“Let the little children come to me; and do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” – Mark 10:14

       I can’t think of babies and orphans without thinking of Rey Ortega.

       Bro. Rey is the executive director of our orphanages and scholarship foundations, as well as our shelter for pregnant women in crisis and our home for sexually abused minors. He is tireless in serving people who have nothing to repay him with. He has totally offered his time and his life in service. For me, Bro. Rey is a living saint.

       Most of us do certain things because we get something in return. We study well to get a good job. We work so we can earn money. We spend money for things that fill our needs or give us happiness.

       Even the help we give has a corresponding benefit. We help those whom we think might be able to help us in the future. It’s against our nature to give without expecting anything in return.

       But those who’ve experienced the joy of giving knows that it’s truly more blessed to give than to receive. Because when Bro. Rey reaches his heavenly home, I’m sure he’ll be more than compensated for all the little ones he helped usher to heaven. Rissa Singson Kawpeng (justbreatherissa@gmail.com)

Reflection: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17)

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.

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.

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)

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.

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.”

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.

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

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. 

think: The Creation story provides the basis for our understanding of the institution of marriage.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Ecclesiastes 5-8

“UNTIL DEATH DO US PART”

The U.S. Census Bureau report for the ‘90s was released back in 2001. Here are its disturbing findings concerning the family. “Households headed by unmarried partners grew by almost 72 percent from 1990 to 2000. Most of these arrangements were men and women living together out of wedlock. Other studies have shown that cohabitation increased by almost 1,000 percent from 1960 to 1998. Households headed by single mothers increased by more than 25 percent, and those led by single fathers grew by almost 62 percent.”

       The next finding is more shocking: “For the first time ever, nuclear families dropped below 25 percent of households. That’s a mom, dad and children — the nuclear family — represents less than a quarter of all homes.”

       Another finding partially explains why this is happening: “A third of all babies are born to unmarried women (33 percent) compared to only 4 percent in 1940. There is a growing number of women in their late 20s and 30s who decide to bear and raise children on their own.

       In this new world, old taboos against divorce and cohabitation are disappearing. Culture is abandoning its commitment to lifelong marriage. It is predicted now, based on these trends, that about half of the children today will spend at least part of their childhood in single-parent homes.” This moral breakdown in our society has many factors: the sexual revolution of the ‘60s, the secularization of our society, the women’s movement.

       What is said here about the U.S. is more or less valid also for our society. It is shocking to hear about young people’s psychological sufferings and hurts because of their broken families.

       If only young people would realize that the command of Jesus in today’s Gospel and the teaching of the Church are only for the good of their future and that of their children, our society would move into a brighter future. For Jesus and the Church want only the best for the faithful. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTION: How can you help young people prepare well for marriage, and how can you help couples with marital problems to overcome them?

Lord, how painful it must be for You to see that Your teaching about marriage is ignored by so many, even of Your followers. Make me an instrument of healing when I see couples in trouble.