From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”

I See Jesus in You

Jesus teaches us the key to inheriting a Kingdom prepared for us since the foundation of the world: to see Jesus in others. The alternative is eternal loss. So this is no small matter. It challenges us to examine our attitude towards those in need, towards the little ones. What do I do? Do I see Jesus in them?

In married life, this Gospel prompts us to ask: what do I do when my spouse is in need? When he is tired, discouraged, feeling lonely, when he needs my support. It is Jesus whom I leave unattended if I fail to care. If, instead of patiently listening to my wife, I think she is being tiresome and going on again about her nonsense, I am abandoning Jesus. It is Jesus — again and again — waiting to be loved.

What a beautiful vocation marriage is! Through our Sacrament, we are able to minister to Jesus, through the needs of our spouse, every day of our lives.

 

Brought into Married Life

Caroline: Vincent, I have to tell you — lately I’ve noticed a real change in you.

Vincent: I hope it’s for the better!

Caroline: Of course it is! You’re so much more attentive when you come home, and you’re not arriving as late from the office anymore.

Vincent: I’ve had some help. Do you remember the little prayer corner I set up by the entrance from the garage? Well, every time I come home — even if I’m exhausted — I stop there for a moment. I pray, and I remind myself that it is Jesus I am about to meet, worn out after an afternoon with the girls. How could I not attend to Him?

Caroline: The girls have noticed it too. And I think I might start pausing there as well.

Vincent: I have to admit that sometimes what kept me at the office wasn’t all that important. I avoided coming home because I felt I didn’t deserve more “work” after work, and it made me irritable — and we both know how the day would end. Now it’s different. It’s no longer extra work; it’s an opportunity to serve — to serve Jesus. And that has changed everything.

Caroline: I want to learn to see you that way too!

 

Mother,

Help me to see Jesus in my spouse, in need of my tenderness, affection and support. Praised be the Lord.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, “”All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”

Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.

Turn Away Temptation

We have just begun Lent, and the Gospel presents to us how Jesus is tempted by the devil.

Christ, of course, does not fall into those temptations — but what about us? We so often fall into the enemy’s game. We quickly ask God to work miracles, to turn stones into bread, or to change my spouse — who, in my eyes, is not the one I deserve. Yet He tells us to live by His Word, which is alive and speaks to us each day, teaching us to love our spouse precisely when they seem least deserving of it.

How many times, in the face of suffering or trials, do we ask Him to take them away — knowing that He can? And yet He tells us that He knows better than we do what we need; that we must not put God to the test. We ask God to satisfy our desires and passions; we insist that we have a right to be happy — even at the expense of our spouse’s happiness, our children’s, or those around us. And He reminds us not to fix our gaze on the world and its passing treasures. We are called to holiness in the vocation He has entrusted to us — and that call is infinite.

Let us live this Lent by giving ourselves to God through our spouse, accompanying Christ in the desert and preparing our hearts to walk with Him in His Passion.

 

Brought into Married Life:

Samuel: Hello, Beatrice! Look — at work they’ve given me a stay at the Parador in the Pyrenees for the whole of Holy Week! It’s the finest Parador in Spain! And do you know what the boss said? That I’m getting it because I’m the best in the office.

Beatrice: But… we had planned to spend Holy Week together with the children, truly living it, accompanying the Lord…

Samuel: Yes, but it’s the best Parador in Spain. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have an amazing time in the mountains.

Beatrice: But there aren’t even any nearby villages — it’s completely surrounded by nature. And it’s Holy Week…

Samuel: Oh. I can see you’re not excited. What a disappointment.

(After their spousal prayer, having placed everything in the Lord’s presence.)

Samuel: You’re right. I was being blinded by the luxury, by feeling important. I couldn’t see that it was a temptation — a trap to draw us away from the Lord.

Beatrice: Thank You, Lord, for this husband who is always willing to follow You and to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

 

Mother,

Remain always at our side, that we may not fall into temptation. Praised be the Lord.

Gospel of the Day

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Gospel of Matthew 9:14–15

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.”

To Give Ourselves with Him

What joy in this word of the Lord, in which He reveals Himself to us as the Bridegroom!

He is the Bridegroom, the Bridegroom of the Church. He nourishes us in the Eucharist, gives us His Body and says to us, “Do this in memory of me.”

What joy and what Good News that we, as husbands and wives, can go with Him to give ourselves to our spouse.

With Him — with His love, His gaze, His charity, His Body — everything is possible. And self-giving becomes easier, simpler and far more bearable. For as He Himself tells us, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Therefore, husbands and wives, let us turn to Him: to His Word, to His presence in Confession, to His real presence in the Eucharist. In this way we make Him present among us.

Thus we shall be able to love as He loves, to give ourselves as He gives Himself, and to welcome one another as He always welcomes His Bride, the Church.

Applied to Married Life

Clara: Hello Borja, I’m going to Mass — are you coming?
Borja: No, Clara, you go. Honestly, I don’t really see the point of going every day…
Clara: I’ve finished — I’m on my way home.
Borja: About time! I’m tired, and now we still have to make dinner…
Clara: Don’t worry, darling, I’ll do it. I’ll even make you a delicious little starter — cockles with lemon and some patatas bravas, just how you like them.
Borja: OK, come quickly — I’m hungry.
Clara: Yes, of course, I’m on my way.

(When she arrives home)

Clara: Children, dinner time — Daddy’s hungry. Ana, set the table. Carlos, slice the bread and put out the water.
Borja: Darling, what a delicious starter — and what an amazing dinner! Absolutely mouth-watering… You really know what I like! It’s wonderful to see your joy and your self-giving, especially after the day you’ve had.
Clara: It’s the Lord’s joy and self-giving, Borja.
Borja: Clara, I want that too — to have the Lord and to have His joy and His self-giving. Tomorrow I’ll come to Mass with you.
Clara: Of course, my love! The Lord only needs our little “yes”.
Borja: It’s incredible to think of the wonders the Lord has prepared for us. Thank you for bringing me closer to Him — and closer to happiness between us.

Mother,

Mother of Conjugal Love, lead us to your Son, so that together with Him we may reach communion between us.

Blessed be the Lord.

Gospel of the Day