Mark 10:2-16

Marriages can break down, but in this story, Jesus appears as the wise person urging people to seek first the original harmony where possible, rather than seek escape routes when difficulties arise. When have you found that, in marriage or in other relationships, the bonds have been strengthened when you have been prepared to work through difficulties?

There are other things that we needlessly and wrongly put in opposition: young and old, male and female, people from different cultures, body and soul. Perhaps at times you have discovered the advantages of exploring the richness of combining such apparently exclusive opposites.

The children in the second story can be taken as representing any group of ‘little ones' whose opinion we may be inclined to dismiss. When have you found that you have been taught an important lesson about life, about love, or about faith by people whose views you had been inclined to dismiss?

Children's curiosity and questioning can also give us a lesson. Their desire to know and understand the world around them can serve as an inspiration for us and we seek an ever deeper understanding and appreciation of how our faith can enrich our lives.