Devotion for today: the family…founded on marriage and open to life

Scripture for mediation: Genesis 1:24
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.

Scripture for reflection: Mark 10:6-9

“At the beginning of creation God made them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become as one. They are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined.”

Blessed John Paul II tells us: Being rooted in the personal and total self-giving of the couple, and being required by the good of the children, the indissolubility of marriage finds its ultimate truth in the plan that God has manifested in His revelation: He wills and He communicates the indissolubility of marriage as a fruit, a sign and a requirement of the absolutely faithful love that God has for man and that the Lord Jesus has for the Church.

Christ renews the first plan that the Creator inscribed in the hearts of man and woman, and in the celebration of the sacrament of matrimony offers a "new heart": thus the couples are not only able to overcome "hardness of heart," but also and above all they are able to share the full and definitive love of Christ, the new and eternal Covenant made flesh. Just as the Lord Jesus is the "faithful witness," the "yes" of the promises of God and thus the supreme realization of the unconditional faithfulness with which God loves His people, so Christian couples are called to participate truly in the irrevocable indissolubility that binds Christ to the Church His bride, loved by Him to the end. The gift of the sacrament is at the same time a vocation and commandment for the Christian spouses, that they may remain faithful to each other forever, beyond every trial and difficulty, in generous obedience to the holy will of the Lord: "What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
To bear witness to the inestimable value of the indissolubility and fidelity of marriage is one of the most precious and most urgent tasks of Christian couples in our time. So, with all my Brothers who participated in the Synod of Bishops, I praise and encourage those numerous couples who, though encountering no small difficulty, preserve and develop the value of indissolubility: thus, in a humble and courageous manner, they perform the role committed to them of being in the world a "sign"-a small and precious sign, sometimes also subjected to temptation, but always renewed-of the unfailing fidelity with which God and Jesus Christ love each and every human being.

 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio_en.html

Prayer To Save A Marriage
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother.  To thee do I come, before thee I kneel, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the World Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer them. Please hear our Prayer to Save our Marriage. We pray this Prayer to Save Marriage through your name and in the name of Jesus Christ your son, - AMEN (http://prayerformarriage.com/)

My thoughts: Blessed John Paul II clarifies marriage so well. It is the sacrament where the love of God for the Son, the love of the Son for His Church, and the love of God and His Son for a man and a woman all find fulfillment. Father Holmes, the Parochial Vicar at my parish, told us on Sunday that the ancient word for “rib” can also mean life. The very formation of woman from man, then, is based on his gift of life to her. In marriage, the love of a husband and a wife culminates in an act so beautiful that it is capable of bringing life into the world. Once man and woman have united themselves to each other, one giving of his being and the other receiving his being into her, a bond has formed which can never be broken. Two have become one, forged together in a life-giving unit. Blessed John Paul says that that bond is what Christ has forged with His Church: as His spouse, we are forever united to Christ in love. His sacrifice on the Cross, His sacrifice of death for us, is the basis of our terms in marriage. We will love each other through horrible difficulties, and we will sacrifice ourselves for each other until death do us part. Why? Because the Catholic married couple is the sign and symbol of hope for society today. In a selfish world where children are aborted because they are a burden, where the elderly and disabled are assisted in suicide so they won’t be a burden to their children, where living together without commitment is the norm -  a strong Catholic family, willing to accept all children abled and disabled, to care for their aged parents, to stay faithful to each other and sacrifice for the good of each other and of their children, points to the beauty of family life that God had in mind when he created man and woman and gave them the capacity to love and be loved and bring forth life from that love. God gave us His Son, His Son gave us His Life, and we do the same as a strong and loving family. We are the future of society, and we have a hard job ahead of us. Let us pray to St. Michael, the Holy Spirit and all the saints in heaven to assist us in doing battle with the sin in today’s world. If God gave us life, then who or what is giving us all this death?