Whew! What a week it has been in the Scriptures! Our first reading today from James 5 has so many lessons for us, about perseverance, judging and the compassion and mercy of the Lord. James also tells us, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ ” Very important words about Christian integrity. In today’s Gospel from Mark 10, Jesus talks about marriage.
We all know that marriage is under attack. Fewer and fewer people are getting married, resulting in more and more children living in single parent households, many of which have no father figure. This is not optimal for children. There is, however, some good news on the marriage front.
For many years it was believed that Catholics had the same divorce rate as society in general. This is not true. Catholics have a markedly lower divorce rate (about 27%), and the numbers are even better for couples who attend Mass regularly. Maybe the old axiom is true: the family who prays together stays together. Let’l all pray for marriages, that couples will put God at the center of their lives and their marriages.
Father, bless married couples with all the grace they need to love each other and be a witness to your goodness. Amen.
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