GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

Word of the Lord.

Precious confluence

When we talk about the path of purification, of renunciations, sacrifices, and selflessness, it can generate rejection and even scandalize many. But the path that God has established to reach glory is the way of the cross. One must pass through the cross to reach resurrection. One must pass through humiliation so that the Lord can lead us to holiness. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

Applied to married life:

Ana: I dreamed that you and I would live in communion, that we would understand each other, that there would be one will between us. But reality is proving difficult and demands great suffering.
Antonio: I’m sorry, Ana. I’m sorry to be a source of suffering for you. I want that communion for us too, but it seems that the only way to achieve it is through that internal battle that arises from the clash of intellects, wills, and emotions between two so different as you and I.
Ana: Selflessness. That’s the way. St. John Paul says that from mutual submission, a precious confluence is born. So let’s start there, and the communion will be built by the Holy Spirit.

Mother,

The narrow gate is at the beginning. Then the path becomes more and more beautiful. Help us to walk it, blessed Mother.”

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples:
Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

Word of the Lord.

Spouses ablaze.

The Lord goes to the Father, and His departure brings sadness to us, but with the coming of the Holy Spirit, our joy begins. We experience a certain sadness because we are not fully in Him, and we have that longing in our hearts, like the lovers in the Song of Songs. But full joy will come when, by His blessed Mercy, He takes us with Him. For God so loved the world that He gave His life so that ours may reach fullness.

Applied to Married Life:

Miriam: Are you aware of how much Jesus’ Heart loves us? Are you aware that His Heart burns so much for us in love that He needs us to communicate it to alleviate all that fire?
Jose: He has given me so much love for you that I have a small idea. In reality, my love for you is a small participation in His Love for us, and my heart burns more and more, and I need to communicate it to you in His name.
Miriam: Wow, that’s amazing! I had never realized that our marital love alleviates the fire of Jesus’ Heart’s Love. I love being able to love you like this.

Mother,

Jesus came to set fire to our hearts, and they are already burning. May we be spouses ablaze with His Love. Praise be to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”

Word of the Lord.

Truth does not come from Google.

How beautiful it is that Jesus always considers the Father and the Spirit when He speaks. He does not only convey information but also love, courtesy, unity.
To delve into the truth, we need the Holy Spirit to communicate it to us. Therefore, let us be wary of guides who do not pray. Dear married couples, tutors, and guardians, let us rely more on prayer, for it is the Holy Spirit who guides us to the truth. All Truth comes from the Father, and what does not come from Him is not true. To decide what I need to do in our daily life in marriage, pray a lot. To know how to help my husband, pray a lot. To help other spouses, pray a lot. Prayer, Sacraments, giving and receiving in marriage… everything that attracts the Spirit of Truth, to be in the truth.

Applied to married life:

Ramón (Julia’s husband): Going to play golf on Sundays, I don’t think it’s wrong, right? Sports are good, and besides, it relaxes me.
Julia: After working outside all week, he spends Sundays with friends. I don’t know how to give up without resignation. Deep down, I am left with an internal burden that later takes its toll on me.
Andrés (Laura’s husband): I think our problem is that my wife is unbalanced. If she calmed down a bit… maybe with a little pill…
Laura: I don’t understand why I had to end up with such an unbearable in-law family. I married my husband, not his family, right?
Jaime (Ángela’s husband): Besides the rosary, do we have to pray the Gospel every day? Seems like an exaggeration to me. We should be more normal…
Ángela: My husband does not accompany me in matters of faith. Should I sign up to be a catechist if he does not share this decision? Yesterday I suggested praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the car, and you should have seen how he reacted…
Married Tutor: To discern correctly, pray more, pray a lot together, spouses.

Mother,

It’s impressive how much wisdom the Holy Spirit has left in the Church throughout the centuries. Why do we often live as if we have to rediscover the truth from scratch? Why don’t we rely on Him to make our decisions or to clarify reasons that lead us to unfruitful arguments? The Father gives us the gift of Wisdom through the Spirit, and we seek it on Google. Praise be to God who shares everything and does not keep anything for Himself, as far as we are capable of understanding. Amen.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples:
Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

Word of the Lord.

Our task.

Human justice unjustly condemned the Lord. Divine justice will prevail in the end, and every sin will be revealed, and condemnation will come to the prince who rules this world. Therefore, it is not up to me to administer justice; that is the Lord’s task. Meanwhile, our task is to mutually save each other through our surrender.

Applied to Married Life:

Juanjo: Lord, for many years I have judged and condemned my wife for each of her sins, but now that I know you, Lord, I want to offer myself for her so that you do not hold her accountable for the suffering she has caused me and only see every single one of her acts of surrender, which have been many.
Marisa: Lord, for many years I have been very attentive to the pain in my heart from the wounds inflicted by my husband. But now, Lord, before Your Sacred Heart, I ask you to forget all his lack of charity and only see how much he has always wanted to love me. I offer myself for his salvation.
(And the Sacred Heart of Jesus is consoled in heaven)

Mother,

We love each other and want mutual redemption. We will live for that purpose. Praise be to the Holy Spirit.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 15:26—16:4a

Jesus said to his disciples:
When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.

Word of the Lord.

Truth or domination

refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth. In the catechism (No. 1606), under the section ‘Marriage under the bondage of sin’, it speaks of the threat to the union of man and woman by, among other things, the ‘spirit of domination’. Let’s reflect: Which of the two ‘spirits’ do I allow to govern my marital relationship? The spirit of domination or the Spirit of truth? The Spirit of truth comes from God, not from us. He is the advocate, and He is the one who changes people: ‘…He will testify about me; and you also will testify,’ says the Lord. He ‘christifies’ us, making us more and more like Christ. Let’s allow God to be God.

Applied to married life:

Julio: I’m worried because I feel like we’re stuck and not making progress.
Marta: Don’t worry, Julio. We are in the hands of the Lord. We are consecrated to Him and we entrust everything to Him. The Spirit will guide our lives. We’ve experienced it before. How many times has the Lord placed the person who needed us the most by our side? How many times has He resolved our needs by moving the hearts of others? How many times has He rescued us with a word from a friend, from a priest…
Julio: It’s true. Since forever, but especially since we consecrated ourselves to the Heart of Jesus through Mary, we look back and see God’s providential hand in our entire lives. We trust in Him!

Mother,

It’s true that many times we don’t understand God’s plans, but it’s part of the test. We have only this life to prove our faith and our trust in Him. Make us not falter. Praise be to the Lord who never abandons us and sent us His Spirit.