August 16

  [media presentation below]

GospelThink

Friday, August 16

MATTHEW 19:3-12
Marriage is a difficult vocation.

Prayerthoughts
a. The Pharisees were testing him. There are things in my life that “test” me, make me anxious or whatever. How do I work with things that happen that are not expected?

b. Divorce is the topic of the meditation. In our age, some good people are divorced for good reason. Probably, the divorce has been difficult. Perhaps we should say a prayer for all of them.

c. Jesus gives his law on divorce: there is to be none. What is the biggest cause for divorce in our world, and does it apply to me at all in my life?

d. Jesus changed the law of Moses. Jesus’s laws are the important thing in my Christian life. What three laws of Jesus do I consider most important? (This is the task of the meditation.)

e. Matthew’s so called “exception,” “…unless the marriage…” is important since I cannot judge whether some divorce fits Jesus’s law or not. Judging another is something that I must stay away from. Am I?

f. Jesus refers to those who are not married, saying that all are to be considered as people of his Kingdom. Have I accepted everyone, not matter what their sexual preference in my world today or am I judging them in a negative way?

g. My prayerthoughts…

                                         Today, I will carry out letter d.





Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

 

THE LESSON OF COMMITMENT

 

+ The first reading from the prophet Ezekiel is from the first part of the book, which is reproaching the Israelite people for past transgressions

            - saying to Jerusalem, the symbol of the Israelite people, that she had broken the covenant

            - with the Lord saying that he will re-establish the covenant

                        - the promise that he will be their God

                                    - a covenant that is real commitment on the part of God

 

+ The Gospel is the classic statement about the indissolubility of marriage along with the idea of being faithful if we have promised something

            - saying that marriage must be considered sacred even if one chooses not to marry

 

+ We heard yesterday about the difficult directive of Jesus to forgive others no matter what

            - here, Jesus says that the granting of divorce can never be considered to be part of his doctrine

                        - there is a phrase here in Matthew’s Gospel with a possibility of an exception—the phrase “unless the marriage is unlawful”—

                                    - but for the most part, in Jesus’ mind, the permanent commitment of marriage and being faithful is his doctrine

 

+ The media of our day often speak about love and almost always there is the idea of commitment that runs through it

            - but, our world does not do well with commitments

                        - ruled by selfish human natures, people of our world too often make what might be called “temporary permanent commitments”

                        - of course, such commitments are a contradiction, but they are so much easier than “permanent permanent commitments”

            - there are legitimate exceptions in which permanent commitments should be abandoned, but one must wonder whether there should be as many exceptions as there are

 

+ The subject of our meditation this morning should be the fact that our understanding of commitment isn’t as strong as it should be

            - if we want happiness, and we all do, we have to understand the meaning of a permanent commitment, whether it is the promise to be a friend “forever,” or the promise to remain with someone as wife or husband all the days of one’s life

 

+ The Church calls on us to have an active faith, that is, an intellectual acceptance of doctrine, but also a witnessing to all that Jesus did: a new vision of God, the world and ourselves

            - in terms of spirituality, that is called pursuing personal holiness and giving it to others.



MEDIA PRESENTATION

Song: "Birds of a Feather" – Billie Eilish

‘TIL THE DAY THAT I DIE



 

The Gospel

LUKE 1:46-56

LUKE 1:46-56

Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home. 

Gospelthink: Jesus’s earthly mother was blessed indeed because she recognized who she was: a person who said “yes” to a permanent commitment.

“I want you to stay 'til I'm in the grave, 'til I rot away, dead and buried, ‘til I'm in the casket you carry. If you go, I'm goin' too / 'cause it was always you and if I'm turnin' blue, please don't save me. Nothin' left to lose without my baby. Birds of a feather we should stick together. And I don't know what I'm cryin' for; I don't think I could love you more. It might not be long, but I'll love you 'til the day that I die, ‘til the light leaves my eyes, ‘til the day that I die.”

Mary's Magnificat, that is, her commentary on saying "Yes" to the Will of God is an example of a commitment that will last forever. As she says, "all ages" will call her "blessed" not because of anything she had done, but because of the "great things" that the Lord accomplished through redemption. Her whole life was a preparation for that moment in time. The Lord promised that he would fulfill the promise he made to Abraham and his descendants "forever."

As people fall in love, the ultimate end, of course, is that both will love each other "forever." But bringing about the "forever" commitment is not something that happens quickly. It takes time, understanding, communication, and what might be called "lived experiences" before a lifelong promise can be made. In Billie Eilish’s song “Birds of a Feather,” the lady in the relationship is making such a commitment and she makes it without any “if statement.” She doesn’t say “if things work out,” or “if you agree with me.” She says pointedly that the commitment is made “til the day that I die”—period.

One of the desires for young people who fall in love, as well as older people who are still searching for a full commitment, is often the desire to find a permanent love that may or may not work out to something really permanent. There is too much work to be done in order to make the proper preparation for the permanent love. It would be much easier to move into a relationship without too much work.

But such a desire could be a disaster for both parties. One of the facts of life and love is that love that happens with an “if” statement will not work out. Yes, there is such a thing as "love at first sight," but even such an exception must be open to some "lived experiences" before the full commitment is made.

Permanent love takes time to develop, and cannot be made with “if statements”. Mary had prepared her whole life to rejoice completely in the Lord. Her Magnificat is an example of the way a permanent commitment be made. It really is “till the day that I die.”

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, Your servant Mary gives us the example of making a "forever" commitment as she agreed to be the Mother of Your Son here on earth. Give us the grace to learn how to make the commitment of love in our lives without any condition. Be with us, we pray.

 

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme:  Real love is love that will last forever and without any “conditions.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1.In the Gospel reading, what is the most striking part of Mary's prayer?

2. What does the song “Birds of a Feather” teach young people?

XXXXXXXXXXXx
2. In general, why should couples be very careful about beginning a relationship a second time?
3. What is your understanding of "redemption." See Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, numbers 599-609.
4. In general, why do permanent commitments not come about quickly?
5. Do you believe that it is a true statement that often we want love relationships to come quickly? Yes or no and why?
6. Do you agree with the meditation that "love at first sight" must also have the proper development over time? Yes or no and why?
7. What are some characteristics of a commitment to true love?
8. What does the song "Closer" teach young people?    

 

©007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America