Daily Reflection _ sunday of 27th week OT


RESPECT LIFE AND FAMILY
On this "Respect Life" Sunday, how do we put our damaged social relationships back together? If only we lived in a world without power struggles and moral dilemmas about how to care for our aging members, or the value of the unborn. There are decisions that need to be made regarding the rightful place for those who are mentally and physically different or the rights of the undocumented, and our responsibility toward the economically disadvantaged. And to add to all this here is the big question: What do you think God intended for the Christian family? These are tough questions, but when we think about it, we are all members of a family - even if we have rejected our own family and others, or if we have been rejected by them. To solve the problem, we have to go back to the beginning, to the issue of the complementary lives that God first created.
Our first reading tells us the story of the creation of Eve. Adam was alone and God knew it was "not good for the man to be alone" (Gen 2:18). So God took one of Adam's ribs and built it into a woman - a creation that was at last right for the man. This new creation was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Notice that God did not make the woman from a part of Adam's head or feet, but from a rib, which comes from near his heart. She stands out as both equal and complementary, and the two become one flesh.
In today's Gospel the Pharisees come to ask Jesus another question, but with a hidden agenda of course. "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife" (Mk 10:2)? Once again Jesus aligns Himself with Moses and replies, "What did Moses command you?" They responded, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." Jesus agrees but with a straight forward comment, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment" (Mk 10:2 - 5). The key here is the hardness of heart. What does that mean? If a heart is hard, it cannot expand, it cannot grow, nor can it love. It is paralyzed. What relationships do we have that need our hearts to grow and expand with love and forgiveness? We need hearts that can be renewed and converted.
Jesus Christ goes on to demonstrate what He means when the people bring their children to Him. He said, "Let the children come to Me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mk 10:14). Then Jesus embraced the children and placing His hands on them, He blessed them. Jesus turns no one away. His love for everyone, especially for the children, is an example of what it means to be a family. It is within the family that we learn to love and where we teach our children to love. Families are the primary learning source for children and it is our responsibility to bring God's love into our families. Saint Catherine of Siena wrote, "Your Son went down from the heights of His divinity to the depths of our humanity." Can anyone's heart remain closed and hardened after this?
Respect Life and Family!