Monthly Archives: February 2026

Focused on You. Reflection for Marriages Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18

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Gospel of the Day

Gospel of Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Focused on You
My dear Jesus, today Lent begins. This time that our Mother the Church gives us so that we may prepare for Holy Week — Your Passion. That great mystery, the great secret finally revealed: the infinite love You have for me. You give Your life for me, suffering terribly, to pay for my sins, to rescue me and open for me the gates of Heaven.
Lord, help me to recognise my smallness, my nothingness without You, my everything with You. How am I living? Where is my heart?
This is a special time of prayer, of meeting You in the depths of my heart — to know You more, to know myself more, and to know my spouse more deeply.
A time to fast from those material things that have captured my heart, that consume my time (my phone, my plans, my… so much “me”), that distance me from my spouse.
A time for almsgiving — to give to others not what is left over, but to give myself. To give myself to my spouse.
And all this, not to be seen. Let no one see it, Lord — only You. We share it, You and I, in a loving intimacy. And we make it life, above all, within our marriage.
With this self-giving, You will work wonders. In You I trust.

Applied to Married Life
Alfonso: Ana, this Lent I truly want to live it well. I want to prepare my heart for that incredible moment which is Holy Week. It moves me deeply that our God comes down from Heaven to give His life for us.
Ana: Yes, it makes one tremble. I think it’s beautiful. Let’s write down three things we want to practise in prayer, fasting and almsgiving. And each day — when we wake up, at midday and at night — we can review how we’re doing. Without losing heart like other years if we slacken. If we fall, we simply rise again.
Alfonso: For prayer: every day, first thing, our conjugal prayer together. And I also want to set aside some time for personal prayer — to be alone with the Lord.
Ana: Me too. And I want to fast from overworking. I don’t want to arrive home late.
Alfonso: I will fast from my phone. No phone or screens after 9 p.m. Although I’m afraid… what if I miss something important?
Ana: I’m afraid too about reducing extra work. But let’s trust in the Lord. If we give the time to Him, He will take care of the rest.
Alfonso: For almsgiving, I’ll give you my leisure time. For you — for whatever you would like.
Ana: Me too. Let’s do it! It will cost us, but persevering together each day, with the Lord’s help, we will manage it.
Prayer

Mother,
Please help us to live this Lent focused on Your Son. May we live it as you did — in loving intimacy with Him.
Blessed and praised be God.

Hardened Heart. Reflection for Marriages Mark 8:14–21

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Gospel of the Day

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark (8:14–21)
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod.”
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?”
They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?”
They answered him, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?

Hardened Heart
The Lord longs to nourish our soul, yet we insist on filling ourselves with the things of the world, as if they could quench our thirst. In reality, the opposite happens: we are left even emptier.
This is what we see in the disciples. For this reason, Jesus reproaches them. They are so preoccupied with worldly concerns that they are unable to see, hear, or understand.
The same can happen each day in our marriage. We look at our spouse through our own lens, according to our own criteria. We notice imperfections and mistakes. We search for faults and pass judgement.
What does the Lord do with us? He, who is God and gave Himself to save us, looks upon us with love and mercy. He sees what we are called to become. He calls us by name, not by our sin.
Tomorrow, Lent begins — a time of preparation and reparation, in which we offer to the Lord everything that distances us from Him. In our prayer, we shall place before Him our hardened hearts and ask Him to help us free them from all that belongs to the world.

Applied to Married Life
Esther: Darling, I don’t know how to tell the children to help more at home — they are driving me mad!
Gonzalo: Esther, don’t you see they’re not fully aware? They’re wrapped up in their own things and only think about themselves and what they feel like doing.
Esther: Doesn’t it wind you up? At any moment I’m going to shout at them to see if they react. I really can’t take it any more — they’re like parasites.
Gonzalo: What if we try something different? Instead of giving them yet another telling-off, let’s give them light. Let’s speak to them in a way that helps illuminate the right path — perhaps that will work better.
(After a week of speaking to them several times with great love and gently showing them the Truth)
Esther: Honestly, Gonzalo, shouting doesn’t help at all. But what the Holy Spirit has been prompting us to say to them these past days, showing them the Truth, is bearing fruit!
Gonzalo: Then we must persevere — little by little. But above all, let us not forget our prayer, so that we too may learn to do everything in the Lord and guide them better.

Mother,

May we learn to live in the Lord as you did, and thus have pure hearts, not hardened ones.
Blessed and praised be the Lord for ever!

I trust in you. Reflection for Marriages Mark 8:11–13

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Gospel of the Day

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark the Evangelist 8:11–13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
I trust in you
In this passage, the Pharisees approach Jesus not to encounter him, but to test him. They ask for a sign — an extraordinary guarantee to confirm what is already before their eyes. Jesus sighs deeply: it is not a loud outburst of anger, but the weariness of someone who feels questioned in a relationship where there should be trust.
In married life something very similar happens. At times, without realising it, we treat our spouse as the Pharisees treated Jesus: we ask for “signs”.
— If you really loved me, you would…
— If you loved me, I would notice it more, you would show it better…
The problem is not desiring gestures of love, but living in a constant demand for proof, as though the other’s love were always under suspicion. That is exhausting. Hence Jesus’ sigh: love does not flourish where everything is examination and verification.
Jesus refuses to give the sign they demand because true love is neither imposed nor forced into demonstration. His presence, his word, his self-giving were already the sign. In the same way, in marriage the sign is often already there: in daily fidelity, in perseverance, in continuing to “get into the boat together” even when there are no fireworks.
This Gospel invites husbands and wives to move from the logic of “prove it to me” to the logic of “I trust you”; to recognise the simple, everyday signs of love, and to care for the relationship so that it does not become a testing ground, but a place of rest. Because, in the end, conjugal love — like God’s love — does not require spectacular signs, but a heart capable of recognising them.
Applied to Married Life
Iris: Today I realised that sometimes I treat you like the Pharisees treated Jesus.
Alejandro: Is that serious? Should I be worried?
Iris: A little… I ask you for signs from heaven.
Alejandro: The miracle type? Like multiplying clean socks?
Iris: Exactly. And folding them properly as well, just to make it clear that you love me.
Alejandro: Then I’ve been failing the love exam for years.
Iris: It’s not that… It’s just that sometimes I need proof.
Alejandro: And sometimes I sigh like Jesus in the Gospel. Not out loud, but inside.
Iris: I know. And today I thought: perhaps you are already giving me the signs, they’re just not spectacular.
Alejandro: Of course. I don’t call down fire from heaven, but I do take the rubbish out every night.
Iris: And that counts too.
Alejandro: For me it should count a lot, because I really am trying.
Iris: Shall we make a deal? I’ll try to trust more and not ask for daily miracles.
Alejandro: And I promise not to go “to the other side” when I feel tested.
Iris: Better that we stay in the same boat.
Alejandro: Yes. Love doesn’t need signs from heaven… as long as it doesn’t sink, we’re doing well.
Mother,
help us each day to recognise the simple signs, and not to weary the other’s heart with demands born of fear.
Blessed are you always, Mother.

 

Are you still there? Reflection for marriages Matthew 5:17-37

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From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples:”Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letterwill pass from the law,until all things have taken place.Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do sowill be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife – unless the marriage is unlawful – causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery”Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,Do not take a false oath,but make good to the Lord all that you vow.But I say to you, do not swear at all;not by heaven, for it is God’s throne;nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.Do not swear by your head,for you cannot make a single hair white or black.Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’Anything more is from the evil one”

The Gospel of the Lord

Are you still there?

There are wounds that, if we allow them to scar over and stop bleeding, end up separating us forever. There are emotional and spiritual distances that, even without leading to a breakup, open the door to indifference—an indifference that wounds the bond.

Then comes the conviction that nothing needs to be healed, hiding the wound while thinking, “it will pass.”

Called to live fullness, we settle for mere neatness. We live by appearances, hiding the pain of a soul made for infinity, yet fed on what is finite. Hunger of Christ IS not fullfilled With wordly things.
Christ has placed fullness—the infinite, the everything—at the very center of our soul: the fullness of the Holy Spirit within us.
What is the truth of your marriage? On what truth is it built?

Applied to married life:

(A scene inspired by The Jeweler’s Shop by Saint John Paul II)

Steve enters quietly. Anna, his wife, sits by the window, holding her engagement ring.

Anna:Do you remember when we promised to love each other… even when it wasn’t easy?
Steve: I remember… though sometimes it’s hard for me to believe it still means anything.
Anna: It’s not the ring that weighs heavy, Steve.  It’s everything we’ve stopped saying and sharing. I’m still here—not out of habit, but because I still believe in Him… and in you.
Steve: I… I got lost, Anna. Love turned into obligation, and I hid in silence.
Anna: Then break that silence. I’m not asking you to feel what you once felt—only to choose to love again.
Steve : (his voice breaking) And what if I no longer know how?
Anna:Start with a yes. Small, sincere. Like the first day—but this time trusting that it will be Him who does it, not us.

(They look at each other. Steve takes the ring and holds it between them.)

Mother,

show us your Son in our marriage, so that we may live it in truth and fullness. Blessed and praised forever be He who redeemed us with His Blood.

Go, Start the journey! Reflection for marriages Luke 10:1-9

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Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 10:1–9

 After this the   Lord appointedseventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.  He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.  Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
The Gospel of the Lord

 
Go, Start the journey!

Today’s Gospel brings us great news: the Kingdom of God has come to us! Yes, spouses, the Kingdom of Heaven has come to our marriage, to our families, to our lives—if only we are willing to receive it, if only we are willing to welcome it. Through  Project for conjugal love many of us have received this great news and are living it. We have discovered the greatness of our marriage and the covenant that Christ has made with us. This has changed our lives, and we are experiencing the joy of living marriage as God intended.

Now the Lord invites us to bring this Good News to other marriages. He says, Go, start the journey!” and sends us, spouses, two by two—those of us who have experienced that it is possible to anticipate Heaven on Earth by living a love of communion. The Lord wants to count on us—not because He needs us, for He is all-powerful, but because He is so good that He wants to make us part of His work. He wants us to go ahead, to show through our lives the Gospel of marriage to those who do not yet know it and to those He wants to reach. There are many marriages that have not yet discovered this beauty, and few of us who have. Are you in? What are you waiting for?

Applied to married life:

Emilia: Greg , do you know what I realized with today’s Gospel?
Greg: What, Emilia?
Emilia:  How lucky we are—that our marriage has not only grown and changed since the retreat, but through Proyect for conjugal Love we’ve found a place within the Church where we can give ourselves, and the best part is that we go together. The Lord sent His disciples two by two, and that’s how we go too.
Greg: It’s true, I hadn’t thought of it that way.
Emilia : Shall we offer to help with the next retreat? The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…
Greg: The following week I was already invited to help with another retreat. You know I like to get involved in Church activities, but maybe two weekends in a row is too much.
Emilia :You’re right, but then we need to prioritize. Even when everything is good, we need to discern God’s will for us. And maybe, as today’s Gospel also says, once you find a house where you’re welcomed, stay there—don’t keep moving from house to house, from group to group. Picking here and there… maybe that’s a sign of immaturity. In the end, instead of being in many places, you’re really in none. Don’t you think? Here we can go together as a couple; the other option feels like it would separate us.
Greg: I hadn’t seen it from that perspective, but what you’re saying makes a lot of sense. Let me pray about it.
Emilia: if you want, we can pray together, since we are called to be one flesh.
Greg:  Yes, let’s bring it into our spouses prayer.

Mother,

You who offered your life so that Christ could reach all people, teach us to proclaim the Gospel of marriage and bring your Son to all who do not yet know Him. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! Praised be the Lord forever!