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Today, 6th of December, we celebrate
Saint Nicholas
Ezk 16:1-15, 60, 63
The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
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.
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.
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.
Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.
I said to you: Live in your blood 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.
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.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.
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.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms,
a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,
pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
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.
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.
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.
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,
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.
Ps 113:1-2,3-4,5-6
R./ You have turned from your anger.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R./ You have turned from your anger.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R./ You have turned from your anger.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R./ You have turned from your anger.
Matthew 19:3-12
Some Pharisees approached Jesus. They wanted to test him and asked, "Is a man allowed to divorce his wife for any reason he wants?"
Jesus replied, "Have you not read that in the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and he said: Man has now to leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body? So they are no longer two but one body; let no one separate what God has joined."
They asked him, "Then, why did Moses command us to write a bill of dismissal in order to divorce?" Jesus replied, "Moses knew your stubborn heart, so he allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not so in the beginning. Therefore I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, unless it be for concubinage, and marries another, commits adultery."
The disciples said, "If that is the condition of a married man, it is better not to marry." Jesus said to them, "Not everybody can accept what you have just said, but only those who have received this gift. Some are born incapable of marriage. Some have been made that way by others. But there are some who have given up the possibility of marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who can accept it, accept it."
The Pharisees, like on other occasions, try to test Jesus with a question about divorce. Maybe they were trying to have a theoretical discussion about a doctrinal issue, or maybe one of them was trying to find the perfect excuse to get out of a bad marriage. Jesus’ answer is clear-cut: it’s about understanding God’s original plan. Man and woman, created in his image and likeness, are destined to be one flesh. It’s what’s written: «Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.»
Today’s Gospel doesn’t say whether there was any comment from those who asked the question, but it does mention that the disciples were taken aback by such a demanding statement and thought it might be better not to marry. They shared the customs and culture of the time, which were clearly more advantageous for men. Jesus Christ comes to affirm the essential equality between man and woman. And also to announce a path, marriage is a calling from God but not the only one because there are those called to «be eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven.» Not everyone is made for marriage. Each one must choose according to the gift received. Each choice involves renunciations and sacrifices but also its own beauty and joy.
This ideal has not always been fully achieved by Christians. The human condition, being sinful, is exposed to temptation and falling. However, in society, there was a prevailing awareness of what is virtuous and worthy.
That awareness has almost disappeared in our developed Western society. It seems that what is worthy of applause and admiration is the «sexual liberation» of the 20th century. And among many of us who believe we are followers of Jesus Christ, what predominates is not a firm and bold affirmation of his Word but rather a cowardly silence or a resigned acceptance because «things have changed»… And we have to blend in with the landscape.
At least on our path as married people or celibates for the kingdom, may the splendor of the vocation received shine, and let us ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to choose according to the heart of Christ.
Virginia FernándezGod, your name is love;
everyone who loves knows you
and anyone who fails to love
can never have known you.
Keep us from separating what you have united:
husbands and wives, parents and their children,
your Son and his Church, friends in their joys and sorrows.
Let all live in your creative, lasting love,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Introduction to the First Reading
In poignant, at times almost crude terms, springing from a heart that loves deeply and is hurt by infidelity, the prophet Ezekiel reminds the people of God's covenant love. What the people are, what we are, we are by God's love. He has linked his destiny to ours and cannot forget or abandon us, even it we desert him.
Introduction to Gospel Reading
God reveals some qualities of his own love in the love of husband and wife. It is a love that reveals, in which a person discloses himself to another person as intimately as possible. It is a love that accepts the other person as he or she is and is willing to share everything together. It is a love that sacrifices all self-interests for the partner. It is a faithful love. It is also a love that is creative, that brings out the best in the other person. Is this not an image of God's love and, conversely, is God's Trinitarian love and his love for us not the model of all human love?
- For the homes built on unselfish love, that through them we may understand better all the depth of God's love, we pray:
- For homes that are broken and for partners who have failed each other, that people may show them understanding and that God may give them mercy, we pray:
- For those who have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God, that they may never become loners but that their hearts may be spacious and warm, open to all people and to all needs, we pray:
God, our Father,
around this table with bread and wine
we celebrate our community
and remember Jesus' love.
Let your Son accompany us
wherever we share the same food
and walk side by side toward the future
in faithfulness and trust.
Make us keepers of one another's happiness
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Faithful God of the covenant,
you have entrusted love to us
not as a finished product
but as an assignment for life.
Let the love of Jesus invest our love
with indestructible fidelity and generosity
that it may weather all storms
and keep growing in depth
until you crown it with your joy for ever.
What God has joined together, let no one separate. Husband and wife are one, and they have promised to be one in sickness and health, in good days and in bad days. May God keep them united and may he bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
