Quoting Bishop Thomas J Tobin:
"Secondly, it seems to be that people come to Mass on Sunday because they long to hear the Word of God preached with conviction and enthusiasm. They want homilies that are doctrinally sound, personally prepared and relevant to contemporary life."
And this:
"In short, the faithful want preachers to preach as Jesus did, with power and conviction, challenging people, not avoiding difficult issues. People should leave Sunday Mass motivated to live the gospel throughout the week, but confident they possess the spiritual means to do so"
Most people may immediately think of the subject of abortion, but I don't.
Others may also think of artificial contraception, or even co-habitation, or same sex attraction, but I don't. Seriously.
I think of Mark 10:1-12 with optional reading of verses 13-16.
To the best of my knowledge, this section of the Gospel is read ONE TIME IN THREE YEARS in the Sunday cycles. In all the years I have been observing, (since after 1983) not once have I heard a sermon based on the Truth of these words. I have 'polled' friends and relatives on those days, as well, and again... until this past year, where one person shared a homily that was online from their priest.
I have been watching and listening for years... subconciously since the separation and divorce of my in-law's, and consciously since it invaded my own home..... and in doing so, it passed on to the next generation.
Not one sermon on:
the indissolubility of Marriage, though for the past 40 years, we have been in great need of this teaching!!
the real meaning of the 'exception clause' according to Catholic teaching,
significantly, NOT ONE reference to 1COR 7:10-11, which is also the Lord's direction to us to remain single or reconcile,
OR to Malachi 2:14-17 where God tells us very clearly that He HATES divorce.
Not even a mention of:
the evil of civil divorce--or even that it IS sin,
'remarriage' according to what Jesus Himself says in five different places in the New Testament, where He includes every single person involved!
And even when they USE the 'optional part of the reading', no priest or deacon has ever mentioned:
the harm divorce (and therefore, also 'remarriage') does to children,
the dangers they will forever face for their OWN salvation, their OWN marriages, their own children as a result of the divorce of their parents.
(a proper use of the Suffer the Little Children to come unto me, since so many LEAVE the Church after their parents' divorce...)!!!
AND IF THE PEOPLE DO NOT HEAR IT FROM THE PULPIT, THEY CANNOT LIVE THE TRUTH, and "MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE", says the Lord... and so do His very valid Marriages!!! Where else are His People going to go to LEARN the Truth, that their marriages (the first one) are VALID and INDISSOLUBLE?? The evil becomes a boil, -- an infection that is passed on to friends, family, neighbors -- growing with each passing generation. False teachers arise, giving 'compassionate platitudes' that will jeopardize the very Salvation He calls us to.
That deadly infection spreads everywhere--including into the US Tribunals, in counseling sessions with priests and religious, deacons, counselors, attorneys, and even in the conversion of others to Catholicism!!!
That ONE TIME reading of Mark 10 is in Cycle B:
| 27th Sunday of Year B | Gen 2:18-24 | Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 | Heb 2:9-11 | Mark 10:2-16 or 10:2-12 |
The readings listed are:
Gen 2
[18] Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
[19] So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
[20] The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him.
[21] So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
[22] and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
[23] Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
[24] Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Ps 128
[1] Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! [2] You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. [3] Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. [4] Lo, thus shall the man be 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! [6] May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!
Heb 2
[9] But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.
[10] For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.
[11] For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Mark 10
[1] And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again; and again, as his custom was, he taught them.
[2] And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"
[3] He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"
[4] They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away."
[5] But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart 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] What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
[10] And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.
[11] And 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."
( Optional )
[13] And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them.
[14] But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
[15] Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
[16] And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.
NEVER read in any of the three cycles:
Malachi 2
[13] And this again you do. You cover the LORD's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand.
[14] You ask, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
[15] Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves, and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth.
[16] "For I hate divorce, says the LORD the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless."
LUKE 16:18 "Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."
Matt 5
[31] "It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
[32] But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Note: Not only not read, it is skipped right over in Cycle A
| 6th Sunday of Year A | Sir 15:15-20 | Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 | 1 Cor 2:6-10 | Matt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22, 27-28, 33-34, 37
|
The same thing is true with Matt 19 AND 1 COR 7:10-12!!!
Matt 19
[1] Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;
[2] and large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
[3] And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?"
[4] He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,
[5] and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
[6] So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
[7] They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
[8] He said to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
[9] And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery."
[10] The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."
[11] But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
[12] For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."
[13] Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people;
[14] but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
[15] And he laid his hands on them and went away.
| 24th Sunday of Year A | Sir 27:30-28:7 | Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 | Rom 14:7-9 | Matt 18:21-35 |
| 25th Sunday of Year A | Isa 55:6-9 | Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 | Phil 1:20-24, 27 | Matt 20:1-16 |
1 COR 7
[10] To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband
[11] (but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) -- and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
NOTE that the above is a clear direction FROM THE LORD, while in the next verses, St Paul tells us that this is from him, NOT the Lord... St Paul has clearly stated what Jesus teaches!!!! That is to be our stance .... REMAIN SINGLE OR BE RECONCILED!!! NO DATING, NO PREPARING FOR ANOTHER MARRIAGE... Reconcile or remain single (divorced)...
While I SELDOM hear anyone quote those two verses to me, I certainly get a LOT of people quoting the rest of that section!!! However, I also point out that NOWHERE does it say to go ahead and divorce your spouse.... and.... it also does not say go ahead and marry again, especially when one takes in in context with the above direction from the Lord via Paul.... remain single or be reconciled....
[12] To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.
[13] If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.
[14] For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.
[15] But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace.
[16] Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?
| 2nd Sunday of Year B | 1 Sam 3:3-10, 19 | Ps 40:2+4, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10 | 1 Cor 6:13-15, 17-20 | John 1:35-42 |
| 3rd Sunday of Year B | Jon 3:1-5, 10 | Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 | 1 Cor 7:29-31 | Mark 1:14-20 |
--
"Divorce tears marriage apart.
It desolates both husband and wife.
It leaves the children not only in tears but also in misery.
We do not deny that there can be serious disagreement between husband and wife, but divorce is not the solution. When husband and wife have a disagreement, they should reflect, pray, sit together and discuss.
Accept fault where you are wrong, ask for pardon, or consult a priest or other spiritual adviser, but do not divorce."
~~Francis Cardinal Arinze
