He Made Them Male and Female

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 10:04 am Post subject: He Made Them Male and Female

He Made Them Male and Female

Scripture:

And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself. And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name. And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself.

Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam. And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24)

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor: that, through the grace of God, he might taste death for all. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, who had brought many children into glory, to perfect the author of their salvation, by his passion. For both he that sanctifies, and they who are sanctified, are all of one. For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren: (Hebrews 2:9-11)

And the Pharisees coming to him asked him: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. But he answering, said to them: What did Moses command you? Who said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away. To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept.

But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing. And he said to them: Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, commits adultery against her. And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she commits adultery.

And they brought to him young children, that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked them that brought them. Whom when Jesus saw, he was much displeased, and said to them: Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it. And embracing them, and laying his hands upon them, he blessed them. (Mark 10:2-16)

Reflection:

As God formed the first man and woman, He began His relationship with mankind. The accounts which continue from that moment reflect how the children of His creation have turned to and away from Him. There are those who keep Him within their hearts and those who close Him out.

As God formed man and woman, He not only began the relationship with them, He began the relationship between them. From the fruit of the love of the first were brought forth the generations. Some seek to live according to His Word of love, while others seek to ignore any mention of it; but sadly, all fail Him in the moments they turn away from Him and turn to satisfy selfish desires.

Despite the failings of all mankind, there remains one hope. It is the hope through which all are able to live in peace. It is the hope through which all may prosper. It is the hope through which all may know His embrace. It is the hope through which all who believe in Him shall know His fidelity to them and through which their failings shall be forgiven. It is the hope of love.

Love is His greatest gift to the children of His creation. It is a gift through which a man and a woman may come together as one and bring forth the blessings of family. It is a gift which may be shared between husband and wife and expanded to embrace and envelope the generations they produce. It is a gift through which children may grow and their hearts may be nourished.

From the union possible only between man and woman, generations are brought forth; but it is the love within this union, blessed by Him, which enables and encourages the potential of all who are conceived to experience the fullness and greatness of His Word. It is love which nourishes the greatest of accomplishments of the children of His creation, but there is a darkness which constantly lurks to corrupt it, threaten it and destroy it. As the children of His creation turn away from Him, they leave themselves vulnerable to the blindness which the darkness brings and all the evil which it spawns.

Scripture reveals the blessings which are shared through love and the anguish of its absence. Through the generations, there are those who seek to live by His design and those who pervert it. It is when we miss the mark of the love He always intended for us and asks of us that we experience the consequences of sin. The ramifications are not always experienced immediately or in the moment, and for this reason we are seduced through moments of perceived fulfillment of our desires to trade away the blessings He intends for our eternity.

In our weakness, we fail Him. In our weakness, we set aside the blessings of love. In our weakness, we are seduced by the one who deceives. In our weakness, we are tempted away from the greatest of gifts. Despite our weakness, He desires that we may learn, that we may find our way back to His light. It is for this reason He sent His only begotten Son as the example of His love for us and the charity and love He desires we share with one another.

It is love which fuels the generations, but hate which destroys them. It is no wonder, then, that the prince of darkness seeks to blind the children of His creation to the blessings of love and sow the seeds of hate. The evil one begins his endeavors by appealing to our selfishness. We can only defend ourselves against these attacks by asking God to give us strength in selflessness.

As man and woman subordinate their desires to the needs of one another, they build upon the foundation of the vows they placed before Him to seal the sacrament of marriage. As they invite God within their midst, they close the door to the one who tempts them. As they invest their love in God, they receive the blessings of His. As they invest their love within their children, they set the foundations for the generations to come. As they raise their children to know God, they give them the foundation from which not only to face the world, but to set aside the temptations of the world.

When we face strife within our relationships, we must examine ourselves and ask where we have allowed selfishness to creep within our heart. Where has it pulled us away from God and from those we love? While part of the fault may reside with another, we must first recognize what lies within our control. We must be willing to work upon our weaknesses before we engage those of another. We must ask for wisdom and strength from God to guide us if we are to truly minister in love. We must have faith that through our relationship with Him, our heart will be guided in how we may improve our relationships with others.

We must not doubt, the prince of mischief will fight us at every turn. He will lay every trap, but the evil one cannot prevail when we allow Jesus to guide our path. The outcomes may not always be as we expect or even according to our plans, but through our faith in Him, the greater good will come.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier