“Woe to you Pharisees! Woe also to you scholars of the law!”

A reading from the Gospel of Luke 11:42-46

The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Unleashing Love

Watch out for the law and burdens. First for ourselves, and second for placing them on our spouses and children. 

Our faith is based on love, and everything in it is driven by love. What moves me to pray? First, the Love of Christ, I discover how  tremendously loved I am, and second, the love that arises in me in response. Love with a capital “L” calls for love with a lowercase “l.” 

It is then that I discover that He calls me to give myself to my spouse, it is then that I discover the value of my spouse to the Lord, it is then that I discover the value of my spouse to me, it is then that my spouse discovers the value I have for him or her, and it is then that I feel loved by my spouse. 

Everything starts from the Love of God, which unleashes our love.

Applied to Married Life:

Tony: When did you convert to Christian marriage? 

Diana: First, I got married because I felt attracted to you and loved by you in a worldly way. I liked that you pampered me, that you were head over heels for me. It was totally a lustful kind of love. 

Tony: And then came work, the difficulties of living together, arguments because of in-laws… And everything collapsed for you. Right? And finally, your conversion to Christian marriage. 

Diana: Exactly. The first thing was discovering God’s Love. Knowing that I am loved by Him. And He made me realize that you are my mission, your true beauty, and your real worth, and that I love you not only for who you are now but for who you are called to be. And that this journey I had to walk with you, through loving you and giving myself for you. I love you, and I want to see you holy, you know? 

Tony: I know. Me too. I love you, and I want to see you holy.

Mother,

May our giving of ourselves always be out of love, seeking the good of my husband or wife. Praise be to the Lord who loves us so much.