Has Complaining Become a Habit?

~~~ James 5:9-12 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Mark 10:1-12 ~~~

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Let your 'yes' mean 'yes' and your 'no' mean 'no'...

Jesus is ever willing to give us the benefit of the doubt.

He models kindness and mercy for us.

This same kindness and mercy,

 if exercised in marriages,

 might reduce the number of divorces.

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, 

about one another,

that you may not be judged.

This advice not only applies to our relationship with strangers,

but also with family, friends, and yes...spouses.

Unfortunately it is very easy to get into the habit 

of complaining about everything and everyone.

Before we know it our whole life experience

 is tainted with complaining.

Certainly marriages are not all perfect.

Marriage requires work from each person.

Last week my husband and I celebrated being 

married for forty four years.

They have not been perfect years.

They have been years filled love and forgiveness.

When complaining becomes

 the primary mode of conversation 

the whole relationship becomes sour.

Marriage is more than just a piece of paper.

It is the coming together of two people

 from two different backgrounds.

Two different people that can easily

 find reason to judge and complain.

...a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two shall become one flesh.

This is not simply about the sexual union.

becoming one encompasses the 

essence of each individual.

The longer two people are together, 

many times, the more they become as one.

There are situations when 

the marriage cannot be kept in tact.

Marriage is fragile in many ways.

Spouses that pray together are inviting God 

to be present in their relationship.

When God is included in the union between a couple

 there is a greater chance for marriage longevity.

If you are married I invite you to become

 aware of how God is uniting you and your spouse.

God can bring you closer to your spouse.

God can remove your tendency to create a chain

 of complaints about your marriage.

If you are single and hope to be married one day

decide now to bring God into the relationship.

If you are not married please pray for marriages

 to be strengthen in the Lord.

~~~Blessings & Peace~~~

If...Then

~~~Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~ Genesis 2:18-24 ~~ Psalm 128 ~~ Hebrews 2:9-11 ~~ 

~~~ Mark 10:2-16 ~~~

...what God has joined together,

no human being must separate.

Traditional marriage between one man 

and one woman 

has recently been challenged.

God made each man and each woman

 in his likeness...

to love and serve him...

to be loved by him...the creator.

Same sex couples are given

 the same blessings by God.

Marriage to me will always mean 

a union between man and woman..

male and female. 

It is the concept and interpretation 

of the word marriage that I want to preserve.

The union between two persons of the same sex 

may certainly be blessed by God,

but perhaps we should have called

 this union something special...a new word.

We create new words for the English language every year.

By using the same word it seems 

to imply that it is the same relationship...

clearly it is a completely unique and different relationship.

May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

The Lord blesses all the days of our life no matter who we are...

no matter who we love.

He also blesses us throughout our lives.

We receive blessings for each stage of our life,

for at each stage we need different blessings.

Blessings to find the right partner...

Blessings to grow together in relationship...

Blessings to foster and rear a family...

Blessings for our aging years...

Blessings for the surviving spouse.

These are just a few of the days of our lives.

If we love one another, God remains in us

and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This verse gives us much to for reflection.

This is an 'if...then' verse...

cause and effect.

Love is the critical link...

If we do not love all people than God's love 

can not be brought to perfection in us.

God is love.

We have this same love in us..

how can we deny it to others?

This post only reflects my personal perspective

on the meaning of marriage.

It is not meant to judge or condemn anyone.

God blesses all the days of your life

just as he blesses the days of all of his creatures...

men and women.

~~~Peace~~~

The Two Shall Be One Flesh

~~~ James 5:9-12 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Mark 10:1-12 ~~~

All things are passing...there is no time
to waste on petty things such as...

complaining and judging others.

Have perseverance like that of Job, never tire
 of returning to the Lord.

The Lord is kind and merciful.

God is more kind, compassionate, merciful, and just
than any one person is capable of being.
He does not hold grudges against us.
He looks to see how we are doing well.
He is waiting with words of encouragement when we fail.

Not sure what Jesus was teaching about the day the Pharisees
decided to bring up the whole issue of divorce.

Clearly it was just another attempt on their part to trip Jesus up.
They have tried several times before to get him
to openly contradict the existing laws;
today it is concerning whether
or not a man is allowed to divorce his wife.

Divorce then simply meant
the husband was tired of his wife or unhappy with her.
He simply signed a paper releasing her from her union with him.

They were both free to go about their merry ways.

But Jesus goes back to the beginning of creation.
He quotes the book of Genesis...
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.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.

Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”

Marriage is the joining of a man and a woman;
becoming one flesh.
God has brought them together to live as one.

Divorce even today is a very touchy situation.
No one can say two people should never get a divorce,
but on the other hand should it be so easy to get divorced.

Adultery tied so closely to divorce seems very
 counter-cultural in society today.

Remaining in a marriage requires a great deal
 of selfless love on the part of each party.

The traditional marriage sums it up...
until death do us part...
in sickness and in health...
for richer or poor...
until death.
Be kind and merciful as the Lord;
you will be able to persevere in your marriage.
Blessed to receive daily the grace to
 gladly honor my wedding vows.

Peace.

Joined by God

~Twenty - seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time~

 

~~~ Genesis 2: 18-24 ~~~ Psalm 128 ~~~ Hebrews 2:9-11 ~~~ Mark 10: 2-16 ~~~

 

The Genesis reading and Mark's gospel provide

bookends of the readings today.

God created man and woman to be together.

God created man and then woman from the beginning of creation.

The beauty of the union of marriage between a man and a woman

can be traced all the way back to the Genesis writings.

 

"...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.
So they are no longer two but one flesh."

 

When a man and a woman are joined in marriage they become one...

they complete one another.

This is no way dismisses the single life.

This in no way implies the celibate life to be missing something.

 

For our lives to be spiritually complete

we must acknowledge the presence of God.

If God is not present in our lives,

 whether in the single or married state,

 we will be lacking.

 

Moses perhaps was responding to pressure when he decided

to allow divorce to become acceptable.

Unfortunately in our society today divorce is more

often the rule than the exception.

 

Remaining faithful to your marriage vows is certainly challenging.

Some even say today that monogamy is not possible.

That somehow it is not normal, I disagree.

 

It is clear from the beginning that God had a hand

in the male female connection.

It seems clear to me that when a couple forgets to keep

God in their marriage they are jeopardizing their union.

 

 

If you are in a marriage find a way to include God.

Make God an integral part of your relationship.

 

Statistically married men live longer.

I will go out on a limb here and speculate that having a woman

in a man's life is a good thing. 

 

Pray together as often as you can.

Ask God to guide you in your decisions as a couple.

Remember to put the other person first in your marriage.

The Sacrament of Marriage is one of love.

Marriage should exemplifiy God's love for us

just as we love our spouse.