From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to Jesus,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

Word of the Lord.

Life Full of Life.

Above all, God is the God of life. He brings us into existence and keeps us alive. It is also through Him that life makes sense because there are those who do not wish to live or complain about their lives. God gives us life out of love, calls us into existence to love us, and fills our existence if we allow ourselves to be loved by Him.

Grounded in Marital Life:

Myriam: We are approaching our golden wedding anniversary. What would you highlight about our marriage?
Juanjo: I would highlight the life it has given since our conversion. Before that, there was a lot of darkness between us and around us, but since we discovered and nourished the Love of Christ between us, it is incredible the fruits it has borne in us and around us.
Myriam: Life, lots of life, yes. I love it. Praise be to God.

Mother,

We are united to Him who is life, and His life is sown among us and spread around us. Praise be to God.

Here is the Gospel of Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
This passage highlights the recognition of Jesus as the Messiah by Peter and Jesus’ declaration about the foundation of His church.

Word of the Lord.

Are you a prophet?

A prophet is one who speaks of God and in the name of God. We spouses are called to be prophets because our lives speak of God. That is why John Paul II said that marriage is the primordial sacrament since it is the first sign that represents who God is in the beginning. What shall we say of you, Lord? Who shall we say you are? As we love each other, so we will speak of you to the world.

According to God, who live in grace and frequent the sacraments, who have placed Jesus at the center, who speak to each other with tenderness, who treat each other with the deep respect that the dignity God has given them deserves, who have small daily gestures, as God has with us—those spouses show God.

Applied to married life:

Pedro and Ana are ending the day with their children. They bring their attitudes of service, understanding, and tenderness to this moment. They finish dinner and pray the rosary together.
Pedro: Ana, in 30 minutes, we will have our time together with the Lord. Is that okay for you, or do you need anything?
Ana: Yes, all good. Thank you very much. (They kiss)
The children: (Witnessing love made flesh, seeing how their parents care for each other)
(After putting the children to bed, Pedro and Ana continue in the presence of God)
Ana: Hello Jesus. How are you? I love you and care very much about how you are right now. What do you desire? I would like to give you comfort and see a beautiful smile on your face. I adore you, my God, I praise you for all the love you give us every day.
Pedro: You are God, Love. Only you have the words of eternal life. Only with you does our life become beautiful, and you give it a supernatural path, the only one that is forever. We rest in you, my God, because we do not worry vainly about our things. To you all power and glory.

Mother,

Entering into the intimacy of God, knowing the heart of God earned Peter the trust of the Lord. How important it is to know, to enter into the intimacy of our Lord and to participate in it, and to bring it into our own. Lord, enter into you, to learn to enter into my spouse. That is my path. Praised be you forever. Amen.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.

Word of the Lord.

Connatural.

Let’s talk about faith. Nowadays, it seems one must do something extraordinary to achieve faith. But that’s not the case. Faith is connatural to man because it is a gift from God and is inscribed in the human heart. If not for ideological influences and psychological manipulation, we would all seek divinity, as all human tribes and castes have done throughout history. Unwittingly, we tend to believe in the supernatural action of God. Some through alternative medicine or esotericism… substituting the true God.
Let us strip away those external influences from the couples around us so they can open themselves to the gift of faith.

Applied to Married Life:

She knelt before the Lord. For years, she had seen her husband as the villain. She had compelling reasons. But why was a relationship with God possible for her husband, yet she was unable to maintain it? It was her pride, which came from within and prevented her from seeing that she was as guilty or more than he was, and she was looking at him with a sinful and destructive gaze.
He knelt beside his wife before the Lord. He, too, had spent years rejecting his wife’s corrections with enormous pride. He was fed up with her. But that day, he asked himself: Why doesn’t God get fed up with her but loves her infinitely? There was something in him that wasn’t in God. And so he discovered his pride, which prevented him from seeing that he was also responsible for the lack of purification in their union, as God had entrusted to him. He had a tainted view of her that prevented him from considering her a gift and giving himself to her.
Both, with their hearts broken into pieces, knelt before the Lord, begging Him to change their hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.
And God took pity on them, forgave them, and placed many means of purification along their path: differences of opinion, unjust judgments of one another, offenses… but this time, they did not experience these as if the other were a pariah but received them as a path God was laying out for them to overcome their pride. This time, they constantly asked for forgiveness and accepted each other’s humiliations as a gift.
That marriage was built up, healed, and today, thanks to God, they are one. They are a tender heart, pleasing to God.

Mother,

Praise be to the Lord for the miracles He is working in so many marriages around us. It is wonderful to see how He purifies hearts, transforms lives, and fills homes with joy. As we draw near to Him and persevere with that “if you are willing, you can make me clean,” He rebuilds, heals, unites… Glory to God.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 7:21-29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.

Word of the Lord.

Then he sinks.

The rock is Christ. He is my support, my strength, my way. And what keeps me united to Him? Listening to His Word and, very importantly, fulfilling it! If I fulfill it, He will make His dwelling in me.
In the Old Testament, we see how, time after time, when the people are unfaithful, there are grave consequences. Now it seems that it’s not like that, but it is. The difference is that now the consequences are more for the soul than for the body, although the body ends up being affected as well. The consequences are for the heart, and love grows if Christ is in me, or it crumbles and scatters if He is not, as happened in the time of Nebuchadnezzar with the treasure of the temple of Israel.

Applied to Married Life:

Jaime: It’s true that for the past few days I’ve been making mistakes, and I’ve created painful situations with you.
Merche: And I with you.
Jaime: But at least I know that it’s because I have acted outside the Word of God, and of course, inevitable consequences for love follow.
Merche: As soon as we disobey, it happens to us like Peter when Jesus told him to walk on the water to come to Him. As soon as he looked at the storm and disobeyed by taking his eyes off the Lord, he began to sink. That’s what has happened to us.
Jaime: Let’s reconcile with the Lord and with each other and continue building our marriage on the rock. What do you think?
Merche: I think it’s wonderful.

Mother,

As soon as we do not act according to the Gospel, we start sinking. Mother, do not let us fall into temptation. Amen.
Sent from my iPhone

From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.

Word of the Lord.

Bringing Out the Best.

Someone who believes they are a good Christian and close to the Lord, but who has complaints against their spouse, constantly corrects them, or demands that they change but cannot love them with their sins and limitations, is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They appear devout, appear holy before many, appear knowledgeable, and give many pieces of advice based on their wisdom, but the fruits they bear with their spouse are some of the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, disputes, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

Someone who does not believe they have the right to demand anything from their spouse because they know their own wretchedness, someone who knows they need many humiliations to subdue their self-love, someone who does not believe they have any rights because their Master gave up all His rights to give Himself out of love, someone who makes themselves small and brings out the best in their spouse, this person is led by the Holy Spirit and therefore bears fruits of holiness, generating fruits of charity, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

Applied to Married Life:

Clara: Lucas, do you think I am bringing out the best in you and helping you achieve holiness?
Lucas: I don’t think so, Clara. You demand, you correct, you highlight what I do wrong, and I feel despised because of it.
Clara: I don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I pray a lot and love the Lord, but I don’t know why I am not bearing fruit.
Lucas: For the same reason as me. Pride makes us believe we have the right to make demands of each other. We lack the keys on which holiness is built: humility and meekness. Until we progress in these, we will not advance in our communion, nor in our communion with the Lord.
Clara: You are right. The Lord presents me with many situations to destroy my self-love, and I am not taking advantage of them. Thank you, Lucas, for enlightening me.

Mother,

Praise be to the Lord, who is a light for our steps.