Gospel.

From the Gospel according to Mark. Mk 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

The Gospel of the Lord

Fingers in the Socket

Just as God’s love is perfect and ours, by contrast, misses so many things, there also exists a perfect anger of God, compared to our own, which is often deplorable. God’s anger is for our good and out of love for us, while ours is often quite selfish.

When does God apply His anger? When faced with the hardness of our hearts. When we insist on not listening to Him, on rejecting His plan, and this results in harm to ourselves. If you see your child, after you’ve warned them several times that sockets are dangerous, about to stick a metal object into the socket, wouldn’t you shout at them? It’s not an offensive shout, it’s not accusatory, it’s not against the child—it’s for their salvation. In the same way, God acts with us in certain situations where, because of the hardness of our hearts, there is no other way to secure our salvation.

Applied to married life

Fatima: Father Tim, I’ve realized that when my bad anger flares up against my husband, it’s often because God, moved by His righteous anger, wants to give me a wake-up call for my conversion.
Fr Tim: That’s a very good observation, dear Fatima. I, too, sometimes find myself compelled to apply God’s wrath to certain people for their salvation. It’s my responsibility. Then, they can either respond by getting angry with me or by reacting and returning with a contrite heart, which is the first step toward conversion. So, Fatima, my dear, when that bad anger comes over you, take a closer look to see if it’s not God calling you to conversion—especially if He has already placed you in that situation multiple times.
Fatima: Thank you, Father. I repent for not heeding those calls from God through my husband. May I receive absolution?
Fr Tim: Yes, of course. God loves you greatly and forgives you.

Mother,

May we not respond with anger to the wrath of God, but rather be humble and embrace the conversion to which He calls us. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Gospel.

From the Gospel according to Mark. Mk 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

The Gospel of the Lord

We could have never imagined.

How much we, men and women, love making ourselves the protagonists of everything. God exhorts us to dedicate at least one day to place Him at the center, yet we turn it into a rule, and from that moment on, we become the protagonists because we comply with the rule. It’s like someone who attends Mass daily because they’ve made a commitment and seems to think they’re doing God a favor by showing up every day. Or like the husband who, simply because he doesn’t get divorced and stays home, believes he’s fulfilling his duties. But where is the love of God in all this? Where is the desire to be with Him? Where is the love of a husband who gives thanks to God every day for allowing him to share a common intimacy with his wife?
Let us not honor God with our lips but with our hearts. Pope Francis is right when he says this generation lacks heart. Let us embrace the heart of Jesus and fall in love with Him.

Applied to married life:

Sile: How wonderful, Matt, is to walk this journey of the Project of Marital Love hand in hand with Mary, a path that draws us ever deeper into intimacy with the Lord together.
Matt: I never knew such a path could exist, Sile—one that could lead us to a relationship with the Lord and with each other that we could never have imagined.
Sile: What a difference! How we now live and savor every Eucharist, every marital prayer. I don’t even know how to thank God for so much.
Matt: And to be accompanied by this wonderful community of couples who support us, who share this same journey—it’s beyond words. I can only give glory to God.
Sile: Glory to God.

Mother,

Thank you, thank you for leading us on this path toward the Lord. Blessed are you forever, Mother.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him.

The word of the Lord

Water that burns.

When there is no wine in our marriage, Mary always intervenes. Jesus needs some purification jars to be able to perform the miracle of transforming our love into His Love. And that purification jar must be my heart, and the water that fills it must be my self-denial. It is a water that comes to me and burns, because it has to ferment in my heart to allow the wine of Lord in me, turning my heart of stone into a heart of flesh.

Applied to Married Life:

Álvaro: I am currently going through a very strange situation. A difficult situation where my wife perceives me as being against her, even though I am trying to help her with all my strength. I feel tremendous helplessness, because she usually complains that I don’t help her, but when I am giving my all to help her, she feels me as an enemy. What can I do?

Mamen: Offer your sacrifice to our mother Mary so she can go to the Lord and let the Lord act between you. He will take care of it…, don’t worry. Your marriage will eventually get the good wine.

Mother, 

There is so little that is in our hands, that we cannot expect anything other than the Lord Himself who makes Himself present out of love. Praised be His Sacred Heart.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark

Mark 2:13-17

Jesus went out along the sea.

All the crowd came to him and he taught them.

As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,

sitting at the customs post.

Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

And he got up and followed Jesus.

While he was at table in his house,

many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;

for there were many who followed him.

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners

and tax collectors and said to his disciples,

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard this and said to them,

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The word of the Lord

Less is more.

We need to know the Heart of the Lord to understand this Gospel. His heart burns with love for us. Pope Francis says in Dilexit nos that “Jesus brought the great novelty of recognising dignity… especially of those people who were deemed ‘unworthy’… a new principle… by which the more weak, miserable, and suffering a human being is, the more ‘worthy’ they are of respect and love.” So, the more miserable someone is, the more worthy they are of love? That is the Heart of Christ.

Grounded in Married Life:

Rocío: There is a piece in our marriage that is placed the other way around, because for God our “less” is His “more.”

Jaime: I don’t understand anything. You woke up philosophising today and I’m completely lost.

Rocío: Hahaha. Yes. For me, the more miserable you are, the less worthy of my love I consider you, meaning you deserve my love less. And for the Lord, it is the opposite.

Jaime: So, the more miserable one is, the more worthy they are of love? Now you really have me dumbfounded.

Rocío: But that doesn’t mean you have to treat me badly on purpose, okay?

Jaime: Hahaha, no dear. I can imagine…

Rocío: Look at it this way. The lower one falls, the more they need to be lifted up. But you don’t want to fall low, right?

Jaime: No, of course not! I always want to be in grace.

Rocío: That’s how I like it, my husband.

Mother,

Who is like God? Praised be His Sacred Heart.