleep problems, difficulties in concentrating and being productive at work. His family life was also difficult. He was grumpy all the time and found it hard to make time for his wife and children. The doctor gave him the solution to all his problems: a diet. After a few months he went back to his normal weight and found himself better than ever. He could now sleep well, his headaches disappeared, he felt cheerful again and was more productive than ever at work. Everything was great except at meal times. His diet was demanding. On his next visit to the doctor he relayed the good news of his new condition but asked if certain allowances could be made: could he eat pasta, or a cake every now and then? Could he have a snack before going to bed? Was alcohol really prohibited? Couldn't he go to the gym only once a week instead of four times? The doctor had to say, "It is your headache, not mine, your mood, your work, your sleep and your family... Do what you want but remember how it was before!" We find happiness when we make the effort to fulfil the Loving Plan of God. It is always demanding, but God doesn't just give us a set of rules, a 'diet'. He gives us the Grace we need and He also follows the diet with us. My Mother, Virgin Most Faithful, may I learn not just to fulfil God's Loving Law as an obligation, but to cherish it every day of my life.