February 09, 2017

Gospel: Mk 7:24-30
When Jesus left that place, he went to the border of the Tyrian country. There, he entered a house, and did not want anyone to know he was there; but he could not remain hidden. A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet. Now this woman was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.“ But she replied, “Sir, even the puppies under the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.“ Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a response, the demon has gone out of your daughter.“ And when the woman went home, she found her child lying in bed, and the demon gone.

REFLECTION:
“Human sexuality, gift of the Creator“
St. John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate developed a very beautiful catechesis on human sexuality known as the “Theology of the Body.“ He plumbed the deep significance of the creation of Adam and Eve as recorded in Genesis 2, our reading of today. This particular section he refers to as the “original innocence“ of man.
Being human is either being man or woman. Human sexuality is a given not a choice one makes. Moreover, there exists a natural attraction of the sexes–man is naturally attracted to woman and woman is naturally attracted to man. But though man and woman are sexually different they are, however, equal in dignity! Such is the order of creation from the beginning! And man and woman found joy in their sexual difference and sexual complementarity a sis conveyed by the verse “Both the man and his wife were naked and were not ashamed.“ Human sexual relationship is beautiful; it is part of the good in God’s creation.
It is when man tries to defy this order set by God from the beginning that mars the beauty of human sexuality! There is much evil when one tampers with one’s sexual identity. No good can come out of a same sex union! And surely there is much evil in sexual relationship outside of marriage as decreed by the Creator!