I trusted in your love, Lord. My heart rejoices in your help, and may I sing to you for the good you have done for me! (Ps 12:6)

 I trusted in your love, Lord. My heart rejoices in your help, and may I sing to you for the good you have done for me! (Ps 12:6)

Jesus responds to his interlocutors on the issue of divorce, establishing himself on the value of love between spouses and the unity of the family desired by God. Christian spouses, looking to the Lord “rich in mercy and compassionate”, will know how to grow in fidelity and will be witnesses of love without measure for the entire community. Let us celebrate with the commitment to grow in God's love, being honest and consistent in our words and actions.

First Reading: James 5:9-12

Reading of the letter of Saint James – 9Brothers, do not complain about one another, lest you be judged. Behold, the judge is at the doors. 10Brethren, take as a model of suffering and steadfastness the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Notice that we consider those who persevered to be blessed. You have heard about Job's perseverance and you know the success that the Lord gave him – for the Lord is rich in mercy and compassionate. 12Above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other form of oath. Rather, let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no. Then you will not be subject to judgment. - Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 102(103)

The Lord is forgiving, he is favorable.

1. Bless, O my soul, the Lord, / and all my being, his holy name! / Bless the Lord, O my soul, / do not forget any of his favors! – R.

2. For he forgives you all your guilt / and heals all your illnesses; / from the grave he saves your life / and surrounds you with affection and compassion. – R.

3. The Lord is forgiving, he is favorable, / he is patient, he is kind and compassionate. / He does not always repeat his complaints / nor does he hold his grudge forever. – R.

4. As high as the heavens are above the earth, / so great is his love to those who fear him; / how far the east is from the west, / how far our crimes are removed. – R.

Gospel: Mark 10:1-12

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

Your Word is the truth; / sanctify us in truth! (John 17:17) – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark – At that time, 1Jesus went to the territory of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan River. The crowds gathered around Jesus again. And he, as usual, taught them. 2Some Pharisees approached Jesus. To put him to the test, they asked whether it was permissible for a man to divorce his wife. 3Jesus asked, “What did Moses command you?” 4The Pharisees replied, “Moses allowed us to write a divorce certificate and fire her.” 5Jesus then said, “It was because of the hardness of your hearts that Moses wrote this commandment to you. 6However, from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 7For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and the two will become one flesh. 8So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate!” 10At home, the disciples asked questions about the same subject again. 11Jesus replied, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Divorcing, in Jesus' time, meant that a man could fire his wife for trivial reasons. This was a reflection of man's superiority and his dominance over women (machismo). Then, in the home, the oppression that occurred at all levels of Jewish society took place. When responding to the Pharisees who came “to test him”, Jesus takes a stand in favor of marriage and women. He teaches that the ideal of marriage is based on God's creative project. And he reinforces the sense of equality between men and women: “the two will be one flesh”. “This intimate union, reciprocal dedication of two people, as well as the good of children, demand the complete fidelity of the spouses and require their indissoluble unity” (GS, 48).

(Day by day with the Gospel 2024)