Monthly Archives: November 2026

LOVE, Not a Marketplace. Reflection for marriages. John 2:13–22

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Gospel of the Day
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 2:13–22
Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

LOVE, Not a Marketplace
This Gospel is one of the most surprising passages in the life of Jesus. We are accustomed to seeing Him healing the sick, embracing children, forgiving sinners and speaking with gentleness. Yet here we see Him making a whip out of cords, driving out the merchants, overturning tables and scattering coins.
The problem Jesus denounces is that the place dedicated to God was being profaned by a way of practising religion that could place material interests above an encounter with the Father, risking turning worship into a business.
Jesus does not simply express His disapproval through words; His reaction is firm and deliberate. And He acts this way because He deeply loves His Father.
He is not indignant because His personal pride has been wounded. He is not defending His reputation, His comfort or His own interests. He is defending the holiness of His Father’s house.
Jesus’ anger is not the opposite of His love; in this passage, it is precisely an expression of His love.
Jesus is gentle, but He is not indifferent. He is merciful, but He does not call good what destroys our relationship with God. He forgives the sinner, but He also invites them to change.
Sometimes, without realising it, we turn our love into a marketplace: we give expecting something in return, we keep track of who makes the greater effort, we demand that the other person change, or we use reproaches to get what we want.
Love then ceases to be a free gift of ourselves and becomes an exchange driven by self-interest.
Jesus wants to enter our marriage to purify the way we love. He wants to drive out the selfishness, pride, demands and judgements that have taken the place of self-giving.
He does not come to destroy our love, but to rebuild it upon the rock of His Love.
We are called to look at our spouse through the eyes of Christ, to accept them as they truly are and to learn to give ourselves without keeping score, seeking their good rather than merely our own satisfaction.
And when Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” He reminds us that our marriage, too, can rise again.
Even when tiredness, wounds or routine seem to have extinguished our love, Christ can restore it if we allow Him to enter.

Applied to Married Life
Paloma: Alphonso, I have to admit that sometimes I turn our marriage into a marketplace. I give to you, but I expect you to give something back. I make an effort, but I need you to acknowledge it.
Alphonso: That’s true, Paloma. And when I don’t receive what I expect, I get angry and reproach you for it. Instead of loving you freely, I keep score of everything I do for you.
Paloma: Perhaps Jesus wants to enter our hearts today and drive out everything that prevents us from loving each other as He loves us.
Alphonso: You mean things like pride, reproaches and always wanting to be right?
Paloma: Exactly! Although you’ve got quite a few tables that need overturning…
Alphonso: And you’ve got a few coins to pick up yourself! But you’re right: sometimes we turn our love into a marketplace, with me waiting for you to change and you waiting for me to change.
Paloma: I need to learn to see you through the eyes of Christ, to accept you in your weakness and to discover how I can help you draw closer to God.
Alphonso: And I also need to recognise that our marriage is not an exchange of favours, but a vocation to give ourselves to one another. I need to make a greater effort to give myself to you.
Paloma: So, Alphonso, shall we ask Christ to rebuild what we have gradually damaged? Shall we truly allow Him to enter our home and our hearts today?
Alphonso: Yes, Paloma. May He drive out everything within us that is not love and make our marriage a temple where He dwells.
Paloma: Then let’s make a real commitment to our daily prayer as a couple, asking the Lord for all these things.
Mother,
Teach us to stop making demands and to start giving ourselves.
We ask that our love, purified by you, may become each day a reflection of your Love.
Blessed and praised be Our Lord.

Keeping Watch with Our Souls Awake. Reflection for marriages. Matthew 25:1-13

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From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:1–13

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.  Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Keeping Watch with Our Souls Awake

Kingdom of Heaven is the encounter with the Bridegroom. To prepare ourselves, we learn to walk in darkness, without relying on what we feel, awakening a heart that learns to:

Believe without seeing.

Trust without understanding what it hears.

Love without needing to feel a caress.

Remain faithful without tasting sweetness.

Recognise without perceiving His fragrance.

Five foolish virgins who seek to feel. Five wise virgins who choose to love. For keeping watch means keeping the oil of love burning, nurturing that intimacy with the Bridegroom which must be lived, not borrowed. What must die within me so that I can remain watchful?

Applied to Married Life

John (thinking to himself): Lord, here we go again! Maureen comes home exhausted, irritable, complaining about everything… I just can’t stand it! I don’t even feel like looking at her, listening to her or going near her. And on top of that, it seems as though everything bothers her! Why should I be the one to make the first move? Let her realise how she is treating me!

But, Lord… what if this is precisely when she needs me most? What if, behind her bad mood, there is an exhausted heart that simply needs to feel loved?

Help me, Lord! My senses are telling me to walk away, but I want to welcome You by welcoming Maureen. I cannot do this on my own. Have mercy on me. Give me Your eyes to see her, Your patience to listen to her and Your tenderness to embrace her, even when I don’t feel like it.

May my lamp not go out just when the Bridegroom arrives.

Lord, may my senses rest while my heart remains awake and watchful.

Mother,

Teach us to die to our senses so that we may be born anew in Your Son, who is the meaning and fulfilment of everything.

May He be blessed and praised for ever, for He redeemed us with His Precious Blood.

Two Masters. Reflection for marriages. Luke 16:9-15

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From the Gospel according to Luke 16:9–15
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Two Masters

In this Gospel, Jesus presents us with a fundamental choice that each one of us must make: we cannot serve two masters.

Perhaps deep down, we hold on to the subtle belief that we can. We think that selfishness can coexist with love, that always wanting to be right can be compatible with self-giving, and that allowing ourselves to be driven by our appetites and attachments does not prevent us from giving ourselves to others. We may even think that it doesn’t matter if we give in to our disordered tendencies and make no effort to overcome them simply because that’s the way we are.

Deep down, we struggle to give up this inner ambiguity and want to keep sitting on the fence. But Jesus is very clear: we cannot serve both God and money; we cannot give our hearts to two different things. That is why we need to examine our hearts honestly and discover what has taken God’s place in our lives.

In marriage, we cannot expect to build a true communion while keeping areas of our lives where selfishness reigns. We must choose between continuing to feed our ego, our desire for control and our own interests, or following Christ, who teaches us to love, to die to ourselves and to give ourselves for the good of the other.

And today the question is: Whom do I truly want to serve?

Jesus invites us to make a genuine choice. And that choice becomes real every day in our marriage: when we give up the need to be right in order to seek the truth, when we overcome our pride to ask for forgiveness, and when we stop pursuing our own interests in order to give ourselves to the other.

Because we cannot serve Love while remaining slaves to our own egos.

Applied to Married Life

In a conversation between husband and wife after their time of prayer together:

Sarah: You know, Sam? I still don’t quite understand what Jesus means when He talks about making friends for ourselves with worldly wealth.

Sam: I think what He is trying to tell us is that all the material possessions we have are still gifts from God. And since He distributes them as He wishes, rather than according to our own merits, they can be understood as unjust wealth.

Sarah: Unjust? But we both work honestly to earn our money!

Sam: Yes, you’re right, Sarah. But even our jobs are the result of the circumstances God has placed us in and the gifts He has freely given us. And, as gifts, they also come with a responsibility. Jesus invites us to share our earthly possessions without becoming attached to them, and in doing so, to build up treasures in Heaven.

Sometimes we become so preoccupied with saving, having more or securing our future that we forget about the needs of others. We even argue about how we spend our money, or you try to impose on me how I should save and spend less.

Sarah: Oh, my goodness! I hadn’t even realised… Could it be that I’m putting my heart in money? Do you think I’m becoming too attached to it and putting it first, above you and God?

Sam: Hmm, darling… Isn’t it wonderful that we can recognise what we’re doing and try to put things right? I suggest that we review our income and expenses together, in the presence of the Lord and in the light of this Gospel, and honestly consider which expenses are essential and which are unnecessary. Look, to begin with, I admit that I’m a bit of a spendthrift…

Sarah: And I… I’m a bit tight-fisted!

Sam: What matters is that we both know we want to serve God, not money. And the possessions we have, which the Lord has given us through our work, can also be used to love others: by helping someone in need, being generous with our family and sharing with those who have less.

In this way, money, which so often divides us, can become an instrument of communion.

Sarah: It’s so important that we start with ourselves! What belongs to me shouldn’t be mine alone. We need to learn to manage everything together, always seeking what is best for both of us.

Sam: Yes, because true wealth isn’t about having more, but about learning to love and give ourselves without holding anything back. In this way, we will build up treasures in Heaven and be welcomed into the eternal dwellings.

Mother,

Teach us to give ourselves wholeheartedly to our spouse, our family and others, so that we may live by loving as God loves us and thus bear abundant fruits of Love.

Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! Praised be the Lord for ever!

Gifts and Mission. Reflection for marriages. Luke 16:1-8

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From the Gospel according to Luke 16:1–8

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’   He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
Gifts and Mission

Lord, this Gospel is difficult to understand. How can we praise someone who is doing wrong? But You are not praising the dishonest steward; rather, You present him to us as an example of howhe uses his gifts for his own benefit.

And You are giving us an important lesson about how we must put all our gifts at Your service, using them wisely and resourcefully. In this way, we can show the greatness of our Sacrament, starting with our own spouse.

As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. That is why we are going to set ourselves the task of discerning which gifts You have given us and putting them to use to lead souls to Heaven.

Applied to Married Life

Clare: Andy, how are things going between your colleague Joseph and his wife? Her name was Anna, wasn’t it?

Andy: Well, to be honest, things look very bad. I see a very bleak future for them. We should try to give them a helping hand.

Clare: What do you think we could do?

Andy: We could invite them over for dinner.

Clare: What if we organised a hiking trip? You both really enjoy it, and it would give me a chance to talk to her privately and hear her side of what’s been happening.

Andy: What a great idea! I’m sure Joseph would love it. I hope she will too. You certainly have a wonderful gift for organising these things.

Clare: And where could we go?

Andy: I love that little village in the mountains where we went last time. Do you remember? At the end of the route, there was a beautiful little chapel, and it just so happened that Mass was about to begin. I’ll look up the route and the Mass times to see if we can make it work.

Clare: That sounds wonderful! The place is beautiful, and finishing the day by celebrating the Eucharist together, all four of us, would be the best part. You’re putting your own gift at His service too. How wonderful!

Andy: I’m beginning to think that if everything goes well, we could all go on the Camino de Santiago together as two families this summer.

Clare: How lovely! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One step at a time. And let’s start by praying for them right now, trusting in the Lord, who makes all things new.

Mother,

Our Life, our Sweetness and our Hope, help us to follow Your Son with docility and obedience. Be our example and our guide.

Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus!

The Joy of Reconciliation. Reflection for marriages. Luke 15:1-10

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From the Gospel according to Luke 15:1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  So Jesus addressed this parable to them. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’  In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Joy of Reconciliation

Lord, You never are never tired of seeking us. You do not reject us because of our mistakes, and You rejoice when we return to You. God’s love is the love of someone who persistently searches for what has been lost until it is found.

Even when we distance ourselves from You, when we stumble or feel unworthy of God’s love, You always come looking for us and invite us to return to Your Heart.

Jesus, You teach us that no one is excluded from Your divine mercy. You do not look only at our falls; You also see our ability to get back up and begin again. We must never forget that we are immensely precious in God’s eyes.

In our married life, You call us to discover that love does not simply mean walking together when everything is going well, but also reaching out to our spouse when something comes between us.

Sometimes we wait for the other person to take the first step: to apologise, acknowledge their mistake, change their attitude or reach out to us. But Lord, You show us that we must put aside our pride and place the value of our marriage sacrament and our desire to restore communion above it.

Married love is called to be a place where we can acknowledge our weaknesses without fear of being humiliated.

In marriage, we also need to celebrate the little moments of coming back together: an honest conversation after an argument, a humble apology, a loving touch that breaks down the distance, or a shared decision to move forward.

And when we rediscover the joy of being together, teach us to give thanks, because every reconciliation is an opportunity for Your love to dwell among us once again.

Applied to Married Life

Tony: Mia! Come and sit down. I have something important to tell you.

Mia: You sound excited! I’m coming. Tell me what’s happened.

Tony: Lewis has called me to say that he isn’t leaving home after all. He’s given it a lot of thought and has decided to keep fighting for his marriage.

Mia: What wonderful news! When we were with them the other day, it seemed as though there was nothing more we could do. They had completely lost hope.

Tony: I was surprised too. He told me that after talking to us, he kept thinking about everything we had said, and something stirred in his heart telling him that he shouldn’t give up.

Mia: The Lord has done great things once again, using us, His unworthy instruments, to carry out His work.

Tony: That’s right. He thanked me over and over again and told me that he and Christine would like to see us again. They know they can’t do it alone and need our help to rebuild their marriage.

Mia: That’s amazing! The Lord and Our Lady never consider any marriage a lost cause. I need to ask for forgiveness because I had lost all hope. The day after we were with them, I called Christine and she told me she didn’t want to speak to me anymore because everything had already been decided.

Tony: Well, now you can see that wasn’t the case! We’ve arranged to have dinner with them tonight. They want to tell us everything. Lewis told me that Christine was going to call you, but she would rather tell you in person.

Mia: Perfect! Do you think we could go to Mass together before meeting them, to give thanks to God, join in the celebration in Heaven for this marriage, and ask Him to guide us as we continue to accompany them?

Mother,

No matter how far away from Your Son we may think we are, His Love continues to seek us. And when we return to Him, Heaven is filled with joy.

Praised be God!