Day # 3: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."

National Marriage Week USA (2/7/17 to 2/14/17) and World Marriage Day (2/12/17))

Reading 1 for 2/9/17, Genesis 2: 18 - 25

The LORD God said:
"It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him."
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
various wild animals and various birds of the air,
and He brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,
and while he was asleep, He took out one of his ribs
and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman
the rib that He had taken from the man.
When He brought her to the man, the man said:

"This one, at last, is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called 'woman,'
for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."

That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

• "God created man in His image; in the Divine image He created him; male and female He created them.  God blessed them, saying: 'Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.'" (from the first reading for Tuesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time, 2/7/17)
• "the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being" (from the first reading for Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time, 2/8/17)
• "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body." (from the 1st reading for Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time, 2/9/17)
• "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" (from the 1st reading for the Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin, 2/10/17)
• "I heard You in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." (from the 1st reading for Saturday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time, 2/11/17)
• "If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; He has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.  Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him." (from the first reading for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2/12/17)
• "I have produced a man with the help of the LORD." (from the 1st reading for Monday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time, 2/13/17)
• "a male and a female.  Thus you will keep their issue alive over all the earth." (from the first reading, 2/14/17)

• Battling pornography: strategies for home and classroom (MercatorNet, 2/7/17)
• Say, Hasn't the Church Already Said a Few Things about Marriage/Family/Sexuality? (10/8/15)
• Statement Calling for Constitutional Resistance to Obergefell v. Hodges (American Principles Project, 10/8/15)
• "Marriage is the most beautiful thing God has created" (Pope Francis, 10/1/16) 
• Study Guide to St. Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" (5/26/14)
• NaPro-TECHNOLOGY, New Hope in Infertility

Catholic institutions and parishes should proclaim the sanctity of human life without compromise [2/7/17 update]

 Contact our elected officials

• (Urge President Trump to Sign Executive Order Respecting Religious Freedom, USCCB, 2/3/17; also see Human Life Action's Call to Action.)

• Click to Email Pa's congressional delegation, regarding federal positions backed by our bishops (cf., Pa Catholic Conference, USCCB, USCCB's Justice for Immigrants,
  Human Life Action, Human Life Action's 12/16/16 email.)

• "Please call and email U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and let them know you want them to support Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. We recommend you call the Washington office and at least one of the local offices. If you get a recording, please leave a message. If the voice mailbox is full, try again later and make sure you send a written message through the link at the bottom of the phone list.
  
  
  "Here are the numbers to call for Senator Casey:
  (202) 224-6324--Washington office
  (610) 782-9470--Allentown office
  (814) 357-0314--Bellefonte office
  
  

  (814) 874-5080--Erie office
  (717) 231-7540--Harrisburg office 

  (215) 405-9660--Philadelphia office
  (412) 803-7370--Pittsburgh office
  (570) 941-0930--Scranton office
  
  "To send a written message to Senator Casey, go to his contact form here.  
  
  "Here are the numbers to call for Senator Toomey:
  (202) 224-4254--Washington office
  (610) 434-1444--Allentown office
  (814) 453-3010--Erie office
  (717) 782-3951--Harrisburg office
  
  

  (814) 266-5970--Johnstown office
  (215) 241-1090--Philadelphia office  

  (412) 803-3501--Pittsburgh office
  (570) 941-3540--Scranton office
  
  "To send a written message to Senator Toomey, go to his contact form here" (Pa Pro Life Federation, 2/1/17)

• Click to Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg, asking for support of issues/legislation backed by the Pa Catholic Conference and/or the Pa Pro Life Federation.

• Act now to stop assisted suicide (Diocese of Trenton, 11/4/16)

• Boycott Target and boycotts/actions from America Needs Fatima and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation

 Catholic Social Teaching

"'Ephphatha!' (that is, 'Be opened!')" (from the Gospel Reading for 2/10/17)