Friday, 19th week in Ordinary Time

Weekday liturgy (Year 1) — Green

First Reading

Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63 or 16:59-63

Responsorial Psalm

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R.        (6)  Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
            I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
            and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
            at the fountain of salvation.
R.        Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
            among the nations make known his deeds,
            proclaim how exalted is his name.
R.        Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
            let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
            for great in your midst
            is the Holy One of Israel!
R.        Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Gospel Reading — Read Reflection

Matthew 19:3-12
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator 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 flesh?

So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”