Marriage

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer

God

You created man and woman

to share in the fullness of Your love.

You call both to be in community

with one another and in communion with You.

What you bring together cannot be torn apart.

Your love cannot be removed or taken away.

It is a blessing to share, in good times and in bad

and it remains even when conflicts arise.

Let Your love be seen, felt and shared.

May I share Your love with others,

and seek Your love in others to

build up the kingdom together!

Journal/Reflection Questions

Genesis 2:18-24

What does this scripture remind you about in terms of your role and responsibility as a human being?
Does this scripture cause you to think of a woman as an afterthought? Why or why not?
God created Eve for Adam, why do you think God wanted to create a suitable partner for Adam? Do you think He created a suitable partner for everyone? Share your thoughts.

Hebrews 2:9-11

What does this scripture tell you about Jesus’ love?
How do you feel about being called a brother and sister of Jesus? What does that mean to you?
How are you consecrated with Jesus? What does it mean to be consecrated in Jesus?

Mark 10:2-16

Read this scripture as though you are a child. What different thoughts or insights do you gather?
This scripture says divorce is a man written law, that the people had Moses to re-write the law. How is this practice played out today, not just with divorce but other laws created to guide us? Explain.
What does Jesus mean when he says, “don’t prevent them from coming to me”? Do you think he is talking about children literally or figuratively? How does this change your understanding of the scripture?

General Questions for Journaling

How do you rate in terms of being an environmentalist? Do you recycle? Care for animals? Tend to the earth? What does this reading say about your responsibility to care for God’s creation?
What comfort do you get from knowing Jesus spent time on earth?
Describe how you feel the presence of God when you are alone.
What can you do to find the Jesus in each person you meet? Is it possible to see Jesus in someone whom you don’t like or who doesn’t know Jesus? Explain.
How does Jesus’ death bring salvation to all? Does it make sense to you that you receive God’s salvation whether you believe it or not? Does that bring you comfort or cause you distress? Explain.
Describe the characteristics of man as you believe God created man to be.
Describe the characteristics of woman as you believe God created woman to be.
How do men and women complement each other? Is this how God created them to be? Why or why not?
What causes men and women to clash? Is this how God created them to be?
What is your experience of divorce? How do Jesus’ words affect your opinion of divorce? How does your experience affect how you understand the scripture?
Do you think the fear of getting divorced keeps people who are suitable partners from getting married? What other things might keep people from getting married?
What makes a marriage a “perfect union”? Do you think this exists? Why or why not? Do you believe a marriage without God can last? Why or why not?
Make a list of some non-negotiables of a marriage God joins together?

Closing Prayer

Leader: As I awake and begin each morning…