GOSPEL

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

From the Gospel according to John
Jn 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
many began to believe in his name
when they saw the signs he was doing.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all,
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Temples.

Jesus was aware of the nature within every individual and thus withheld His trust. The accounts given by these individuals were deemed untrustworthy due to their internal dispositions.
Yet, He has transformed us into dwelling places for His Spirit. Now our body is also a temple. And what do I allow in my heart? A marketplace or the Lord who bears witness on my behalf?

Applied to the context of marriage:

Monica: The more pure my heart, the more accurately I reflect the Lord’s light. Hence, I am committed to this journey of purification, not for my own sanctity, but to genuinely serve as the Lord’s sanctuary for you.

Daniel: I appreciate you, Monica. The more you behave as a temple of God, the more aware I become of your sacredness and the more it helps me to treat you according to the dignity you truly possess. I’m grateful for your dedication.

Mother,
May the Lord be able to trust us because we are going to transmit His righteousness to our spouses. Praise be to the Lord.

GOSPEL

Your brother was dead and has come to life.

From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”‘
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.'”

The Gospel of the Lord

At any cost.

Imagining ourselves within this narrative, we might advise the father, “Do you not see that your children are exploiting you?” Indeed, they are misusing his affection for their own gain. Yet, the father seems indifferent, content as long as they receive his love. This is the essence of love: it’s vulnerable, often taken for granted, yet ultimately, it showcases the true magnificence and nobility of the one who loves sincerely.

The father doesn’t prevent his son from departing with his inheritance, nor does he interrogate him upon his return, a return motivated not by love but by necessity. He also refrains from chastising his elder son for his jealousy towards his brother. The father’s primary concern is the joy of his son’s return, once lost and now found. That is the nature of love. And in that way, I must love my partner.

Applied to the context of marriage:

Margaret: Can you ever forgive me? I’ve caused you immense pain. In a fit of spite, I falsely accused you of abuse, leading to your arrest. I’ve banished you from our home, maligned you to our children, and haven’t spoken to your mother in months. I initiated divorce proceedings and attempted to strip you of everything, misled by my lawyer and sister…

Peter: Margaret, that’s not who you are. The critical thing is that you’ve had a change of heart and wish to reunite. You’ve recognized that without me, our family isn’t the same, nor is your life. You’ve reached out for me again. That’s what truly matters. My love for you has been unwavering, and it will remain so, irrespective of your actions. I love you not for what you do, but because you are yourself – my wife, my lifelong companion, with all your strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn’t replace you for anything or anyone. I love you because God has bound you to me, and His bonds are incredibly strong.

Margaret: I’m baffled, Peter. How can you love me so deeply? The way you’ve consistently responded to my confrontations and hostility with love is what has brought me to my senses.

Peter: I’m equally perplexed, Margaret. I never anticipated reacting like this, but it’s God’s will that I love you in this way. I saw you lost, seeking an exit in the wrong direction, and I yearned for you to rediscover the right path, whatever the cost. Such guidance comes only from God.

Mother,
The task of retrieving the lost one is the Shepherd’s mission, the endeavour of Your Son, and the duty bestowed upon us as spouses when one strays. It’s a moment to await their return, to embrace them and shower them with affection without seeking explanations. This is how God loves me, and thus, I am compelled to love in response to His boundless affection. Blessed be the Lord, for His profound love. Amen.

GOSPEL

This is the heir, let us kill him.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Love You Need.

God is good. God is generous. We run the risk of becoming like spoilt children. Children who remember their parents only when they require laundry done, meals prepared, or money for their expenditures. For them, everything is rights and for their parents, everything is obligations. Thus, they do not stay with them by choice, nor do they love them for who they are, but for what they receive from them. In some way, they use them.
This dynamic is not limited to parental relationships but extends to our interactions with God and our partners. With God, praying to ask for things, praying when He gives us peace or we live comforting spiritual experiences that “recharge” our batteries, and when we don’t receive them, we lose interest in praying. But what about love for God Himself? Doesn’t He deserve our love with all that we have received and continue to receive from Him? Doesn’t He deserve to be praised and thanked every day at all hours simply because He loves us? Let’s see the interactions with our partners below.

Applied to the context of marriage:

Ashlyn: Hugh, do you love me, or do you just love what you receive from me? You want us to make love every week, you want me to ensure our house is tidy, the clothes clean and well ironed. You want me to go for walks with you on Sunday mornings because you enjoy the walks, you also want me to be pleasant to you, to not focus so much on the kids so I can spend more time with you and make you feel accompanied… But on the other hand, you find it hard to listen to me when I’m upset, you lose patience because you say I don’t get to the point, you get annoyed when I repeat myself, you take it badly when I leave you alone because I go to help my parents, etc. So, I would like to know if you care about me or just what you receive from me and enjoy. Because what you dislike about me, you take very badly.

Hugh: You matter to me, Ashlyn. I love you and want the best for you. Forgive me because I am a bit selfish and sometimes act as you say, but then I ask for your forgiveness and confess, because it’s not how I want to act. I am willing to give up whatever it takes for you to be well and receive the love you need.

Mother,
In the face of adversity, the essence of genuine love is revealed. Let us welcome these challenges with happiness and dedicate ourselves to nurturing our love in sincerity. Blessed be God, who offers Himself to us in such a profound manner.