Daily Gospel Reflection for August 14, 2020

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Reflection by Melanie Rigney

Today's Gospel: Matthew 19:3-12 - Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe

The Pharisees were fond of posing questions to Jesus they thought would stump Him or make Him look foolish. But they never succeeded, because He always spoke truth, whether it was popular or not.

Today’s Gospel reading makes us uncomfortable. We all know people in marriages that started out with promise and love—and have devolved into dangerous situations involving physical, mental, emotional abuse. Surely, the Lord doesn’t expect us to be someone’s punching bag?

To me, the point isn’t so much the Lord’s view on divorce, as it is His overwhelming love for us and His desire that our earthly decisions, romantic and otherwise, involve Him from start to finish. I’ve been divorced for fourteen years. My annulment was simple, since we hadn’t married in the Church. When I am tempted to pray for God to drop a kind, Catholic man of a certain age into my life, this is one of the passages I read. Perhaps I was always intended to live the vocation of a single laywoman; I certainly don’t have the time to devote right now to a relationship He would find pleasing. If the Lord desires celibacy of me, I accept it—more willingly some times than others, but I accept it.

Matthew 19 also comes to mind when I think of friends whose marriages I admire. They’re not perfect, but they and their spouses don’t give up on each other. They start anew after every loss, every disappointment, confident in their love for each other, and in faith that God brought them together for a purpose. They live His truth.

To me, the point isn’t so much the Lord’s view on divorce, as it is His overwhelming love for us and His desire that our earthly decisions, romantic and otherwise, involve Him from start to finish. #dailygospel

Ponder:

What hard truth is the Lord asking you to embrace?

Pray:

Lord, help me not to give up on myself, other people, or You.

Copyright 2020 Melanie Rigney

Melanie Rigney loves to write and speak about saints and the Proverbs 31 woman, and how they bless us today. The author of several books, she is a regular contributor to Living Faith and Catholic Digest. Learn more about her at www.rejoicebeglad.com.