At that time: One of the scribes came up to Jesus and asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

That is how it is, and that is how it must be: to love God above all things, beyond everything else and in every circumstance. When the scribe asks Jesus a question, He does not respond with a rule or a requirement to fulfil. Instead, He teaches us that love comes first. We are not born knowing how to love; we must learn to love each day. Love has a centre, and that centre is God. Whenever we face a situation in which it is difficult to love, by renouncing ourselves, giving ourselves generously, and placing God at the centre, we discover how love truly works. Loving God above all else enables us to love others. In marriage, our closest neighbour is our spouse. We are called to love them in concrete ways: with patience when they are tired, by listening even when we do not feel like it, by speaking respectfully in every situation, by caring for the small details, by beginning again after a failure, and by always being available to our spouse. We may have lives full of obligations, routines, and responsibilities, but what matters most is not simply doing things for one another—it is truly loving one another in everything. Yet human effort alone can become exhausted. Marriage needs moments of prayer and encounters with God so that we can continue loving when our own strength is no longer enough.

Applied to Married Life

Victoria: What did you think about what that couple shared regarding the journey they proposed for married life?
Michael: It wasn’t bad. But maybe it’s a little beyond us, don’t you think?
Victoria: Well, that depends on how you look at it. I really liked what they shared, the way they explained it, and what it has meant for their marriage. I think we should talk about it together.
Michael: Yes, it was beautiful. But our lives are already complicated enough with everything we have going on. I’m not sure this is for us.
Victoria: If we look at it that way, we’ll never do anything. They were right when they said we’re called to something greater. We have a lot and we give a lot, but listening to them made me realize that we’re missing something.
Michael: You may be right. We have a long way to go before reaching what they described. But I have to admit, they made me want to try. Just seeing the way they looked at each other—not only hearing how their lives had changed—really touched me. They have something special. I don’t know if we’ll ever have that.
Victoria: The most important thing is that they have God at the centre of their lives and their marriage. They said it very clearly and confidently. For them, He is the priority above everything else.
Michael: Yes, and that’s what’s missing for us. It’s true that we’re people of faith, but I’ve always been rather reluctant about these things. Still, I have to admit that whenever I’ve turned to God—whether in good times or bad—I’ve never come away unchanged. Maybe I need to start seeing Him as a true priority and not just an option.
Victoria: You’re a good man, the man I fell in love with, and I’ve never stopped thanking God for bringing you into my life. Hearing you speak like this renews my love for you and gives me hope.
Michael: Maybe we should give it a try. Anything that brings us closer to God can only help us. Now I realize that the most special thing about the couple we met today is that God is an inseparable part of their lives. That’s why they’ve been able to experience such transformation.
Victoria: I think that’s wonderful. The parish priest invited us to this presentation so we could see what we thought of it. Maybe we could suggest starting a group at our parish. What do you think?
Michael: I agree. Even though we already have much to be grateful for, I’m sure it’s worth trying. I’m really drawn to the vision of love they described—the kind of love we’re called to and should strive to attain.

Mother,

Teach us to love your Son with all our hearts and to recognise Him in our spouse. Grant us a love that is patient, humble, and faithful—a love that forgives and always begins again. May our marriage not rely solely on human effort, but on the presence of God. Blessed and praised be the Lord forever.

At that time: Sadducees came to Jesus, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.’
Jesus said to them, ‘Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.’

The Sadducees present Jesus with a rather contrived situation in order to ridicule the resurrection, trying to understand eternal life through the categories and ways of thinking of this world. The same thing often happens to us. We may spend too much time looking down, interpreting life through our limited perspective, our own criteria, trapped in worries and false securities, forgetting to lift our eyes toward the goal.  Today, the Lord reminds us that we were created for eternal life. How beautiful it is to discover that our marriage is a path to Heaven, that God uses both the love of our spouse and their limitations to enlarge our hearts and lead us to Him. But a day will come when we will no longer need signs or mediations, because we will be gazing upon the Face of God. Lord, today in our prayer we want to awaken our desire for Heaven—to dream of it, to imagine it, to long for that moment when we fall to our knees before You, face to face, and can embrace You, kiss the wounds that saved us, and praise You forever. Then, overwhelmed by love, we will understand that every sacrifice, every cross, and every act of self-giving was preparing us for that eternal embrace. Spouses, lift up your eyes! “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human heart has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
“We were not made to look at the ground… You created us to look toward Heaven.”
“I lift up my eyes, fixing them on Jesus. I lift up my eyes, fastened on the Cross.”

Applied to Married Life

Martha: The doctor said the treatment is going to be a long one…
James: I never imagined our life would be like this. Everything changed overnight—our plans, our expectations… I don’t understand why the Lord is allowing this situation, especially now.
Martha: Many times I feel like I’m becoming a burden to you. But, James, I was thinking about something today… Imagine the day when we stand together before God, face to face with Him.
James: Incredible!
Martha: Yes… and I was thinking: do you think this stress and anxiety we’re experiencing right now will matter very much then?
James: Well… clearly not.
Martha: Exactly. What will matter is how much we loved, how much we trusted, and how much we helped each other reach Him. This illness, like so many other problems, will be insignificant. It will have been a means of purifying us and bringing us a little closer to God.
James: Everything looks so different when you think about Heaven!
Martha: Then why do we so often live looking at the ground? Let’s lift up our eyes and walk together toward the goal for which we were created!

Mother,

Gate of Heaven, awaken in our hearts a longing for eternal life and help us seek God together, so that one day, through His mercy, we may behold the Face of Jesus face to face and remain united to Him forever.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs. And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And his disciples heard it.

They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples? But you have made it a den of thieves.”

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put him to death, yet they feared him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching. When evening came, they went out of the city.

Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”