Friday of the 19th week in ordinary time
Ezekiel 16: 1-15.60.63 Mathew 19: 3-12
Theme: The love and mercy of God
In the 1st reading of today from the prophet Ezekiel, we see the love and mercy of God towards his people. He took them down memory lane, to remind them of where they are coming from and how God has accompanied them all the way. Even in their stubbornness of heart, God did not desert them, but rather came to their assistance and made things good for them again. The people have deviated from the ways of God and are now leaving a life that is not good and pleasing in the sight of God. Moments like this, there is the temptation of pointing accusing finger at the Israelites, while we replicate something similar in our daily life. Sometimes we also make the same mistake that the Israelites made, by deviating from the way of God and doing things that are not good and pleasing in the sight of God.
Dear friends in Christ, the prophet Ezekiel is speaking to all of us as children of God. He has done so much for us and will continue to do it for us, all he is encouraging us to do today is to retrace our steps and return to the path that will lead us to eternal life. The good thing is that he is ready to let the past go, just like we see in today’s 1st reading, so that we can begin afresh. The question is, are you ready to accept this invitation today and begin to live like a true child of God that you are called to be? What he is requesting from us, is not beyond us, it is for us to resolve to put in our best and leave the rest to God, who has already assured us that his grace is sufficient for us. One of the ways we can reciprocate Gods love for us is by putting his word into practice in our daily life, now is the appropriate time for us to put it into practice in our life.
In the gospel reading of today from St. Mathew, we are reminded about the sacredness of the marriage institution. This is a very important message at this time in our lives. Taking into consideration the challenges that the marriage institution is facing in recent times, with so many marriages on the verge of collapse for one reason or the other. This is an opportunity for all those whose marriage is going through a difficult time to re-evaluate the reason for the conflict and division that they are presently experiencing in their union. One thing we must know is that there is nothing like a perfect marriage. Everyone needs to put in the work to make his or her marriage to work. May the Lord continue to strengthen us all to remain on the right path, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.