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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark

Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,

it became known that he was at home.

Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,

not even around the door,

and he preached the word to them.

They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,

they opened up the roof above him.

After they had broken through,

they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,

“Child, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,

“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.

Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

Jesus immediately knew in his mind what

they were thinking to themselves,

so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,

‘Your sins are forgiven,’

or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?

But that you may know

that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”

–he said to the paralytic,

“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”

He rose, picked up his mat at once,

and went away in the sight of everyone.

They were all astounded

and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” 

The word of the Lord

Thank you for your faith

The Lord is the Savior, and He takes advantage of any opportunity to rescue us. Today, we see how He relies on the faith of the bearers to save the paralytic. What merit does the paralytic have here? On the other hand, the Pharisees use any circumstance to condemn. The Lord’s attitude fills me with hope because I see Him wanting to cling to any reason to save me. Let us not be Pharisaic spouses towards each other but rather spouses who bear living water.

Grounded in married life:

Juan: Today, wife, I would like to thank you for your faith.

Julia: And I for yours, because it helps me a lot to move towards the Lord.

Juan: Today, I want to give thanks because the Lord, through your faith, pours out His redeeming power upon me when you pray for me and offer yourself for me.

Julia: That too. Thank you, Lord, for the faith of my husband.

Mother,

How far does the love of the Lord go for me? How far does His mercy? Praised be He forever.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark

Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,

touched the leper, and said to him,

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.

Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,

but go, show yourself to the priest

and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.

He spread the report abroad

so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.

He remained outside in deserted places,

and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

The word of the Lord

Wanting and Being Able

“Wanting” and “being able” are two verbs with a vast distance between them in situations like that of the leper. But for the Lord, they always go together, because what He wants to do, He can always do, and what He can do, He always wants to do. In our case, however, in matters of love and healing, we may want a lot and be able to do nothing. And other times, we may be able to do a lot and not want to do anything. There are many times when I could love my spouse more and I don’t want to love him/her more. I don’t want to because I’m tired, or because I’m fed up, or because I think s/he don’t deserve it, or because I’m hurt by something they’ve done, or I don’t want to because I believe they don’t love me. Today, Jesus returns the phrase to me and presents my spouse wounded by sin (I close my eyes and contemplate them in my heart). After looking at them for a few moments, Jesus says to me: If you want, you can love him/her more. Let’s see if I respond like Him and say: I want to!

Applied to married life:

Fran: If you want, you can forgive me.

Patri: I’m very hurt by you and I don’t want to forgive you.

Fran: Will you at least give me a hug?

Patri: I don’t want to hug you because you don’t deserve it. (The next day, Patri goes to confession and the priest does not give her absolution. Upon arriving home…) Patri: Husband, I’m home. Can you come?

Fran: I’m coming!

Patri: I wanted to forgive you for yesterday. The Lord taught me a lesson today because the priest couldn’t give me absolution for my sins for not wanting to forgive you.

Fran: Oh! Thank you for forgiving me.

Patri: Will you forgive me too?

Fran: Well, now I don’t want to forgive you… Just kidding! Of course, I do. Come into my arms!

Mother,

How many things the Lord wants to do through us and does not do out of respect for our freedom, all those times we can but do not want to. Today we say to you: We are your servants, Lord! Praised be you.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.

The word of the Lord

Mr. Tired.

Clearly, Jesus slept very little that night. He finished late and tired, regardless He had to get up to pray, it does not matter that He is the Son of God, he still do it. Dear spouses, now is not the time to rest; the harvest is plentiful, and it is God’s will that none should be lost. So, it is not time to rest; it is time to give life.

Applied ton married life:

Carmen: There is something evil that plagues most of the population. Do you know what it is?
Luis: What is it?
Carmen: Tiredness. Today everyone is very tired. I myself complain very often about being tired. But I think I can’t afford it. There is much to do for the Lord and for the salvation of marriages.
Luis: You are right. I also realised that the only thing that truly rests, apart from necessary sleep, is prayer.
Carmen: Resting in the Lord. How right you are. I have resolved not to be so mindful of my supposed tiredness, because it is like a dark hole that traps me, and the more I let myself be absorbed by it, the more it traps me. So, when I feel tired, I will get up with the Lord and give more of myself or pray with Him. Will you join me?
Luis: But I’m tired.
Carmen: Hahaha, you silly. Come on, Mr.Tired, get up and give me a kiss.

Mother,

We have been created to give life as Christ did. Praised be He forever.