From the Gospel according to John
John 6:60-69
Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Stumbling Stones?

Lord, sometimes my misery, my failures, or my lack of virtue may seem like obstacles on the path to You, and I live them as stumbling stones. They are stones that could discourage me. But today I have discovered that no, they are actually a help. The more I fall into the valley of personal humiliation, the more ready I am to love. The more open I am to embrace others, anyone, no matter how despicable they may seem—because I am also despicable. And what’s more, I discover that only You, only You can do it. I have only You. I have nothing else… and nothing less. Lord, You have the words of eternal life, and I know that You are the Holy One, and only You can lead me to holiness.

Grounded in married life:

Ramón: Tere, I think I’m not going to the marriage group anymore. We learn things, but then they don’t help us. We still argue often, you lose your temper, like yesterday, and become furious.
Tere: I know, Ramón, but we’re still on the journey. We’re moving forward little by little. We’re learning about the truth of marriage, and we’re making an effort, even though we should take it more seriously. We’re starting to recognize our mistakes, and there are seasons when we improve. But I’ll tell you one thing: if we stop learning about the truth of marriage, if we don’t sit down to talk about it at least once a month, if we don’t have a reference group, if we don’t commit to meeting once a month—where are we going to end up? The Spirit is in the Church, and we are part of it. That’s the path, Ramón.
Ramón: I understand—I’m being tempted. It’s true that leaving this path wouldn’t be a better alternative. On the contrary, it would lead me to ruin. Only perseverance in the path the Lord shows us will save us.

From the Gospel according to John
John 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowds:
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

 

Listen, Learn, and Live.

The process is made clear by Jesus: 1st Listen, 2nd Learn, 3rd Live the Truth. If we change the order, that’s when we go astray. If we think we know the truth without learning, we end up messing up, and this is what happened to those of us who got married thinking we already knew how to love each other. If we learn from others who haven’t listened to the Father, we go off track and become miserable. This happens to everyone who follows ideologies that promote other types of families or marriages, which are not as God created them. To live a happy marriage, or in other words, a Holy marriage, I first need to listen to the Word. That way, I learn and begin to walk towards the Truth, which gives Life. Because yes, I have to confess, my marriage gives me life.

 

Applied to married life:

Laura: Do you remember when I used to tell you that I’ve learned almost everything with you?

Jaime: Yes, we were so young when we started dating…

Laura: But now I believe that we’ve learned everything together since we encountered the Lord and started reading the Word. It’s changed the way we think, live, our priorities, our preferences…

Jaime: Yes, it has turned our life around in an incredible way. I can’t stop thanking God for all He’s given us since He rescued us. We were on a very bad path, and He has redirected our lives. Praise be to the Lord!

Laura: Praise be.

Mother,

We also want to be disciples of God. Lord, feed us with Your Flesh to give life to our marriage and our family. **Praise be to You forever!**

From the Gospel according to John
John 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Make it easy for us.

Let none be lost. This is Your will, Father, and also Your will, Jesus. Isn’t doing Your will what I desire? So, I don’t need to search any further. It’s clear to me: Let none of those You have given me be lost. My husband, and also our children, brothers, parents… and all those marriages You call through *Proyecto Amor Conyugal*. Am I willing to give myself so that my husband is not lost? Yes! And the others? Yes!

This is what I say to You, Lord. Yes! Count on me for whatever is needed and give me the grace to do it.

Brought down to married life:

Manu: Darling, I understand that there are many times when I don’t make things easy for you, and that is unforgivable.

Carol: Look, I want to be faithful to the Lord. I want us to be with Him and in Him. And you should be my suitable help in that. It’s true that sometimes you don’t exactly make things easier. I understand we go through many difficult circumstances, but in those moments, especially, we should help each other and make things easier for one another. Even encourage each other.

Manu: Yes, I understand, and you’re right. I shouldn’t be the one influencing your turmoil, but rather the one who collaborates to help you live in the presence of the Lord. But today, I want to say, *Yes!* Yes to the Lord and yes to you. I want to be your suitable help so that you reach holiness.

Mother,

We belong to Christ, and He will not allow us to be lost. Protect us, my God, for we trust in You.

Gospwel of the Day