Our Lady of Lourdes

Today is Thursday the 11 February, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the 5th week of Ordinary Time.  

The Gaudete Ensemble, conducted by Eamon Dougan, sing Mysterium Amoris by Margaret Rizza, from a text by John Main: The meaning of life is the mystery of Love. Just as the roots of trees hold firm in the soil, so it is the roots of love that hold the ground of our being together.  

Today’s reading is from the book of Genesis.  

Genesis 2:18-25

Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
‘This at last is bone of my bones
   and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
   for out of Man this one was taken.’
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

During the act of creation, God saw that all was good. However, now God realises that it is not good for the person He has made to be alone. How do feel when you are alone?

 If loneliness is something you are finding challenging at the moment, ask God to help you access others to be alongside you in whatever way is currently possible.

‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’. As you listen again ponder what these words mean for you.  

The first people were not ashamed. Of what are you ashamed? Tell Jesus about it now and ask for his forgiveness.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.