Gospel

From the Gospel according to Luke. Lk 18, 1-8.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Mancomes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The Gospel of the Lord

For Love, Not Fear.

Regarding our prayer, Saint John Chrysostom says, “Although the Lord is silent in His words, He responds with His blessings.” And this is alwaysthe case, always.  

Even so, there are times when the Lord seems to delay His response, perhaps because the blessing He wishes to give us through that hope is that our faith may grow. After all, it is during difficult times that our faith is tested. Will the Lord find faith in our hearts in those moments?

Applied to Married Life

Natalie: “You know, Patrick? Today in prayer, I realized that God always gives me His blessings out of love. However, I sometimes behaive with you more out of fear of a harsh response than out of love for you.”  

Patrick: “I feel the same way, Nat. And Saint Augustine says that this attitude is contrary to the image of God. It’s sadly ironic that we make an effort to give a good gift, not out of love, but to avoid a bad moment. Really sad, don’t you think?”  

Natalie: “Yes, it is. How painful must be for the Lord. If you agree, tonight in our conjugal prayer, let’s ask God to help us give all our efforts out of love, just like He does, in His image.”  

Patrick: “That sounds wonderful. I’m sure He will grant it to us. I’m really looking forward to loving you better, Nat, loving you as He loves you.”

Mother,

Even if it seems like we ask and there are no results, may the Lord find faith in us amid the difficulties. We will persevere in our prayer, certain that He loves us infinitely. Praised be the Lord forever, the Just Judge.

Gospel

From he Gospel according to Luke. LK 17:26-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.”
They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?”
He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

The Gsopel of the Lord

My Lifesaver.

The only Lifesaver with a capital “L” is You, Lord. Only You. I don’t need anything else because You are Life with a capital “L.” If I try to hold something back for myself, that is when I will be clinging to a lifesaver with a lowercase “l.”
The worldly lifesaver is orange, flashy, and with room for only one. God’s Lifesaver is allowing myself to sink if He wants me to sink, allowing myself to rise if He wants me to rise, allowing myself to go through if He wants me to go through, allowing myself to be glorified if He wants to glorify me… The Lifesaver is the Heart of Jesus, and in Him, there is room for you and me, and for everyone. He is bleeding out of love for me, for my husband, and for each of His own. What better place to sail together toward Life?

Applied to Married Life:

Anna: “I need you to understand me, I need you to be more gentle with me, I need you to do what you say… And you, what do you need?”
Luke: “I need to give my life in gratitude for your love and for the Love of Christ, who created me for you. That’s why I ask Mary to take me into Her Heart, so that with Her, my spirit can rejoice in God, so that with Her, He can see the humiliation of the servant of the Slave of the Lord.”
Anna: “You’re right. I was letting myself be guided by worldly criteria. I also want to be in Mary, and moved by Her, to give you my life out of love for you.”

Mother,

I want to be in Your Immaculate Heart. It is my only Lifesaver, because only You know how to lead me to the Heart of Jesus, so I can have the same feelings as Christ toward my husband. Blessed be the Good Shepherd.

From the Gospel according to Luke17: 20-25

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

The Gospel of the Lord

So Deeply Within

Similarly to the times of Jesus, when they did not appreciate His presence among them, today, though the Lord is everywhere, we often don’t recognize the gift we have. But the kingdom of God is here, among us—a blessing beyond measure. When we read the writings of the great Saints, we see how aware they were of God’s love and His presence, deeply within us.

Applied to Married Life:

Rob: You know, Helen, today in prayer, as I was meditating on the Gospel, the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman kept coming to mind: “If you knew the gift of God…” And this phrase echoed in my heart over and over: “If you knew the gift of God…”
Helen: That’s beautiful, Rob. And what do you think the Lord is trying to tell you with that?
Rob: You know how much I love you, how captivated I still am by your smile, and how important you are to me. But there’s still so much for me to discover about the true worth that God has given you and the immense gift you are to me. I want to understand this gift fully so that I can always treat you as God wishes for you to be treated.
Helen: I believe God loves me deeply to send me this message through you. But I feel that every message He gives you is also for me, so I ask the Lord to help me discover the incredible gift that you are to me, to the point that, in loving you, I love Him.

Mother,

We know that a sword pierced Your Heart at the crucifixion of Your Son, yet thanks to His sacrifice, we can have Him with us in every Eucharist. Thank you, Mother. Blessed are you.

From the Gospel according to Luke. Lk 17:11-19

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 

Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Filled with the Holy Fragrance

I am increasingly aware of God’s action in my life and in our marriage. More and more, I realize that it is not I who make things happen, but rather the Spirit of the Lord who acts. But do I remember to praise and thank Him every time? Many people desire to be mindful of the Lord at every moment. This could be a good way to do that: praising and thanking Him for everything that happens in my life and in our marriage.

Applied to married life:

Stephen: How was today, Natalie?

Natalie: A wonderful day, Esteban. I am overjoyed with the fruits that Our Mother has brought forth in so many marriages through the retreat.

Stephen: That’s amazing. You look radiant! It’s clear that God’s Love has touched your soul and left it imbued with His Holy Fragrance. Have you thanked Him?

Natalie: No, I haven’t! How could I without you? I was waiting so we could praise God together. Shall we go adore the Blessed Sacrament, like we do every day?

Stephen: That sounds perfect. I love being with Him and with you—the two for whom I have given my life. We owe so much to the Lord…

Mother,

May we never be ungrateful, neither for the good that happens nor for the difficult things God permits, always for our purification and for a greater good. Blessed and praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, who does so much good in our hearts as loving spouses. Amen.

Gospel

From the Gospel according to Luke. LK 17,7-10.

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say to him when he is come from the field, go and sit down to eat? And will not rather say to him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
So likewise you, when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are useless servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Thank you for loving him so much.

The essence of the Christian life is to recognize oneself as small so that everything I do points to Christ as the author of all. What I do in my own name is vanity of vanities. What I do in the name of the Lord, and with the power of the Lord, is for the greater glory of God. That is for eternity.

Applied to married life:

Luke: Lord, today I looked at my wife with compassion and love in a moment when she was rejecting me. I know that love doesn’t come from me; it comes from You, and I have no merit in it. It was You who reached out to her and rescued her. Thank you, Lord, for loving my wife so much.
Janet: Thank you, Lord, for helping me love my husband today, even when I was speaking to him about something so important to me and he didn’t even pause what he was doing to listen. I felt alone, overlooked, misunderstood. But even so, You helped me look upon my husband with tenderness, knowing that he loves me dearly but doesn’t yet have the sensitivity to notice these details. Lord, he has so many good qualities, so much value in himself… And You gave me light in that moment. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to love him with Your love.

Mother,

We are useless servants. We have only done our duty. Blessed be the Maker of all.