An Everlasting Covenant August 18

"For thus speaks the Lord GOD: I will deal with you according to what you have done, you who despised your oath, breaking a covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you. I pardon you for all you have done." (Ezekiel 59,60,63)

“What God has joined together, man must not separate.” Matthew 19

Piety

Let us pray: The Mighty One has done great things for us. Yet we take our inheritance and run. Lost and alone, You welcome us back. You clothe us in the finest robes You kill the fatted calf to throw us a party. You put a ring on our finger. Everything you have you give to us, even the body you take on is sacrificed for us. Yet we are an ungrateful lot. And still you forgive us.

Lord, draw us to you and keep us protected by your cloak so we will always be one with You. Deliver us from evil and grant us peace today. Amen.


Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/081806.shtml

In the week where we celebrated the Assumption of Mary into heaven body and soul, the readings today continue to evoke themes that are both “fleshy” yet supremely “spiritual.” The beauty of all that comes from God, the uniting of woman and man and also the uniting of the Lord and the people of God. Nothing can keep us from our God, even the greatest sins that we might commit.

What does the Lord provide? Everything. And there may not be a more beautiful passage of what the Lord bestows than we find in Ezekiel. When the Lord finds that the world has left us naked, abandoned and alone, Ezekiel describes him in ways that remind us of the father in the Prodigal Son parable, providing for us the finest clothing, food and jewelry.

So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you; you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with an embroidered gown, put sandals of fine leather on your feet; I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms, a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose, pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver; your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food. You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was, because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you, says the Lord GOD.

Once we became one with the Lord – nothing we could ever do would separate us from Him. In the reading from St. Matthew, the talk is of divorce. While it is directly related to the law and how it is interpreted, we hear that line which has been repeated in wedding vows throughout the ages…what God has joined, man may not separate.

While it is easy to see that Jesus is talking about man and woman united in marriage, he also is talking about his unifying covenant with us. Nothing we can do will separate us from our God. The Lord will always pardon us and remind us of the covenant made with us from birth.

Action

Right now, the people of the Kingdom of God in Darfur remain naked, abandoned and alone. They need the support of their brothers and sisters in the world community.

On April 30, 2006, tens of thousands of Darfur activists gathered on the National Mall in Washington to call attention to the genocide in Darfur and to demand action by the U.S. government.

The message was heard, prompting President Bush to dispatch an aide directly to the Darfur peace talks in Africa. The Darfur Peace Agreement was signed, offering a glimmer of hope that the genocide could be stopped.

But since then other events have consumed the world's attention and the Darfur genocide has fallen off the agenda.

In an effort to demonstrate a global commitment to establish a lasting peace for the people of Darfur, the Save Darfur Coalition is organizing "SAVE DARFUR NOW: Voices to Stop Genocide," a rally and concert in New York City on September 17. In addition, organizations around the world are organizing a Global Day for Darfur.

Click here for more information and to sign up to attend.

For two weeks in September, the United Nations General Assembly will meet in New York City. This is an opportunity to bring our efforts on behalf of the people of Darfur directly to the United Nations. That is why, in addition to "SAVE DARFUR NOW: Voices to Stop Genocide," the coalition will begin 10 Days of Action on September 7 leading up to September 17.

September 17 events are taking place in cities around the country and the globe all with the same goal: to show worldwide support for the people of Darfur and to put pressure on world governments to protect Darfur's innocent civilians. Can you plan to take part in one? Perhaps special palanca can be offered for the people of Darfur at the same time you pray for the men on the 113th Cursillo that weekend.