From the beginning the Creator made them male and female. – Matthew 19:4

       Designer babies, anyone? In vitro fertilization makes it possible for parents to select the gender of their baby, even the baby’s eye, skin and hair color. But is that in accordance with God’s plan for their life?

      God is the Master Planner and the Perfect Creator of all time. No human being has, and can ever, come close to Him in wisdom and in the wonders of all His works. In His great love for man, God even fashioned us in His own image and likeness, and has willed only the best for His most beloved creature.

        Man, however, gets in trouble when he disregards the natural order of things that God has designed from the very beginning. Tampering with the original plan of his Maker to suit his own desires only results in disorder, confusion, and failure to serve the original purpose of man to glorify God.

        Let us obey God’s will and plans so that we can enjoy our life to the full. Bella Estrella (blestrella@gmail.com)

Reflection:Pray to God, Your Maker, so that you can fulfill the purpose He has meant for you, and reap the blessings of real joy and inner peace.

Father, Your ways are higher than ours. I will follow Your ways.

From the beginning, God nurtures Israel and makes the nation a wonder in the eyes of the world. This was Israel’s history from the time of Solomon. Then Israel compromised its faith. David was fiercely faithful to God, but Solomon allowed false religions into the country and the kings following him became corrupted morally and religiously. God will not forget the good times but He will call Israel to account for her sins.

Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations. 3 Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut; you were neither washed with water nor anointed, nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes. 5 No one looked on you with pity or compassion to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome, the day you were born. 6 Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood. I said to you: Live in your blood 7 and grow like a plant in the field. You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty; your breasts were formed, your hair had grown, but you were still stark naked. 8 Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love. So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness; I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you; you became mine, says the Lord God. 9 Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood, and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed  you with an embroidered gown, put sandals of fine leather on your feet;I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear. 11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms, a necklace about your neck, 12 a ring in your nose, pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver; your garments  were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food. You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen. 14 You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was, because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God. 15 But you were captivated by your own beauty, you used your renown to make yourself a harlot, and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by, whose own you became. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you, 63 that you may remember and be covered with confusion, and that you may be utterly silenced for shame when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord God.

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

R: You have turned from your anger.

2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

Each of us has a right to choose our path in life so long as our choice is in accord with moral virtues. Let us pray for those who are forced into marriages and compelled by convention to renounce their rights. Let us pray that everyone will respect human rights and the responsibilities that go with these.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God.

Matthew 19:3-12

3 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” 4 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 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. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” 7 They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?” 8 He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.” 10 His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. 12 Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

think: Each of us has a right to choose our path in life so long as our choice is in accord with moral virtues.                         

Thank You Lord for: __________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR  2 Maccabees 7-8

MARRIAGE: A RELATIONSHIP OF LOVE WITH GOD

While talking to a couple in preparation for their wedding, the man said, “When I was proposing marriage to the one I love, I was like a mendicant, begging for her hand. ‘Please give me your hand, because I am not enough for myself.’” When the woman heard that, she smiled and said, “I will give to you not only my hand, but also my heart and the remaining days of my life.”

       When the journey of the couple begins, they will realize that their love for each other is not enough. They will look for something or Someone that will make their joy complete. Marriage is not only about man and woman living together. It is about God embracing the two hearts in love. What makes them one is not only their commitment to each other, but God’s commitment to them. Marriage is fully understood only in the light of relationship with God.

       In the Gospel, the procreative and unitive aspects of marriage are implicitly mentioned by Jesus. He says, “In the beginning, God created them male and female.” Male and female are biological terms used to emphasize the value of procreation, an important aspect of married life, to generate human beings in God’s plan. The couple becomes God’s cocreators. Moreover, Jesus also mentions the words “man and wife.” Both words pertain to a kind of relationship that binds — a relationship of love. Thus, through the love of the couple, they will no longer be two but one.

       Marriage is the community of life and love founded and blessed by God. The personal consent, though very important, is not enough. Man and woman are called to build a communion of persons rooted in authentic marital love through which both become a reciprocal personal gift. Knowing the threats that try to destroy the sanctity of marriage, Jesus warns us as He says, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

       As you live with your spouse in faithfulness and love, you live in God’s presence. What a wonderful life of  relationship. In His presence, we rejoice! In His love, we celebrate! Fr. Alex Balatbat

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you consecrate your relationship to God?

Lord Jesus, we lift up to You every couple called to live in Your love. Bless them. Embrace them with Your compassionate heart. We believe that only in You will they find complete joy. Amen.