FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH 2024.

NINETEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

FIRST READING
Your beauty was perfect through the splendour which I had bestowed upon you; but you played the harlot.
EZEKIEL 16: 1 – 15, 60, 63

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite. And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel string was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor swathed with bands. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you; but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. “And when I passed by you, and saw you weltering in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live, and grow up like a plant to the field.’ And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full maidenhood; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, behold, you were at the age for love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yes, I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you, and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with leather, I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I decked you with ornaments, and put bracelets on your arms, and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. Thus you were decked with gold and silver; and your clothing was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth; you ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful, and came to regal estate. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendour which I had bestowed upon you, says the Lord GOD. “But you trusted in your beauty, and played the harlot because of your renown, and lavished your harlotries on any passer-by. Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God.”

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM.
Isaiah 12: 2 – 3, 4bcde, 5 – 6 (R.) 1de

R/. Your anger turned away and you comforted me.

“Behold God is my salvation,
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength
and my song, and he has
become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation. R/.

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name; make known
his deeds among the nations
proclaim that his name is exalted.” R/.

“Sing praises to the Lord,
for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy,
O inhabitant of Sion,
for great in your midst is the
Holy One of Israel.” R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
1st Thessalonians 2: 13

Alleluia.
Accept the word of God, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL        
For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
MATTHEW 19: 3 – 12

At that time: Pharisees came up to Jesus and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one’? So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, .let no man put asunder.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman, commits adultery.” The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.” But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

• Chishanu 16 Nyamavhuvhu – August;

Vhiki 19 regore –

Chiverengo chokutanga:
Ezekieri 16,1-15.60.63

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mubhuku romuporofita Ezekieri
1 Izwi raTenzi rakauyazve kwandiri richiti, 2 Iwe
mwanakomana womunhu, zivisa Jerusaremu
unyangadzi hwaro hwakan’ora. 3 Uti zvanzi naTenzi
Mwari kuJerusaremu, kunyika yeKenani ndiko
kwawakabva, ndiko kwawakaberekerwa. Baba
vako vaiva muAmori, amai vako vaiva muHiti.
4 Maberekerwo ako ndiwaya aya, pamusi wawaberekwa, rukuvhute rwako haruna kuchekwa,
hauna kushambidzwa mumvura kuti uchene.
Hauna kana kukwizwa munyu, kana kuputirwa
namachira. 5 Hapana akambokuitira tsiye nyoro
kuti akuitire kana chimwe chinhu zvacho chaizvozvi
pamusana petsitsi kwauri. Asi wakatoraswa pachenachena musango, nokuti waisemwa pamusi wawaberekwa. 6 Pandakapfuura nepawaiva ndakakuona uchitakanyika muropa rako. Uri muropa rako kudaro,
ndakati rarama, 7 ukure sechinhu chinomera
musango. Wakakura ukareba ukasvika pakutova
mhandara. Mazamu ako akabuda, bvudzi rako
rikakura asi wakanga uri mutwi, usina chawakapfeka Ndakazopfuura zvakare nepawaiva ndikakutarisa.
Izvozvo wanga wasvika pazera rokuda zvokuroorwa,
ndakatambanudzira hanzu yangu pauri ndikakufukidza muviri wako waiva mutwi. Ndakaita
chitsidzo changu kwauri ndikaita chitenderano
newe; ndizvo zviri kutaura Tenzi Mwari, iwe
ukabva wava wangu.
9 Ndakazokushambidza nemvura ndichikushambidza ropa pauri ndikakuzora mafuta. 10Ndakakupfekedza nguo dzakarukirirwa, ndikakupfekedza
shangu. Ndakakupfekedza shangu dzeganda
rembiti yakanakisisa, ndikakupfekedza nesirika.
11 Ndakakushongedza zvakanakisisa nezvishongo
ndikaisa makoza mumaoko ako netimbwa kechu￾ma. 12 Ndakaisa mhete mumhuno mako, ndikakupfekedza mhete munzeve dzako. Ndakakugadza
ndaza yakanakisa mumusoro.
13 Saizvozvo wakashongedzeka nendarama nesirivha.
Zvipfeko zvako zvakanga zviri zverineni
yakanakisisa, nesirika, namachira akarukirirwa.
Waidya upfu hwekoroni hwakatsetseka, nouchi,
namafuta. Wakabva wava nechimiro chakanakisisa
kwazvo. Ukaita mambo chaiye wechikadzi. 14 Mbiri
yako yakadhumha mukati memarudzi avanhu
pamusana porunako rwako, nokuti rwakanga
rwuri runako chairwo ruzere pamusana peururami
hwandakanga ndakupa. Ndizvo zvinotaura Tenzi
Mwari. 15 Asi wakavimba norunako rwako, ukaita
unzenza, pamusana pembiri yako ukaita unzenza ihwohwo nomupfuuri wenzira ari wose. 60 Asi ndinoyeuka chitenderano changu newe
pawakanga uchiri muduku. Ndichaita newe chitenderano chokugara nokugara. 63 Ndinenge ndichiitira kuti uyeuke, udumbirwe nazvo urege kuzofa
wakazarura muromo wako zvakare pamusana
penyadzi dzako pandinenge ndakuregerera zvose
zvawakaita. Ndizvo zviri kutaura Tenzi Mwari.
Shoko raTenzi.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira:
Isaya 12,2-6. (D – 1)

(D) – Kushatirwa kwenyu Tenzi kwakapera, mukandinyaradza.
2 Tarisai muone, kuti Mwari ndiye ruponeso
rwangu, ndinovimba naye, handichatyi
nokuti iye Tenzi Mwari, ndiye simba rangu,
ndiye ava ruponeso rwangu.
(D) – Kushatirwa kwenyu Tenzi kwakapera, mukandinyaradza.
3Muchafara muchiteka mvura mumatsime
oruponeso.
“Ngatitendei Tenzi tidaidze zita rake
tiparidze mabasa ake kumarudzi avanhu.
Tichivazivisa kuti zita rake izita romukurumbira.
(D) – Kushatirwa kwenyu Tenzi kwakapera, mukandinyaradza.
5 Ngatirumbidzei Tenzi nokuti akaita zvinoshamisa, pasi pose ngapazvizive.
6 Pururudzai muchiimba norufaro, imi vagari
veZioni nokuti Anoera weIsiraeri ari pakati
pedu mukuru.
(D) – Kushatirwa kwenyu Tenzi kwakapera, mukandinyaradza.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:
1 VaTesaronika 2,13

Areruya, Areruya. Gamuchirai Shoko raMwari
sezvariri, kwete seshoko ravanhu. Areruya

Shoko Rakanaka: Mateu 19,3-12

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naMateu
3Vamwe vaFarisei vakauya kuna Jesu. Vakamuedza
nokumubvunza vachiti, “Zvinobvumirwa here
kuramba mukadzi wako pamusana pechikonzero
chipi nechipi zvacho?”
4 Jesu akavapindura achiti, “Hamuna kuverenga
here kuti iye akavasika kubvira pakutanga, akavasika vari murume nomukadzi 5 akati, ‘Nechikonzero ichochi murume achasiya baba naamai
vake achiva akabatanidzwa nomukadzi wake.’
Vaviri ivavo vachiva nyama imwechete. 6Naizvozvo,
havachisiri vaviri asi vava nyama imwechete.
Naizvozvo, chinenge chabatanidzwa naMwari
ngachirege kuparadzaniswa nomunhu.”7 Ivo vakati kwaari, “Ko, Mosesi akazoitirei kuti
murume anofanira kupa mukadzi wake tsamba
yokumurambisa nayo, achibva amuramba.” 8 Iye
akati kwavari, “Pamusana pemwoyo yenyu
yakaoma, Mosesi akakubvumirai kuramba vakadzi
venyu. Asi kubvira pakutanga zvakanga zvisina
kudaro. 9 Uye ini ndinoti kwamuri, ani naani anoramba mukadzi wake kunze kokunge aita upombwe
achizoroora mumwe, anoita upombwe.”
10Vadzidzi vakati kwaari, “Kana ari iwo mamiriro
akaita zvinhu pane zvomurume nomukadzi, zviri
nani kusaroora.” 11 Asi iye akati kwavari, “Havasi
vose vanogona kuzvitambira izvozvo asi avo chete
vanenge vakatozvipiwa. 12 Nokuti kune vamwe
vanoita utsvimborume kubvira chiberekerwo
chavo. Vamwe vanoitiswa tsvimborume navanhu.
Navamwewo vanosarudza kuva tsvimborume
pamusana poumambo hwedenga. Uyo anokwanisa
kugashira izvi ngaazvigashire.”
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: The Love for Holy Living
August 16, 2024

He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted.” (Matthew 19:11)

This was Jesus’ response to a lengthy discussion about the indissolubility of marriage. One of the reasons that “Not all can accept this word…” is because marriage, and every other vocation, requires wholehearted sacrifice and selflessness. When this is not present, and when the selfless living that is required of us turns to selfishness, then every conflict becomes a heavy burden. A burden that is unbearable without grace.

What is love? What form of love is required in marriage and every other vocation? What love is required of parents and grandparents? The answer is the same to all of these questions. We must love with complete selflessness and in a sacrificial way. Love, in its truest form, always looks to the good of the other and never focuses upon oneself.

Only grace can enable us to live a life based on true love. Our fallen human nature tends to “navel gaze,” meaning, we tend to go through life thinking about ourselves—“What will make my life better? How will this affect me? This person has hurt me. I don’t want to do this or that, etc.” It is very difficult in life to turn our eyes from ourselves to the love of others. This is why Jesus said that this form of love can only be embraced by “those to whom that is granted.” And those to whom this depth of love is granted are those who are open to God’s transforming grace in their lives.

One reason that it is very difficult to love in a completely selfless way is because it requires us to live by grace. Our feeble human minds cannot arrive at the high calling of charity by itself. It is only by grace that we will understand that selfless living is not only best for those whom we are called to love, but it is also best for us. And in the context of married life, parenting, other vocations and every other situation in life, if our love is always focused upon the good of the other, and if our lives imitate the total sacrifice of Christ, then we will see God do great things through us. As He does, we will also see God do great things in us. The bottom line is that we only become who we were made to be when we live like Christ. And He lived a life that was unconditionally sacrificial and selfless.

Reflect, today, upon the high calling of love that you have been given. Can you accept this teaching of our Lord? Has an understanding of the nature of true love been granted to you by grace? And if so, are you doing all you can to live a life of selfless sacrificial love in union with Christ Jesus? As you examine your life and your relationships, especially with those closest to you, consider how well you act as Christ to them. Consider whether you forgive, turn the other cheek, seek mercy, compassion, understanding, gentleness and every other virtue and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Where you are lacking and find selfishness, do not hesitate to beg our Lord to grant you the grace to not only understand your high calling of love, but to also embrace it in your actions to the fullest degree. Then, and only then, will you be able to live the vocation to which you have been called.

PRAYER:
My loving Lord, Your love is beyond all comprehension. It is a love that can only be understood by the gift of Your grace. Please do grant me the grace I need to not only understand and to receive Your love in my life but to also offer Your love to all. May my life become an ongoing instrument of the perfection of love that You lived. Jesus, I trust in You.