Gospel.

“Woe to you, blind guides!”
From the Gospel according to Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.You do not enter yourselves,nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You traverse sea and land to make one convert,and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,or the temple that made the gold sacred?And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,or the altar that makes the gift sacred?One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;one who swears by the temple swears by itand by him who dwells in it;one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of Godand by him who is seated on it.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Worthy or Unworthy of Commitment

A blind soul is one that cannot see God’s works. It sees what the world sees; that is, it interprets what it sees in the way the world would interpret it. For example, a spouse facing difficulties in their marriage may think of their partner as “bad,” unworthy of living with them. From God’s perspective, I first need to see my own responsibility in the difficulties I experience in my marriage. Am I giving of myself, or am I waiting for the other person to give themselves? Do I demand that my spouse to do what I would do, or do I accept their differences? Do I constantly criticize and exasperate them? Do I accept and forgive their sins as God does with mine?… And so on.

Finally, we must look at marriage from the perspective of the cross, as that gift through which I have the opportunity to give myself for the salvation of my spouse.

Applied to Married Life:

Ana: I think our friends aren’t giving us the best advice. Patri encourages me to leave you because she finds what you’re doing to me unacceptable and believes that if I stay with you, I’ll have a break down. And Lucas invites you out for beers and acts like a buddy, but I don’t see that he’s helping you fight for our love.

Jhon: Lucas? He’s divorced! He’s just waiting for me to get divorced too so we can go out and about.

Ana: Exactly. Listen, marriage is something of God, and I think we need to find someone of God to help us. Above all, someone who prays. Someone who is close to the Lord will know how to guide us in the things of the Lord. Don’t you think?

Jhon: I agree. I want to keep fighting for our marriage. I still love you, even though I don’t know how to love you as you deserve. As for me,  let’s move forward.

Mother,

May we always pray fervently to have the light necessary to guide others, not according to our own criteria, but according to God’s justice and mercy. Thank you, Mother, for showing us the way. Blessed are you, Mother.