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Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I Jas 5:9-12

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered.
You have heard of the perseverance of Job,
and you have seen the purpose of the Lord,
because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear,
either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath,
but let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No,”
that you may not incur condemnation.

Responsorial Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12

R.        (8a)  The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
            and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
            and forget not all his benefits.
R.        The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
            he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
            he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R.        The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
            slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
            nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R.        The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
            so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
            so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R.        The Lord is kind and merciful.

Alleluia See Jn 17:17b, 17a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,
he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him and asked,
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?”
They replied,
“Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her.”
But Jesus told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts
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 flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Two Become One

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This summer, God willing, my wife and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Reflecting on that makes me feel totally inadequate to discuss the topic of today’s Gospel, divorce. And yet, at the same time, reflecting honestly on 35 years of marriage makes me feel totally inadequate to discuss marriage. What do I really know, and what can I tell anyone else that would help them based on the life I have lived? Can I even find the words? 

I do know this: Marriage is the easiest thing in the world, if you do it correctly. Moses permitted divorce because he saw people weren’t doing it correctly. “Because of the hardness of your hearts” he allowed it. Now, this brings to mind something I heard a priest say once that has always stuck with me: “If you’re going to bring people to Jesus, you have to meet them where they are.” Of course, he didn’t mean in a physical or geographical sense; he was talking about where people are in their faith, their spiritual journey. You have to assess and accept where they are, not where you expect they should be. I see this concept in Moses’ bill of divorce, that the people weren’t in a place to see the underlying truth in marriage. When the Pharisees bring it up with Jesus, he sees they are ready to hear the truth and he gives it to them straight: Married people “are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” But even before that, Jesus gets to the bedrock basics of the situation: “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.”

“God made them” and “God has joined.” And God does all of this out of His infinite love. That’s marriage, folks. Our marriage is not about my wife and me. It’s about her and me and God. His love created us, joins us, sustains us, forgives us. And only by loving God completely, putting Him at the center of our lives, can we properly love each other, can we become one flesh. No longer is the self the focus, it’s that precious gift of God’s love, including in the person of our spouse. And this is not just a marriage thing. We can’t do single life or celibacy or consecrated life properly, either, without surrendering our path to the loving will of God.

I once asked my wife a trick question: Who do you think is more important, you or me? Knowing me as well as she does, she knew I was up to something, so I had to explain, yes, it’s all in the choice of words. Not “who is” more important but “who do you think?” Because when it comes to any relationship based on mutual love, our main focus cannot be ourselves. And nearly 35 years of togetherness has taught us that I left the most important member of this relationship — God — out of that trick question. 

Marriage is the easiest thing in the world, if you do it correctly. But all of us being humans, we don’t do it correctly all of the time. Love is easy to talk about but not always easy to do in our sinful human condition. Luckily, we have a marriage partner more than willing to help us, if we remember to keep Him at the center of it.

Contact the author

Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the 3-year-old who teaches him what the colors of Father’s chasubles mean. He has served on a Catholic School board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.

Feature Image Credit: Joe Yates, https://unsplash.com/photos/wNOymf_yTUA

St. Tarasius: Saint of the Day for Friday, February 25, 2022

St. Tarasius was subject of the Byzantine Empire. He was raised to the highest honors in the Empire as Consul, and later became first secretary to the Emperor Constantine and his mother, Irene. When being elected Patriarch of Constantinople, he consented to accept the dignity offered to him only on condition that a General Council should be summoned to resolve the disputes concerning the veneration of sacred images, for Constantinople had been separated from the Holy See on account of the war …

Prayer for Gods Guidance: Prayer of the Day for Friday, February 25, 2022

Father in Heaven,
You made me Your child
and called me to walk in the Light of Christ.
Free me from darkness
and keep me in the Light of Your Truth.
The Light of Jesus has scattered
the darkness of hatred and sin.
Called to that Light,
I ask for Your guidance.
Form my life in Your Truth,
my heart in Your Love.
Through the Holy Eucharist,
give me the power of Your Grace
that I may walk in the Light of Jesus
and serve Him faithfully.

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading I Jas 5:1-6

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
your gold and silver have corroded,
and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;
it will devour your flesh like a fire.
You have stored up treasure for the last days.
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers
who harvested your fields are crying aloud;
and the cries of the harvesters
have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
You have condemned;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.

Responsorial Psalm 49:14-15ab, 15cd-16, 17-18, 19-20

R.        (Matthew 5:3)  Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
This is the way of those whose trust is folly,
            the end of those contented with their lot:
Like sheep they are herded into the nether world;
            death is their shepherd and the upright rule over them.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Quickly their form is consumed;
            the nether world is their palace.
But God will redeem me
            from the power of the nether world by receiving me.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Fear not when a man grows rich,
            when the wealth of his house becomes great,
For when he dies, he shall take none of it;
            his wealth shall not follow him down.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,
            “They will praise you for doing well for yourself,”
He shall join the circle of his forebears
            who shall never more see light.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

Alleluia 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, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,  
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed  
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled  
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

“Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Salt and Sin as Synonyms

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When someone says winter to me I think of snow as I’ve lived in the midwest most of my life. Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Michigan collectively average thirty eight inches of snow, however, this varies greatly depending on which part of the state you live in. The air temperatures fluctuate a lot during the winter months too, frequently going back and forth over the freezing mark which can cause ice build up on the roads.

What this has to do with today’s readings is simple; salt. Salt and water are a corrosive combination which accelerate the decomposition of metals, roadbeds, fabrics and many other materials. Too much salt in your diet can lead to problems with blood pressure, heart disease, kidney issues, headaches, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and stroke.

Sin is a killer. Each sin makes it easier for the next sin to occur. It leads to more distance between me and the light and love of God. The fear of a secret sin being revealed, judgment or punishment due to an act or a wrongful deed, can keep me away from the saving grace and healing power in the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

Sin and salt are both corrosive. You do need some salt in your diet (fifteen hundred milligrams or less per day for adults, however in the USA an adult averages 3,400mg) to be healthy. Sin is not needed on a daily basis or ever. Even a ‘little’ sin can quickly lead to barreling down the slippery slope to Gehenna.  To paraphrase today’s Gospel, ‘Sin, don’t do it; just cut it out!’

Keeping the love of Jesus Christ, the Lord God in our hearts, good Words in our minds, and receiving the sacraments as frequently as we are able to in our lives, will help keep sin’s corrosive nature away. Great friends and a spiritual director who know you well will also help to keep you honest with yourself. Maybe this Lent my focus will be, ‘Sin, don’t do it; just cut it out!”

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and a practicing spiritual director. Beth shares smiles, prayers, laughter, a listening ear and her heart with all of creation. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Zsolt Palatinus, https://unsplash.com/photos/pEK3AbP8wa4

Prayer For Courage: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, February 24, 2022

Dear God, give me courage,
for perhaps I lack it more than anything else.

I need courage before men against their threats
and against their seductions.

I need courage to bear unkindness,
mockery, contradiction.

I need courage to fight against the devil,
against terrors and troubles, temptations,
attractions, darkness and false lights,
against tears, depression, and above all fear.

I need Your help, dear God.

Strengthen me with Your love and Your grace. …

Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

Reading I Jas 4:13-17

Beloved:
Come now, you who say,
“Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town,
spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”–
you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
Instead you should say,
“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”
But now you are boasting in your arrogance.
All such boasting is evil.
So for one who knows the right thing to do
and does not do it, it is a sin.

Responsorial Psalm 49:2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

R.        (Matthew 5:3)  Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Hear this, all you peoples;
            hearken, all who dwell in the world,
Of lowly birth or high degree,
            rich and poor alike.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Why should I fear in evil days
            when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
They trust in their wealth;
            the abundance of their riches is their boast.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
            or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough
            to remain alive always and not see destruction.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
For he can see that wise men die,
            and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
            leaving to others their wealth.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

Alleluia Jn 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.