“Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child Will not enter It”

GOSPEL

“What God has joined together, no human being must separate”

From the Gospel according to Mark 10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached him and asked,
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Exaltation to the Supernatural Union

How exciting! We witness the moment when Jesus announces the new indissoluble Marriage, just as the Father created it in the beginning. He knew that through His death and resurrection it would be possible. And so, God makes us one through the grace of the Sacrament. Praised be the Lord.

Applied to Married Life:

Andrew: So, what have you done boost your marriage in such a way? You two seem so different. You look at each other differently, you treat each other differently… My wife and I are amazed.

Teresa: Us…? Nothing.

Andrew: What do you mean, nothing? Come on!

Teresa: It has been the Lord who has done it through His grace. All previous attempts, all human efforts, had been in vain, but since we included the Lord and our Sacrament, the change has been profound. You dive into the depths of the supernatural union with the Holy Trinity. It’s a whole different dimension…

Andrew: Well, tell me how to do that, I want that too!

Teresa: Contact Proyecto Amor Conyugal, and they will help you. It’s as simple as following their guidance. You know, write to: proyectoamorconyugal@gmail.com and make your marriage something GREAT.

Mother,

Thank you for all the wisdom of God that Saint John Paul II left us. Thank you for showing us the way. Praised be Our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL

“This is my body. This is my blood.”

From the Gospel according to Mark 14:22-25

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.  “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Priesthood and Common Priesthood

We celebrate the feast of Jesus Christ, the supreme and eternal priest. He makes a new covenant with God in our name, a definitive and indestructible covenant, because He offers Himself as a sacrifice and that pact can no longer fail. It is the wonderful, I would say incredible, plan of God to ensure that we will be with Him.

The Son of God becomes a priest in our name and makes us priests through baptism. This is the so-called common priesthood, in which all the laity participate, because it is expected that we too, along with Christ, will offer our lives to God for the salvation of the Church and the world.

Today, we contemplate Mary exceptionally living this common priesthood. Mary offers herself in sacrifice along with Her Son. First, at the moment when she gives Him to God for the salvation of the world, and second, because it was announced to her, and thus it happened, that a sword would pierce Her Heart.

Let us learn from Mary to live our common priesthood in our lives, united with Christ.

Applied to Married Life:

Luise: I am falling more in love with you every day, seeing your dedication and your sacrifice for me, for our family, and for so many others you are helping.

Jhon: Thank you very much, my dear wife. Everything is the work of God’s grace through the sacrifice of Christ, but it is true that from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque I have understood that my life is to be given with and in Christ. I also see you offering your sacrifice, both physically and morally, and it makes me fall deeply in love with you.

Luise: We need to continue purifying our dedication so that it is truly priestly, without complaints, thanking God for every opportunity to give ourselves for Him and sacrificing for those who hurt us the most.

Jhon: That is not human, so we ask for grace and rely on it.

Mother,

Grant us the grace to live the common priesthood united with the only and eternal Priest and with the help of those who have received the ministerial priesthood. It is an honor to participate in it. Praised be the Lord for so many gifts He gives us through His sacrifice and through ours.

GOSPEL

“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

From the Gospel according to Mark 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

The Gospel of the Lord

What a Fence

We have the bad habit of creating isolated Catholic communities, movements, or associations that build fences to keep people from leaving. This happened even in Jesus’ time, and it was Christ Himself who did not stop them and encouraged them to continue. He was always open to letting anyone who wanted to leave freely do so… What matters is Christ. We are saved in Him, and everything else is not as important.

Now, we all follow the same Christ. We say we love all parishes, we love Opus Dei, no better or worse than the Neocatechumenal Way, and we have such high regard for Alpha Groups, the Charismatic Renewal, Emmaus, and so many wonderful religious institutes…

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for so many great inspirations that help people come to the Lord. The cornerstone, the Alpha and the Omega.

Applied to Married Life:

Louis: There is a couple from our movement who has started the Project for Conjugal Love in their parish to deepen their understanding of their vocation.

Martha: How wonderful. That enriches both our movement and their parish. And you know what I found out?

Louis: What?

Martha: That several people who started the Project for Conjugal Love and then joined our movement. And lots of others, who were previously away from church are coming back to the parishes.

Louis: Blessed be God. I’ve heard that they say the groups following the marriage itinerary are not theirs; they are parish groups following that method. They don’t even know how many couples there are.

Martha: I love the unity, richness, and openness of our Holy Mother Church.

Mother,

May we not take ownership of Your children. And if You have a better path for someone, we pray they find it soon. Blessed be the Holy Mother Church that makes us one and whose heart nourishes our spirit.

GOSPEL

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all”

From the Gospel according to 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Crossing the treshold

Jesus announces the cross, and His disciples understand nothing. They couldn’t imagine that glory is not the result of a discussion among them to see who deserves more or who imposes themselves over the others. Glory is a fruit of the cross, and the cross means giving oneself completely. Everything! Not wishing to defend myself, not wishing to take revenge, not accusing the one who despises me… Why? Because it is the way of the Lord, and that path allows me to be with Him first and to be in Him afterward.

Do I complain about being on the cross? I am no longer in Him because He does not complain. Do I get tired of being on the cross? I am no longer in Him because He remains in the Blessed Sacrament and enclosed in the Tabernacles long before I was born, and He will remain there long after I die.

But who lives the cross like this? Only the one who loves the Lord more than themselves, and that is a grace from God.

Applied to Married Life:

Martha: I still do not love the Lord more than myself, because I keep complaining about you, I am still hurt by what you say, and I react against you in my heart or even in word or deed.

Charles: We ask the Lord to allow us to cross the treshold of the cross, the one that separates the altar of sacrifice from everything else.

Martha: We ask this of you, Lord.

Mother,

We want to be the last, the servants of all. Ask the Lord for this grace for us. Praised be He forever.