Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (The two of them become one flesh.)

A reading from the Book of Genesis (2:18-24)

The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the Lord God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while the man was asleep, the Lord God took out one of theman’s ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When the Lord God brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman’, for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6)

R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives. (Cf. Ps 128:5)

Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. (R)

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table. (R)

Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity ofJerusalem all the days of your life. (R)

May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel! (R)

SECOND READING (He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.)

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (2:9-11)

Brothers and sisters: He “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels”, that by the grace of God he mighttaste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers”. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (1 Jn 4: 12)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us. (R)

(Long Form)

GOSPEL (Therefore what God has joined together, let no human being separate.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:2-16)

The Pharisees approached Jesus 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.”

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them. —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

(Short Form)

GOSPEL (What God has joined together, let no human being separate.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:2-12)

The Pharisees approached Jesus 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.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

“It is not good for the man to be alone!” 

In the second creation story in Genesis that we read just now, the author writes, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” It is not good for anyone, man or woman, child or elderly to be alone. There is a fundamental human need to BOND with another. We know – and all pregnant women can testify – that newborns bond in the womb. Social scientists note that newborns may die prematurely if they do not experience human touch. So that nurses and aids in orphanages routinely pick up, cuddle, rock and speak to the babies frequently through the day and night to provide this needed contact. Our identity, our sense of value, and the character of our maturity are all shaped by the quality of our deep bonds with significant others.

The story of creation, as poetic in form as it is, shows that the ancient Israelites were clearly aware of the importance of being joined one to another. Woman is made from the very substance of man, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. And contrary to what some have believed, being made from part of HIM does not make HER inferior to him any more than MAN, formed from the substance of the earth, is considered inferior to the earth. The character of the origin of WOMAN makes her ONE with HIM. They are BONDED. She is a suitable partner (a better translation for the Hebrew ezer than the often mis-translated, HELPER. PARTNER. 

     The WOMAN and MAN are bonded on several levels. They are of the same bone and flesh. In other words, they are equally human beings. In Scripture, bone and flesh are figurative expressions. Bone symbolizes strength and flesh stands for weakness, and together they encompass the full range of human characteristics, such as the expression A to Z or Alpha and Omega mean all letters of an alphabet. The most obvious expression of this all-encompassing bond is marriage and the creation of a new family unit.

Marital bonding is a theme of today’s Gospel also. Jewish law – under strict and limited ways – allowed divorce. So, the question put to Jesus was not seeking information, but was an attempt to trick him into criticizing the Mosaic Law and tradition, putting him at odds with the common practices and beliefs of his day. But Jesus was not caught in this trap; he did not find fault with the Mosaic Law. Instead, he acknowledged the often difficult and challenging aspects of human bonding, and he pointed out divorce was a concession. But they he reminded his hearers of the BOND established since creation between MAN and WOMAN. Legamen – bond.

Notwithstanding personal and individual convictions for or against divorce, we all know the sadness in society of high rates of civil divorce. In some divorce cases, the marital bond is severed; in others, it may never have been forged. Too often, the bond does not even seem to be a serious consideration. This is a modern tragedy because divorce violates a deeply-held precept of the Church against dissolution of marriage – divorce lays before our eyes the absence of a form of bonding that is essential for human fulfillment and happiness – the good – bonum. 

On of these goods is expressed in our Psalm today – where marriage bears fruit through children, and children are a blessing, a good, for the couple. The procreation and raising of children is another human bond – the bonding of generations. With each birth, a new link to the past and hope for the future is present. As parents and grandparents bond with their children they create new possibilities and hopes for the future. Children enrich our lives “like olive plants.” No wonder the Psalmist prays: “May you see your children’s children.” Children are our way of looking into the future, and the way we bond with children is our way of influencing that future.

The writer of Hebrews in our 2nd reading, presents us with another form of BOND. He reminds us that Jesus became one of us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh (the true meaning of incarnation). As one like us, he “tasted death for everyone.” He was not only the sacrifice, but the high priest who offered the sacrifice. “He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.” This is yet another trans-cultural and eternal BOND. We are now his sisters and brothers, bonded with him, and through him bonded to the Father, the Creator.

The image of the last part of the Gospel also needs some explanation. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, children belonged to the world of women, not that of men. In the Bible, alone with women and alien residents, children generally represented vulnerability. 

The act of Jesus welcoming children was not for a “cuteness moment,” but because children are vulnerable and in need of the protection of others. But here, Jesus turns this principle a bit on its head. The child, dependent on others for nurture and protection, is set before us as an example of how we are to stand before God – open and trusting as a child. 

Brothers and sisters, through these bonds established in human nature from the time of creation, we have the promise that WE ARE NEVER REALLY ALONE as long as we keep the bond with God, through Jesus Christ, forged in the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Prayers

Celebrant:  Husbands and wives share in God’s creation of new life. Our intercessions today center around the needs of parents and children in our community and throughout the world.

READER: For the Church, the family of all the families of God, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: In this month dedicated to the Missions, let us pray for all families who have been brought to faith by missionaries, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all young couples in our parish who recently married and for those who are preparing for marriage, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: Through the intercession of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, let us pray for all children recently born in our community, and for those children now carried lovingly by their mother in the womb, that their birth may be safe, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For those suffering from serious illness that the Lord strengthen them; and for the deceased for whom we continually remember in prayer, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD

CELEBRANT: God of love, you created us, male and female in your image to continue your work of creation. Through our prayers for one another, may our love reflect your Risen Son, who lives and reigns, for ever and ever, (all) AMEN.