From the Gospel according to Luke 18:9–14

A righteous person is one who places his trust in God and lives to fulfil His will. But when we take our gaze away from Christ, we begin to place our trust in ourselves, and then it becomes very easy to fall into the temptation of thinking we are better than others. Pride then enters our hearts. Soon comparison, judgement and condemnation follow. This can also happen in our marriage. My spouse does not do this, or does that, or does something but in a different way from how I would do it, or does not pray as I think he should… I judge him in my heart and begin to feel better than him. The Lord warns us in this Gospel about the danger of apparent fulfilment: I comply, yet I lie. Our path is not about simply following a set of rules, but about sincerely seeking to do God’s will at every moment, what He wants from me here and now. With what intention do I do things? To appear good before others, or to please God? Spouses, let us take each other by the hand and ask Christ together to have mercy and compassion on us, and to show us the plan He has for our marriage.

Emily: Andrew, this afternoon I thought that if you were coming home late it was because you were not interested in helping with the children’s baths and dinner, and I started to think I was better than you because I am always here at home with them.
Andrew: I’m sorry, Emily, my love. I was finishing something at work and lost track of time. I didn’t even realise how late it had become.
Emily: But you know what? When I took it to prayer, I realised that in reality I was not doing things well either, because I was not doing them out of love, but simply because there was no other choice, because they had to be done. So I asked God for forgiveness, and I ask you to forgive me too, because I did not respond well to God’s love for me. And also because I judged you unfairly.
Andrew: No, you forgive me, because once again I failed in my priorities. I put my work before you and the children, when now I realise I could easily have come home earlier to help with the children and finished my work later. I did not place my heart where it should have been either.
Emily: From now on I will try to be more attentive to my heart, so that I may do everything out of love.
Andrew: And I will also try to be more attentive in loving you better, coming home earlier and sharing the responsibilities with you.
Emily: We are very weak, and we fall so easily. Let us ask the Holy Spirit for help. Without God’s grace we will not succeed.
Andrew: Yes, and let us ask Our Lady to intercede for us.

Mother,

Teach us and help us to remain attentive so that we may always wholeheartedly do the Father’s will, just as you did throughout your entire life. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! Praised be the Lord forever!

From the Gospel according to Mark 12:28b–34

In the time of Jesus, Jewish observance was structured mainly around the Torah (the written Law), which traditionally consists of 613 commandments (mitzvot). Those responsible for transmitting it in writing and interpreting it were the scribes. The Lord does not come to abolish the Law, but to bring it to its fulfilment. In this Gospel He summarises the whole Torah in just two commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” and “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” And who is our nearest neighbour? Who is in our first square metre? Spouses, if we do not love our spouse, we cannot say that we love God.

Martha: Sorry, I’m late again, but when I’m at church I lose all sense of time. I feel such peace, I feel the Lord’s love so deeply that I could stay there all day.
Felix: Well, the children are already in bed, Martha. I prepared their dinner and they went to sleep asking about you. That’s the third time this week…
Martha: It’s just that God has made me feel His love, and now all I want is to respond to Him.
Felix: And do you think this is the way to do it? By leaving me alone with the children?
Martha: Look, Felix, think about all the times you came home late from work and we were here waiting for you.
Felix: But I changed that after we did the Marital Love Project retreat. Now you are my priority. Remember they taught us that we must incarnate our love; we are not called to a spiritualised love. I only ask you to take it to prayer, and if you agree, tomorrow evening when the children are asleep we can talk about it.
(The next day, Felix arrives home with the children after school.)
Martha: Where are my children? I was so eager to give you a big hug. Go and get changed while I speak with Dad for a moment. My dear Felix, I humbly ask your forgiveness. Today the Lord has shown me the wrong way in which I was responding to His love. Thank you so much for showing me the truth with such kindness and patience. I went to confession, and I come ready for you, first of all, and our children to be my priority. It is in you that I must love God. Praised be God forever!

Mother

How beautiful Marriage is as God intended it! Thank you for the precious Marital Love Project, which is bringing light and hope to so many families. We ask you to help us persevere so that we may bring it to the whole world. Thank you, dear Mother!

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:17–19

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 letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

From the Gospel according to Matthew 18:21–35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

How is it possible that someone who has been forgiven refuses to forgive? Our Lord never ceases to forgive us everything; we already know beforehand that He will do so. Yet when we face the need to forgive our spouse, do we sometimes feel a resistance that makes us say: That’s enough now. Am I a fool? This cannot be forgiven, or something similar? What is happening? If this happens to me, it means that although God has offered me the fullness of His mercy, I have not truly been able to receive it, and it has not yet transformed my heart. One of the great graces God gives us when He forgives us is the awareness that we can no longer refuse forgiveness to anyone. Something begins to arise within us: Who am I to deny forgiveness to another? What attitudes do we need in order to be ready to receive God’s mercy in its fullness? 1) Humility, recognising our poverty and weakness. 2) Sincere sorrow of heart. 3) Deep gratitude. Only the heart that allows itself to be transformed by the grace of mercy is capable of forgiving. If you want to forgive, take your resentful gaze away from your spouse’s sin and look instead at your own poverty, so often embraced by God. Ask Him for the grace to forgive as He forgives, freeing you from the oppression of resentment. When spouses welcome mercy, marriage becomes a place where two poor people, sustained by the mercy of God, learn to forgive as God forgives them.

Michael: Forgive me, Grace… this morning I spoke harshly to you in front of the children. I was angry and I took it out on you.
Grace: Oh Michael, of course I forgive you. I didn’t respond well either… I ended up speaking badly to you too. And I thought to myself: what an example we’re giving our children!
Michael: Yes, but I started it, Grace… I truly regret it. Please forgive me.
Grace: Of course I forgive you, Michael. How could I not? Do you know how grateful I am to the Lord for all that He forgives me every single day? How could I refuse to forgive you? Besides… I couldn’t live without you.
Michael: And I certainly couldn’t live without you. Come here.
(As they embraced, their children walked into the room and ended up joining them.) Glory to God, because only He can turn our falls into a blessing.

Mother,

Teach us to receive mercy with grateful hearts, so that nothing is wasted, and that we may be filled with every grace as you were, full of grace. Praised be God who leads us into a new life — the life of forgiveness!