From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 10:2-16

The Pharisees approached Jesus 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.”

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

Word of the Lord.

One “self”.

No! We are no longer two. We know this because Jesus tells us so. This is indisputable, there is no room for alternative interpretations. We are now one, one flesh, because we have been united in the way of God, which is indissoluble for man.
Today, we want to emphasize that **we are one!** Do we live as one? Do we experience each other as part of the same “self” through love? This is how we must live, this is how God has ordained it, and this is how we emerged from the heart of Christ through our Sacrament.

Applied to Married Life:

Ricardo: What do you think are the implications for us, now that God has made us one? 
Marta: I think it means, for starters, that we cannot go against each other. Any feeling of opposition must be immediately discarded. It’s not possible. Also, we need to grow together in having the same feelings as Jesus, to seek God’s will together, to bear fruit together for the salvation of souls and for the greater glory of God, and to protect each other from the devil’s attacks. I don’t know, so many things… 
Ricardo: I think we need to pray and delve deeply into this awareness of being one. Let’s ask the Lord for this.

Mother,

You who already contemplate the Holy Trinity and have experienced unity with Them, teach us to be one, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 10:17-24

The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

”At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Word of the Lord.

Pride in humility.

We celebrate the obligatory memory of the Ember Days, a time of thanksgiving and petition, so that we do not forget that everything we have comes from God. We have so much of everything and tend to take credit for it or claim merit for achieving it, but all the means we have used, we have received from God: our intelligence, our strength, our perseverance, the love with which we do things, the family for whom we do them… Everything is ours, we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Thanksgiving differentiates the proud from the humble. Let us give God what He deserves and gratefully manage what He gives us, though we do not deserve it.

Applied to Married Life:

**Mario:** I thank God for your testimony of humility. 
**Mercedes:** Why do you say that? 
**Mario:** Because before, you used to complain about all the mistakes I made, but now you don’t, even though I still mess up often. On the contrary, you continually thank God for me and for what you receive from me. That’s undeniable proof that you’ve grown a lot in humility. 
**Mercedes:** I have no merit in it. The Lord allows me to see all the good in you and justify your mistakes. But He is the one doing it. 
**Mario:** Yes, but you must be making an effort, for sure. 
**Mercedes:** Yes, but He gives me the strength too, which is why, every time I excuse you, I also thank Him in my heart. 
**Mario:** Thank you, Lord, for my wife. She’s the best wife!

Mother,

We have reasons to spend all day thanking God and you. May we turn every complaint into an act of gratitude. Thank you, Lord, thank you, Mother.

From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 10:13-16

Jesus said to them,
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

Word of the Lord.

Blessed Saint.

Whoever listens to the successors of the Apostles, listens to Christ. And if that person is also Pope and a saint, it’s beyond words… 
We have heard Your voice, Lord, through Saint John Paul. What a wonder! How he is helping us to see and live the supernatural reality of our marriage, a covenant with which God began His work of salvation, culminating in the nuptial relationship between Christ and us. A great mystery that is both a sign and fulfillment of His redemptive work. Saint John Paul, like no one else, gradually unveils this great mystery, showing its essence, beauty, and sacredness. Thanks to you, Saint John Paul, we are living a love that is greater than ourselves and that sanctifies us.

Applied to married life:

**Luis:** My love, the love I feel for you is supernatural. 
**María:** How do you know? 
**Luis:** Because it is stronger and greater than I am, because it transforms me, because it is stronger than my sin and yours, because it produces effects in me that surpass my own abilities, because it draws many people with a force that is not human, and because it is sanctifying us. Do you need more proof? 
**María:** No. I would be ungrateful, and the Lord couldn’t work more miracles in me if I didn’t recognize it. May He be praised forever. 
**Luis:** May He be praised.

Mother,

This conjugal spirituality is penetrating the depths of my soul. A spirituality that is born from Christ’s nuptial love and is fulfilled in our own nuptial love until it becomes one with His. Blessed are you, Saint John Paul. Pray for us.

From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day
than for that town.”

Word of the Lord.

He will humble the proud.

It may seem to us that the coming of the Kingdom of God depends on our evangelization, but that is not the case. We try to collaborate so that it may be accepted, but whether it is accepted or not, the Kingdom of God has come to all, humbling the pride of those who do not want to receive it. 
Know that this is so and it is unstoppable. Christ has defeated the evil one, and his days are numbered, measured, and weighed.

Applied to married life:

**Marcos:** Sometimes it’s a bit discouraging that we haven’t yet achieved a true communion between us. It’s a constant struggle, and we have to tread carefully because, at the slightest opportunity, the evil one sneaks in. 
**Laura:** Well… The Lord is stronger. Love always wins, and Christ is always greater, as Saint John Paul used to say. It’s up to us to stay deeply in love with Him, very close to Him, and to persevere in the battle. The rest is in His hands, and we trust Him by faith. 
**Marcos:** Certainly. In Him, we trust. Thank you, my wife.

Mother,

The Kingdom of God has come. Let us walk with that confidence to keep our hope alive. Praised be He forever.

The Gospel of Luke 9:57-62

The Cost of Following Jesus

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.
Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.

He said to another man, “Follow me.” 
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

The Word of the Lord. Continue reading →