27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B, Year II)

Community Word:  The Kingdom of God belongs to those who submit to His authority.
Theme:  We submit to God’s authority when we maintain childlike obedience and    humility.
Promise:  “For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be and favored.”  (PS 128:2)

Reflection:       

The readings this week deals with Jesus’s desire to restore all aspects of our lives to its original integrity, as planned by our Creator. The message tells us that the remedy to our present concerns is simply to live in the fullness of God’s plan for the human family and not by legislative intervention.
Once again the Pharisees attempt to put Jesus in a position that contradicts the religious laws at that time. They ask Him his opinion on marriage: “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mk 10:2).  Aware that it was lawful at that time, their intention was to trap Him with His reply.  But with all authority, Jesus explains to them why, despite its being wrong, Moses agreed to allow it.

To support His stand, He referred them to the beginning of creation when God created both man and woman as equal before Him:”…from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

Jesus reiterates the sacredness and indissolubility of marriage, as He explains what is ideal.  He sees marriage not only as a bond between man and woman, but also as a bond between the married couple and God. With God at the center, any marriage should conform to His original intent of a lifelong commitment. We will never go wrong if we remain faithful to God’s intention. Marriage and the family will always be relentlessly challenged by destructive forces that try to derail God’s plan. Under the violence of attacks, the Christian family should always be mindful of the grace of the sacrament that binds them together.

One such force is the pushing of legislative alternatives which runs contrary to God’s basic teaching, like the RH and Divorce bills in the Philippines.  To a true Christian disciple, no amount of intelligent discussion or debate should lead him to choose man’s law over that of God’s.  Divine legislation should at all times be supreme, for it is the sacred law even in our afterlife.

To comply with the theme for the week, we simply have to maintain a childlike disposition of innocence, obedience and humility as we submit ourselves to God’s supreme authority over our lives, for as Jesus says: “… whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it,” (Mk 10:15). Therefore, we need to abide by God’s teachings, follow and serve Him with humble hearts in order to enter His kingdom.

Reflection Questions:

1.    How do we maintain childlike disposition in order to enter God’s Kingdom?

2.    How do we help protect the sacredness of families from the RH Bill?  Do we pray or explain to them the stand of the church on RH Bill?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
October 7, 2012 (Sun)     Gn 2:18-24/ Ps 128:1-6/ Heb 2:9-11/ Mk 10:2-16
October 8, 2012 (Mon)     Gal 1:6-12/ Ps 111:1,2,7-10/ Lk 10:25-37
October 9, 2012 (Tues)    Gal 1:13-24/ Ps 139:1-3, 13,15/ Lk 10:38-42
October 10, 2012 (Wed)  Gal 2:1,2,7-14/ Ps 117:1,2/ Lk 11:1-4
October 11, 2012 (Thur)  Gal 3:1-5/ Lk 1:69-75/ Lk 11:5-13
October 12, 2012 (Fri)      Gal 3:7-14/ Ps 111:1-6/ Lk 11:15-26
October 13, 2012 ( Sat)   Gal 3:22-29/ Ps 105:2-7/ Lk 11:27,28

Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”