Matthew 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."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who struggle with depression.
In our world today, "hardness of heart" rates are high.
When everyone asked Pope John Paul II if he would step down as his health deteriorated, he simply reminded all of us that Christ never came down from the cross. Christ is the ultimate model of fidelity.
It is time to be better imitators of Christ! The sacredness of marriage needs to be restored so that the world can better models of Christ's love for us, The Church, as more husbands love their wives as Christ loves The Church.
As a single person looking in, it's a scary thought. Dying to my own hardened heart as Christ did I know is hard. Looking upon a crucifix that hasn't been "domesticated" it's very scary. Looking at a crucifix, though, reminds us all that God has been through the pain, but He has also won the victory! He knows the struggle we go through, and through His Most Holy Wounds, He will give us the grace to be faithful if we are willing. Be not afraid to die to the fears and struggles you have, for God will never forsake us. Take care and God Bless.
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