Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

From the Godpel according to Matthew 19,3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”

He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, 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, man must not separate.”

They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”

He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”

His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

The Word of the Lord

Let him understand the greatness.

Marriage is something truly great. It’s God’s invention to make us His image and likeness in this world. Marriage allows us to become one, just as They, the Holy Trinity, are one. And the seal that God uses to unite us is the Holy Spirit, none other than the same Love that unites the Father and the Son. The same Love that made Christ one with humanity.  It’s too powerful for us to be doubting this amazing gift.  Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.

Applied to married life

Luke: Honey, we’re not really making the most out of our marriage.  

Mery:  You’re the one not making the most of it, since you never listen to me. There’s no real connection between us because you don’t understand me or even know me.  

Luke: I know I have many flaws, but despite that, God wants to build a true communion between us. We can’t limit ourselves because of our own shortcomings. We have to aim for what God can do between us, rather than what we can do on our own.  

Mery: Then I guess I’m lacking faith.  

Luke: We both are, yes. But let’s not shut ourselves off from God’s work. Let’s keep fighting with everything we’ve got and stay hopeful. The Holy Spirit will work through our Sacrament. You’ll see.  

Mery: Well… I’ll listen to you.  

Luke: But without dwelling on the dark past and with joy, okay?  

Mery: Okaaay.

Mother,

You who started this Project of Love between us, bring it to completion and fullness. We ask you with hope in God’s Love. Praise be to Him for sharing it with us.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke

LK 1:39-56

Mary set out

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months

and then returned to her home.

The word of the Lord.

 

The Reward for Your “Yes”

What a beautiful day we celebrate today, Mother. The day you were assumed into heaven to be with Your Father, Your Spouse, and Your Son, perfectly united in full communion for all eternity. It is the reward for Your “yes.” We, too, have said “yes,” and we long to be together with you one day. Grant us this desire, Mother.

 

Applied to married life:

Andrés: It’s true that we have crosses in our lives, my love, but our mission isn’t to avoid them—it’s to love through them, just as Mary did.

Goretti: It’s comforting to know that these pains are temporary. The ones that hurt the most are when your loved ones don’t love you back, but they’re also the most joyful because they bring us closer to the Lord and His sufferings.

Andrés: Yes. We want to stand at the foot of Christ’s cross, like Mary and with Mary. The rest is in God’s hands.

 

Mother,

Congratulations on the day of Your Assumption. Thank you, Mother, for wanting to stay close to us. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If your brother sins against you,

go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

If he does not listen,

take one or two others along with you,

so that every fact may be established

on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.

If he refuses to listen even to the Church,

then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Amen, I say to you,

whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth shall be lost in heaven.

Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth

about anything for which they are to pray,

it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Always Correcting with kindness.

“Whenever I have corrected with gentleness, I have achieved what I intended.” (St. Vincent de Paul)

“For a reprimand to bear fruit, it must be difficult to give and come from a heart free of passion.” (St. Thérèse of Lisieux)

“The way to correct should not be through impatience, but through vigilance and good example.” (St. John Baptist de La Salle)

“Never rebuke anyone without discretion and humility, nor without your own self-awareness.” (St. Teresa of Avila)

There are four necessary characteristics for effective correction: gentleness, freedom from passion, patience, good example, and humility with self-awareness.

Applied to married life:

Jaime: My love, I think I’ve corrected you so poorly in the past that now you’re not open to my corrections, and I understand why.

Teresa: Well, it’s also true that my pride is often present, making me less open to receiving corrections. But it’s true that when you correct me driven by your emotions, I’m less likely to accept it because I don’t trust your judgment in that state.

Jaime: I’m sorry for that, and I promise not to do it again. Okay?

Teresa: I appreciate that, because I truly want to do God’s will, and for that, I need your help.

Mother,

may we correct each other with kindness so that we can help each other grow in you. Praise be to God, who makes us His instruments of love. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said,

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”

He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,

you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Whoever becomes humble like this child

is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,

for I say to you that their angels in heaven

always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.

What is your opinion?

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,

will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills

and go in search of the stray?

And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it

than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.

In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father

that one of these little ones be lost.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Canonising Criteria

Among all the aspects of spiritual childhood that Jesus refers to when He exhorts us to be like children, docility is perhaps the key attitude. How much harm I do to myself when I canonise my own criteria, because this attitude closes me off from continuing to “understand” the Word as it applies to my particular life. Whoever has ears, let them hear, says the Lord.

Applied to married life:

Magda: I realise that I often argue with you because I lack docility, and I see that the difference between believers and non-believers is precisely that—docility.

Andrés: That’s true. We often tell the couples who come to the retreats to open their hearts, and yet I still have a heart as hard as flint.

Magda: It’s beautiful that the Lord helps us see this through today’s Word. That means He has planted the seed of docility in us, don’t you think?

Andrés: Then, Lord, let it be done to me according to Your word.

Magda: Amen.

Mother,

From the marriage between You and St. Joseph, we learn docility. Blessed example. Thank you, Mother.

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 17:22-27

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,

Jesus said to them,

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,

and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”

And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum,

the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,

“Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?”

“Yes,” he said.

When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,

Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon?

From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?

From their subjects or from foreigners?”

When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him,

“Then the subjects are exempt.

But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,

and take the first fish that comes up.

Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.

Give that to them for me and for you.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Rights of Children

This Gospel has always seemed strange to me. What does the passion of Christ have to do with paying taxes? The key is that Jesus is talking about His “duties” as the Son first and then about His “rights”. Jesus is God and comes to give His life for us. How incredible it is that He submits to all our laws. He humbles Himself and submits to humanity. Truly astonishing.

But today, let’s focus on the scene where Jesus demonstrates that He receives the coin from the King Father through a fish and shares it with Peter. It’s a way of telling Peter (and through him, all of us): “Hey! You are also children of my Father, and you have the same duties and therefore, can participate in the same rights as I do.”

Indeed, being children obliges us to follow Christ and surrender our lives into the hands of men, but as children, God also gives us the opportunity to share in the rights of the Son. Concerning our earthly debts, we need not worry; God will provide. Husbands and wives, children of God, embrace the duty that God grants us to love like the Son, so that we may first be resurrected in our marriage and then in our lives. Incredible!

Applied to married life:

Sara (Ramón’s mother): Your wife doesn’t deserve you. She’s never appreciated you. Why don’t you come and stay with us for a few days and take a break from her?

Ramón: You offend me by criticizing my wife. Besides, you don’t understand that my mission is to give myself to her, just as my Master did, even when His sacrifice wasn’t appreciated.

Sara: I’m sorry, Ramón, but I’m your mother, and it hurts me to see you suffer. I think you should teach her a lesson, maybe she’ll finally wake up.

Ramón: No, Mum. I know you mean well, but my place is with her. I’m grateful that God gives me the opportunity to love like Him so that I can be His son. He will take care of me, you’ll see.

(And during that difficult time, God made that husband a little more holy.)

Mother,

in these situations, I trust that you will also be my Mother and will not fail me. Teach me to be a child in the Son. Amen.