Daily Retreat 06/04/09
2009 Jun 4 Thu:Ordinary Weekday
Tb 6:10-11; 7:1bcde. 9-17; 8:4-9a/Ps 127(128):1-2, 3, 4-5/Mk 12:28-34
From today’s readings: “Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven!... Blessed are those who fear the Lord.... There is no other commandment greater than these....”
The Biblical Wedding Night Prayer
The final verses of the first reading provide a beautiful biblical prayer for wedding couples to pray together that their marriage, like that of Tobias and Sarah, truly be made in Heaven. Because of omissions in the lectionary, read at least all of chapters 6-8 in order to understand the context of Sarah’s fears and the other details mentioned in the reading.
The attitude toward marriage is one of the clearest benchmarks of a person’s faith - do we turn to God or to secular views for our understanding of reality? Divine revelation teaches that the marriage bond is sacred because it is part of God’s loving plan of creation - as expressed in the prayer from the book of Tobit (which, of course, is a reflection on Chapter Two of Genesis): “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be Your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all Your creation praise You forever! You made Adam, and You gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.' ”
Tobias then adds, “Now, Lord, You know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down Your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age.” Our hedonistic world desperately needs Tobias’ reminder that marriage (as well as the initial attraction between man and woman) is for a noble purpose - the cooperation in God’s loving plan of creation!
Tb 6:10-11; 7:1bcde. 9-17; 8:4-9a/Ps 127(128):1-2, 3, 4-5/Mk 12:28-34
From today’s readings: “Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven!... Blessed are those who fear the Lord.... There is no other commandment greater than these....”
The Biblical Wedding Night Prayer
The final verses of the first reading provide a beautiful biblical prayer for wedding couples to pray together that their marriage, like that of Tobias and Sarah, truly be made in Heaven. Because of omissions in the lectionary, read at least all of chapters 6-8 in order to understand the context of Sarah’s fears and the other details mentioned in the reading.
The attitude toward marriage is one of the clearest benchmarks of a person’s faith - do we turn to God or to secular views for our understanding of reality? Divine revelation teaches that the marriage bond is sacred because it is part of God’s loving plan of creation - as expressed in the prayer from the book of Tobit (which, of course, is a reflection on Chapter Two of Genesis): “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be Your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all Your creation praise You forever! You made Adam, and You gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.' ”
Tobias then adds, “Now, Lord, You know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down Your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age.” Our hedonistic world desperately needs Tobias’ reminder that marriage (as well as the initial attraction between man and woman) is for a noble purpose - the cooperation in God’s loving plan of creation!
posted by FrPitstick | 6/03/2009
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