Beyond Rejection | ACW70

I'm very saddened by the loss of the Eucharist in quarantine. What do I do? God created man (male and female) in his own image, but God is not biological. How does this work? How do I deal with deep feelings of rejection after divorce and annulment?

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Q1: My question is about quarantine and the Eucharist, and I am sure others can relate. I have recently been falling more in love with the Lord through the Eucharist, but I took it for granted that He would be there at Mass every Sunday, and I didn't take time out of my week to go to daily Mass, which I now regret. I ache deeply to receive Jesus sacramentally and I long for the physical closeness of receiving Him in the Eucharist. I realize that the ache is a good thing, in a way, but often find myself resenting the fact that I cannot now receive Communion, and I tend toward self pity in this, not prayer. How can I recognize the grace God is offering in this time of trial and pray into the ache it is bringing about in my heart?

Q2: So in Genesis 1:27, which I'm sure you're very familiar with, it says "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them."
So it says that God created them in his image, but he doesn't have a body, so it must be a different kind of image, not a biological one. But he says that he created them in the image of God, then he continues to elaborate by saying that that image is in the gender of Male and female. So my question is, if being in God's image is not meant biologically, how is it shown in the genders of male and female?

Q3: I am currently undergoing the divorce and annulment process. One of the largest reasons for things ending is that she just refused to have a physical relationship with me. After a lot of detailed conversations with priests and my counselor I can accept intellectually that I am not to blame for this, but I am really struggling with deep feelings of rejection and that there must be something wrong with me. Any advice?

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Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.

Featuring music by Mike Mangione.

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