Gospel

‘Because of hardness of heart Moses allowed wives to be divorced, but from the beginning it was not so.’
Matthew 19:3–12

At that time: Pharisees came up to Jesus and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no one separate.’ They said to him, ‘Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.’
  The disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’ But he said to them, ‘Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.’

The Gospel of the Lord

At the beginning it was not so.

The Pharisees try to put Jesus in a difficult position by asking Him this question, and He refers them back to the beginning, to Genesis, to the creation of man and woman. Dear couples of the Marital Love Project, how well known and loved this passage is to us! It is on this passage that Saint John Paul II based his catecheses on Marriage and the Family. The Marital Love Project carries on this legacy, which is doing so much good; there are many people evangelising and bringing the Good News to the whole world. And you, dear couples, do you still not know about it? What are you waiting for?

Applied to Married Life:

(Martha and Luke finish their conjugal prayer)
Luke: Thank You, Lord. Blessed and praised are You.
Martha: Thank You, Lord. And thank you too, Luke. I love that you share with me what the Lord says to you; it helps me to see the truth and beauty of your soul.
Luke: How beautiful you are, darling.
Martha: You know? Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe. I read about him this morning—it’s incredible. He gave his life in a concentration camp during the Second World War in exchange for the life of a father of a family.
Luke: Goodness, he understood the value of a father within the family.
Martha: And it has taken me so long to see it. I always put the children first and left you to one side. Forgive me, because I know I hurt you deeply.
Luke: You stopped doing that a long time ago. How much good the Marital Love Project has done for our family. It has also helped me to see how important it is for our children to see us united and praying. Loving one another is the most important thing so that they feel loved and protected.
Martha: Blessed be God! You really are my Suitable Helper!

Mother,
We remember the words of Saint Maximilian Kolbe: “Where the Immaculate One enters, Jesus enters, He who is the King of love, peace and joy”, so, dear Mother, we invite you to enter into the depths of our hearts. Blessed are You!