Daily Readings for October 4, 2015

1ST READING

 

God saw that it is not good for man to be alone, so He gave him a partner. He created woman from the rib of man. It is a sign of their equality. The basic unit of society is the family – the union of man and woman that separates them from their parents and gives them the responsibility of creating a new family. This is the basis for the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. The family must be strong so that the basic building blocks of society remain firm.

 

Genesis 2:18-24

18 The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” 19 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. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. 21 So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, 23 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.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R: May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

1 Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways! 2 For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored. (R) 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table. (R) 4 Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord. 5 The Lord bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. (R) 6 May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel! (R)

 

2ND READING

 

Jesus’ humanity is a key aspect in the work of salvation. He needs to identify with humanity and stand in solidarity with us in order to save us. Today’s text affirms the one and the same identity of humanity and its Redeemer. Jesus is also the Son of God. This identity is also essential to the work of salvation, as only God can repair the damage done to our relationship with the Father.

Hebrews 2:9-11

9 Brothers and sisters: He “for a little while” was made “lower the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 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. 11 He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”

 

GOSPEL

 

The Creation story provides the basis for our understanding of the institution of marriage. Jesus tells us that divorce, as sanctioned by the Jewish law, was only there because we were stubborn. It was the hardness of our hearts that allowed the teaching on divorce to stand. He abolishes this and redirects our understanding to the original meaning of marriage as intended by our Creator.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

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

Mark 10:2-16

2 The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. 3 He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” 5 But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” 10 In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. 11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” 13 And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 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. 15 Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 16 Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

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