GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John
Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.

But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.

Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
“Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
“You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come.

The Gospel of the Lord

 

Sender of our love.

No one would have expected an incarnated God. In reality, where he was born, was important because if He truly came from Nazareth , what could they have expected beyond the capabilities and limitations of an ordinary human being?

But Jesus does not come from Nazareth, He comes from God, and everything he does comes from God. He becomes a man in a city, at a moment in time, and under specific circumstances, He is the Messiah.

 

Applied to Married Life:

Alicia: Paco, do you think it is possible for us to live in love similar to God’s love?

Paco: I believe it is key asking ourselves where our relationship comes from, because that will be the base of our entire life together. If it comes from civil laws, I’ll be limited by our human capabilities, and by the current legislation. I’ll be a better husband the more empathetic, helpful, attentive, generous… I am. If I am, I’ll be condemned for my arrogance, for thinking that this is up to me. If I am not, I am condemned for failing in love. But if I trust the love from God to me, if our marriage comes from Him, I must set unreachable goals for humans and I will not be limited by my own capabilities.

Alicia: Yes, as Mother Angelica said: “Your plans, your projects, your dreams must always be bigger than you, so that God has room to act.” And our marriage is something Great, much greater than you and me.

Paco: Exactly. That’s why our goal should be Marital Charity, communion, and ultimately, holiness, because I know where we come from and where our marriage comes from: From our Almighty God, all Love.

 

Mother,

May I never forget where I come from and Who is the One who unites us, Who is the beginning and the end of everything. May I live my life as a husband to my spouse, but in Him and for Him. We consecrate ourselves to you, Mother, to put ourselves at Your service for you greater glory. Our lives, our time, and our strength is all yours. We trust you will know how to put them at his service. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews:

“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.

But there is another who testifies on my behalf,

and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.

You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.

I do not accept human testimony,

but I say this so that you may be saved.

He was a burning and shining lamp,

and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.

But I have testimony greater than John’s.

The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,

these works that I perform testify on my behalf

that the Father has sent me.

Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.

But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,

and you do not have his word remaining in you,

because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.

You search the Scriptures,

because you think you have eternal life through them;

even they testify on my behalf.

But you do not want to come to me to have life.

 

“I do not accept human praise;

moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.

I came in the name of my Father,

but you do not accept me;

yet if another comes in his own name,

you will accept him.

How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another

and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:

the one who will accuse you is Moses,

in whom you have placed your hope.

For if you had believed Moses,

you would have believed me,

because he wrote about me.

But if you do not believe his writings,

how will you believe my words?”

The Gospel of the Lord

 

By a mile.

It’s true that Jesus, being the Savior, being the Son of God, practically does not speak about Himself. You would have thought that it is the most important, given that our faith is Christ-centred and we are saved by being in Him. Despite of that, He does not testify of Himself. He is completely centred away from Him and focused on the Father and on us, like the groom that is in love and only has thoughts for His Bride.

 

Applied to Married Life:

Marcos: I took a notebook and started listing the times I think about myself, in another list, the times I think about you, and the last list, the times I think about the Lord. And you do know what the result was?

Claudia: What was it?

Marcos: My list won by a mile. Furthermore, from the list I made about you, I classified the good things I thought about you and the not-so-good things. And the result is worse because of the number of times I have negatively thought about you.

Claudia: Wow, that is not good. I thought you loved me.

Marcos: I love you and I want to love you more. That is why I have decided to pinch myself and hurt myself every time I think about myself or think poorly of you. I have a lot to heal, Claudia. Because You are the best thing God has given me.

Claudia: Okay, Marcos. Well, to avoid complaining, I’ll do the same. I’ll make my own list, because I might be surprised and my love for myself will win by a mile too.

 

Mother,

May we be witness to Him and may He be witness to us. How ugly it is to go around defending oneself and “selling” one’s own image to others. We prefer to look to the Lord and to the love of our life: our spouse. Praise be to God.

 

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John
Jn 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate
a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,
“Do you want to be well?”
The sick man answered him,
“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
“It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”
He answered them, “The man who made me well told me,
‘Take up your mat and walk.'”
They asked him,
“Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”
The man who was healed did not know who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
“Look, you are well; do not sin anymore,
so that nothing worse may happen to you.”
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.

The Gospel of the Lord

Be attentive to the Grace

Like the paralytic, we must be attentive to when the Lord stirs the water to respond immediately. The Lord will come to our rescue if He sees our desire for conversion. He will give us sufficient grace in every moment. He has committed Himself through our sacrament, which has healing grace. Today, I look again at the pool of humility that I’ve been gazing at from the edge, over and over again. But today, I feel the hand of the Lord touching my shoulder from behind and with that transforming voice, He tells me: “Rise, take hold of your self-love and walk on your spiritual path.” But of course, if reaching humility is difficult, maintaining it is even harder. That’s why the Lord tells me again: “Go and sin no more, do not allow something worse to happen to you.”

Applied to Married Life:

Mar: I’m living in peace and harmony with you. With just one day that you’ve done everything right, you’ve won my heart back. Furthermore your dedication to service and your good humour have remained. Not so much pressure that suffocates.

Alberto: Yes, Mar. I’m aware of my tendency to focus on the bad things, towards perfectionism, towards monitoring everything you do, towards rolling my eyes as soon as something isn’t done the way I think it should be… towards sarcastic or inappropriate comments. When I think about humility I see it as something what is missing in my life to be able to love you as you deserve. Therefore, I ask the Lord for it every day, so He can prepare me properly and according to His times, He will free me from my bad behaviour towards you. I would like to love you, Mar.

Mar: Thank you, Alberto. It comforts me to know that you’re aware of your issues and your willingness for the Lord to convert your heart. My stumbling block is sexuality, so I also would like to ask the Lord to heal me and not judge you for what you have giving me or for the way you treat me, but rather teach me to always be with you regardless of your behaviour. My love for you cannot depend on your actions.

Alberto: Lord, today we’ve experienced that You always approach` us with the intention to heal us. We eagerly await for You to take us out of our paralysis, but only when You see us ready.

Mar: Amen.

Mother,

We love You and we want to be in Your Heart. We ask the Lord to lead us into it. Thank You, Lord. Praise be to You

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.

The Gospel of the Lord

Because I believe, I see.

John speaks of signs and not of miracles. The word “sign” refers to something I see with my eyes, but whose profound meaning is only discovered by faith. Faith is like an X-Ray that helps me discover what the eyes do not see, and it turns out to be the deepest, the heart of God. My attitude shouldn’t be: “because I see, I believe,” but rather: “because I believe, I see.” The official mentioned in the Gospel “believed in the word of Jesus and set out on his way.” This is the key phrase of today’s Word, do not doubt, do not be afraid, believe in the word of Jesus and set out on your way. You will see great miracles. We are witnesses to this.

Applied to married life:

Pablo: (Praying with Marta) Lord, please don’t let me lose my job.

Marta: Lord, I pray for Pablo’s job… (The next day).Pablo: Lord, please protect me and don’t let me lose my job. Things are really bad. How will I find another job at my age? Marta: Lord, what will we do if they fire him? How will we live? Please, Lord, protect us. Let not our will but yours be done. (A few months later, Pablo is fired)

Pablo: I’m disappointed with God. So many times we’ve asked Him, and He hasn’t listened.

Marta: Don’t worry, Pablo. He will provide. (The next day, Marta and Pablo meet their friend Teresa on the street)

Teresa: Hey! What are you two lovebirds doing here?

Marta: Pablo lost his job, so we’re taking a walk together.

Teresa: I already knew about Pablo’s job. But do you remember when you prayed for your union because Pablo was very stressed? Well, the Lord heard your prayers. Luis mentioned it to me the other day too. We’ve never seen you so united.

Marta: That’s true. Maybe it wasn’t the best job and we needed this.

Teresa: Trust in the Lord, He will not abandon you. (Now Pablo has another job, but Marta and he are closer than ever. Praise be to the Lord.

Mother,

Mother, we are not afraid because You are steering this ship. The Spirit of the Lord guides our lives, and no one loves us more than Him. Open our eyes of faith, so we may see the Heart of the Lord. Make us participants in Divine providence. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 3:14-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God