12th of August 2022

Friday in the 19th week of Ordinary Time, Year 11

Ezek. 16:1-15, 60,63

Mtt. 19:3-12

What is God's purpose from the beginning?

Friends in Christ, look around you, reflect on whom you have become, think about how far you have gone, then ask ask yourself , "Is this the Master's purpose from the beginning?" 

The liturgy of today says so much about the marital union, but I want to view it through the lense of God's plan for our lives from the beginning. He wants us to work in accord with his plan.

 Jesus in speaking about the sanctity of married life and how it has been disrupted made this powerful statement which form the bedrock of my reflection, he said "It was not like this from the beginning."

Ezekiel goes back to the person of Abraham, while he was reviewing Israel's history.

Beloved, today Jesus was presented with the issue of divorce so as to know what he would say. Jesus takes them back to the origin. I beg to digress a little from marriage to our personal lives. There is an important question which begs for answers here, which is "Have I diverted from God's original plan for my life?" As we know, every structure, building has a plan. So many of us have deviated from the original plan of God for our lives. We have forgotten that God created us for something bigger and better. Take some steps backwards and look at the original and bigger picture of God's plan for you.

•Jesus told them today that it was because of their hardness of heart. Take a look at your life, check if there is anything that hardness of heart has caused you. Is it love? Is it God's grace? Is it forgiveness? The Lord wants you today to open your heart, hearkening to the words of the Psalmist who said "If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart(Ps 95, Heb. 3:15).

•Finally we go back to the two states of life mentioned in the gospel namely; marriage and celibacy. These two are centred on love. While marriage involves a self giving love between a man and woman, celibacy is a loving relationship that transcends time and an intimacy with God.

However, whether married or single, we are called to work together in service of God's purpose, bringing God's love to the world.

Every blessings

(Fr. Camillus Nwaigwe)