GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Path of Unity.
Jesus speaks to His disciples about the greatness of His mission, a supernatural mission, no less than the salvation of the world through the cross. Jesus reaches the highest dignity of humanity by giving His body for me. In contrast, the disciples wanted to make themselves great by the path of domination, imposing themselves to others. We clearly see how this attitude causes division among the disciples, while Jesus’s attitude creates an alliance, a union stronger than death. So strong that nothing will separate us from Him. The question now is: Do I want to provoke separation with my spouse by the path of domination, or union with him/her by the path of service and the cross? I decide to love.
Applied to married life:
Beatriz: Lord, I do not feel valued in what I do as a wife and mother. But I know these are temptations, that myself wants to be exalted by the path of vanity, and I do not want to be led by that temptation. I prefer to be humbled with You through the giving of myself on the cross, as a wife who gives herself, offering her sacrifice for the salvation of her husband and children. I am with You, Lord, I follow You.
Juanjo (Beatriz’s Husband): I, Lord, ask forgiveness for not accepting the gift You give me through my wife, and I thank You for her because she teaches me to love. I ask You to teach me to be more humble.
Beatriz: No, Juanjo, you are a wonderful gift to me. These are temptations that I must overcome. I love you.
Juanjo: I love you.
Mother,
How ugly it is for brothers to try to impose themselves on one another. It must be a great pain for you to witness these divisions because we want to make ourselves greater than others. Only God exalts, and He exalts those who humble themselves. How beautiful is the path of God’s love. Praise be to God.