From the Gospel according to Mark 2:13-17

Jesus went out along the sea.
All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed Jesus.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many who followed him.
Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners
and tax collectors and said to his disciples,
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus heard this and said to them,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Today we see Jesus’ call to Matthew, just as a few days ago the Gospel showed us the call of Peter and Andrew, and of James and John, while they were busy with their daily tasks: some casting their nets into the sea, others mending their nets, Matthew seated at the customs post. The Lord chooses all of them. He takes the initiative, prepares the way, goes out to meet them and invites them to follow Him, not frightened by the state in which they are, because He has come to heal the sick and to save us.

The Lord has chosen each one of us, and He comes out to meet us in the reality of our everyday lives. He does not look at how we are now, but at what we are called to become. It is up to us to be attentive and open to the call He makes to us, and to respond either by leaving our attachments behind and following Him immediately, like the disciples, or by placing conditions, like those who said to Him: “let me first go and bury my father”, or “let me first say farewell to my family”. They clung to their attachments and were unable to follow Jesus.

Spouses, are we attentive enough to recognise God’s call, and willing to follow Him, to let go of our attachments? For in order to truly follow the Lord in our marital vocation, we must be genuinely ready to leave everything behind so as to give ourselves completely to God, by giving ourselves body and soul to the person He has placed at our side, and to the fulfilment of our mission: to represent the Love of the Triune God in this world and to collaborate in the salvation of our spouse. Is there anything more beautiful? Is there any better plan? Then let us be attentive to His call — and to the mission!

Frank: Hi, Peter has called me and told me they already have a date for the next retreat and that they are looking for a team. He asked whether we could go. What do you think?
Laura: Us again?… Frank, we were already at the last one just four months ago. Remember it was a bit of a challenge… organising the children for the whole weekend, my parents… and besides, now that you and I are doing so well, maybe it would be better to plan something as a family.
Frank: Yes, that would be lovely, Laura, and we can do that another weekend. But they’ve called us for this retreat… after everything that we’ve received, I think now it’s our turn to help, rather than to get comfortable.
Laura: Yes, it’s true that we should help, but… us again?
Frank: And remember how much good it did us. We realised things we hadn’t seen during our own retreat… and the joy of seeing other couples discovering the beauty of their sacrament…
Laura: Oh Frank… it’s just that I feel a bit reluctant to go out… we’re so comfortable right now.
Frank: You know the saying… if you snooze, you lose.
Laura: Ha, ha, ha… you’re right. If we get comfortable, we go backwards.
Frank: That’s what they told us: whoever is not building, is destroying.
Laura: I thank God for you, for pulling me along and drawing me out of my comfort zone. I love you.

Mother,

teach us always to be attentive to God’s call, as You were, and willing to follow Him and to fulfil His will. Blessed and glorious are You, Mother! Praised be the Lord for ever!

From the Gospel according to Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
“Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”
–he said to the paralytic,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

The Lord heals the paralysed man of both his physical and spiritual infirmity through the faith of the four people who carried him. Would we be capable of doing the same for a marriage that is paralysed? Faith is very important here. The Lord Himself tells us in another passage of the Gospel that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could move mountains. All we need to do is trust in Him and offer our small part, so that He may accomplish His great work — in us, and in the many marriages and families around us who are in difficulty.
Lord, increase our faith!

Peter: Oh Lucy, the people responsible for the Charity office of our Diocese have contacted me to ask whether we would accompany a marriage that needs mentors.
Lucy: And what did you say?
Peter: That I needed to speak with you first and that we would respond after praying about it. They insisted a little, saying that we have received so much, that we have been preparing for some time now at the Nazareth School with solid formation; and that they trust that, with God’s help, we will be able to do it.
Lucy: Well, let’s place it in prayer. To be honest, it feels a bit overwhelming.
(After praying together as a couple)
Lucy: The Lord has shown me everything He has done in our marriage through the Marital Love Project. It is a joy to contemplate how we have grown over these years since we attended the retreat and, above all, since we began our formation through the catecheses of Saint John Paul II. I see the answer clearly.
Peter: He has shown me too how much good we can do by sharing this treasure. So… shall we take the step?
Lucy: Let’s go forward! Let us trust in the Lord, who with our little help will accomplish great works.

Mother,

You are our model and our guide in faith. Do not turn Your gaze away from us, and lead us by the hand into His presence. Blessed and praised be the Lord!

There is no need to reach our breaking point before turning to Him. Let us not wait for difficulty in order to remember His mercy. He loves us so much, and we should approach Him with trust, asking Him for what we need—He knows it better than we do. The Lord wishes to cleanse my marriage, and through the grace of the sacrament He makes known to me what my spouse needs. And whenever my spouse asks, I must be ready to give, for we are called to give ourselves completely, renouncing our own criteria and welcoming our spouse in his or her need.

Let us not miss the opportunity to give ourselves to our spouse in everything he or she asks of us, thus making God’s love present between us.

Mother,

Teach us to have enough faith to ask your Son with confidence to cleanse our hearts, and the humility always to fulfil His will. Blessed be God.

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

The Christmas season has come to an end and this week Ordinary Time has begun. Through the Church’s pedagogy at the start of this liturgical season, the Gospels lead us back to the very origin of Christian life. On Monday, we hear a call: Jesus invites us to follow Him. On Tuesday, we discover that Jesus teaches with authority and sets us free from evil. Today, and in the days that follow, we see how He enters our daily lives and heals us.

Christian life begins by allowing ourselves to be loved and healed by Jesus, and it continues when we spend that love we have received by loving and serving others. “The fever left her, and she began to serve them.” Health is given to us so that we may give it away, so that we may use it in the service of Christ and of our neighbour—beginning, in our case, with our spouse, our children… When we have been touched by the Lord, we learn that life is lived by giving oneself, not by holding back.

If what truly mattered were simply having good health, we would all be doomed to misfortune, because sooner or later health fades. But if what truly matters is to love and serve God, then health becomes something to be spent, and illness something to be offered at the foot of the Cross, for the salvation of souls. In this way, in health and in sickness, we can always give ourselves, and we can always love.

Rachel: Have you noticed how Mary and Luke are doing? Every time we speak with them it seems they understand each other less. They do nothing but reproach one another, listing what each does or fails to do. They don’t value each other anymore… We really need to pray for them; they’re growing further and further apart.
Paul: Yes—so much pain. I think that besides much prayer and sacrifice on our part, it would do them good if we went to see them, if we were simply with them, and listened to them… like Jesus in Peter’s house, who drew close to the one who was suffering and took him by the hand.
Rachel: Yes, to be close… although I confess that sometimes I don’t know what to say to them.
Paul: Come on—perhaps this closeness will help them more than a thousand words. On the way we can pray a rosary and place everything in Our Lady’s hands. She knows what to do.

Mother,

Our hearts are wounded, and we give thanks because in every Communion, Jesus draws near to touch us and to heal us. How much we need His closeness! Thank you for bringing Jesus to us. Blessed and praised be your name forever!

From the Gospel according to Mark 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

What is driving you to speak that truth? Examine your heart. If it is not love that moves you, then let Jesus silence you. Restrain your passions, tie up your judgement, submit your will—but do not use truth as a weapon. Use it to love, for Jesus is the Truth. And when you find yourself in that temptation, call upon Him. Invoke His Holy Name. Slowly pray the Our Father, with all your heart, asking for help. Allow Jesus to cast out that demon within you that urges you to use truth to injure rather than to build, and to place it instead at the service of God. Then, if upheld by grace you manage to restrain your tongue, you will discover that in such a moment, the greatest strength lies in remaining silent rather than in speaking. And if, even so, you should fall, do not be afraid to look at yourself truthfully. Do not hide, do not defend yourself. Present your frailty to the Lord; acknowledge your fault with simplicity and ask forgiveness of your spouse and of God, with a contrite heart—which God never despises—and He will also make you grow in humility. Everything can serve love.

Margaret and Michael have just returned from a retreat they coordinated over the weekend. During their spousal prayer time at home:

Michael: Margaret, I think that during the retreat I went too far again with the issue of punctuality. I know you noticed too, even though you didn’t say anything… I still have so much to work on.
Margaret: Michael, we are all on a journey. But I have noticed that you’ve made progress in that area. To begin with, you acknowledge it—and that is the first essential step towards change, and you’ve taken it.
Michael: Yes… (sad tone). We are nothing…
Margaret: We are not, no. Sometimes it is simply a matter of ordering things. The intention is good, but along the way it can get distorted. You want to do things well for the Lord.
Michael: How lovely you are.
Margaret: Well, not long ago I would have used that attitude of yours to reproach you, criticise you, throw it back at you to attack you and expose your weakness… in short… what a work the Lord is doing in our hearts.
Michael: Nothing is impossible for God.
Margaret: Glory to God, my husband—glory to God!

Mother,

Teach us, as you do, to keep silence in our hearts, so that it may be God who speaks there and not ourselves. Praised be the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary!