August 17, 2018 Friday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time-B

Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63

Psalm Isaiah 12:2-6

Matthew 19:3-12

“…a man shall…be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  Mt. 19:5

Lord, marriage is one of the greatest gifts you have given the human race.  In your perfect plan you intended a man and a woman to give themselves completely to each other.  Marriage is an image of the type of relationship the Father desires to have with us.  Lord, I pray today for all marriages.  I lift up to you every marriage that is having a difficult time right now.  Open the hearts of husbands and wives to however you wish for them to live in happiness forever.  Help all married couples to the determination to heal, forgive and love each other.  Show wives how to make their husbands better fathers and fathers make their wives better mothers.  Motivate each spouse to make the other a saint.  Despite all the temptations in the world, keep husbands and wives true to each other.  Give them an honesty and a humility to be able to say “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” and mean it.  Lord, may your special graces smooth the road and give the strength to married couples to succeed and to live in peace.  Amen.