GOSPEL OF THE DAY

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 16:13-23

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

and he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Then he strictly ordered his disciples

to tell no one that he was the Christ.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples

that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly

from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,

“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

He turned and said to Peter,

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

The word of the Lord

The Other Stone.

We are very clear that Christ gave His life on the cross out of Love for us. He taught us to love to the extreme in His own flesh. But it is very difficult for us to accept that we have to do the same.

When situations arise in our daily lives that require giving, renouncing, and/or sacrificing, the devil whispers in our ear: He was God, you don’t have to put up with this… “Get away from me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me…”

The same stone (Peter) that a few minutes before was the support of the Church, suddenly becomes a stumbling block for the Lord. Unfortunately, many followers of Jesus could be stumbling blocks for married couples with issues as to avoid suffering in their marital relationship, can advise not to suffer any longer and to separate or seek an annulment.

Whether we like it or not, we were created to give our lives, and the sooner we accept and discover the greatness of the person who does so, the sooner we will begin to live a full life. Then you will hear the Lord say to you: Blessed are you, because that was revealed to you by my Father who is in heaven and you have accepted it.

Applied to Married Life:

Lorenzo: What has conversion meant for you?

Ana: For me, it has meant a total transformation. What I used to see as a drag, like prayer, now excites me; it’s a whole experience. On the other hand, what used to excite me, like knowing I was attractive to others, now I don’t understand how I ever needed it so much to feel secure about myself.

And for you, what has conversion meant?

Lorenzo: Just like you, a radical change in my life and my desires. I’ll give you an example: I didn’t like when you used to tell me what I had to do, but now I highly value mutual obedience. I believe our salvation depends on it, just as the salvation of the world depended precisely on the obedience of Jesus. These are difficult things, but later you discover their true value.

Ana: Certainly, they are not easy to understand. You have to live it to recognise it.

Lorenzo: The Lord shows us this in the Gospel.

Mother,

It is very difficult for us to stop thinking like men and start thinking like God. You know we are full of weaknesses, quirks, and whims. You know we seek immediate results… Mother, protect and guide us so that we build a holy marriage; this is our only desire. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

MT 15:21-28

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,

“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!

My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

But he did not say a word in answer to her.

His disciples came and asked him,

“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”

He said in reply,

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”

He said in reply,

“It is not right to take the food of the children

and throw it to the dogs.”

She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps

that fall from the table of their masters.”

Then Jesus said to her in reply,

“O woman, great is your faith!

Let it be done for you as you wish.”

And her daughter was healed from that hour

The gospel of the Lord

You make me fall in love with you.

When I hear this Gospel, I have in my mind: I wish I could say that phrase so that Jesus would tell me: “Great is your faith.” What a compliment coming from Jesus! But that compliment comes after that faith has been tested by the path of humiliation.

Applied to Married Life:

Juan: One of the things that makes me fall in love with you even more is your faith.

Cristina: I love when you say that to me. There’s no greater compliment. In what situations do you notice my faith?

Juan: Especially when you live with peace and joy in a situation where someone humiliates you, and right after, you thank God for having experienced it with you.

Cristina: It’s true. I don’t really live through those situations myself. It’s the Lord who lives them for me.

Juan: Great is your faith.

Mother,

Model and Teacher of faith, give us more faith to live through humiliations in Your Immaculate Heart.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark

Mk 9:2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,

and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them,

and his clothes became dazzling white,

such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,

and they were conversing with Jesus.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,

“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!

Let us make three tents:

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;

from the cloud came a voice,

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone

but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,

he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,

except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

So they kept the matter to themselves,

questioning what rising from the dead meant.

The gospel of the Lord

After His manifestation.

The Lord keeps His divine manifestation to show Himself to us incarnated as one of many. But for a moment He reveals Himself to Peter, James and John as He really is. It was necessary before they contemplated His transfiguration and His tearing in Gethsemane. On Mount Tabor, another event happened, the Father also manifests Himself, confirming that Jesus is His Son and the mediator of His Word. God the Father was with Him. This is also important, because Jesus, in addition to being God, did not face His Passion alone.

What Jesus did with His apostles is what we should do when we are going to face a complicated situation: Contemplate the glory of God that will accompany us in that situation. If we really become aware of what His glory means, we would live the tribulation in a different way. Instead, we see how the apostles lived the preparation before the glorious manifestation of Jesus and before His crucifixion, Tabor and Gethsemane. In both preparations they fell asleep. This is how we are…

Grounded in Married Life:

Ana: In the past, in times of tribulation, I saw my husband as a sinner and the Lord showed me that he was just a simple man and under construction. In the past, I used to see him as superficial, and the Lord showed me that he was actually lost. Before, I saw him as hard-hearted, and the Lord showed me that He had not yet called him, that His time had not come. And so on with everything. I judged my husband according to my criteria and condemned him. But the Lord, little by little, showed me the truth to which he was called. Now I live the wonders of my marriage, because it is now the time to help the Lord with my dedication, so that my husband lives forever. What else can I aspire to? My mission is already given fruits, in my husband and in me. Is there a more beautiful mission than discovering Love together?

Mother of married love,

show us the greatness of God present amongst us. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,

he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,

“This is a deserted place and it is already late;

dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages

and buy food for themselves.”

He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;

give them some food yourselves.”

But they said to him,

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”

and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,

he said the blessing, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples,

who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied,

and they picked up the fragments left over–

twelve wicker baskets full.

Those who ate were about five thousand men,

not counting women and children.

The gospel of the Lord.

It does not belong to me.  

I ask myself: Would those who put up those 5 loaves and two fish be proud? Obviously not, because they would clearly see that what they had given was not proportional to what was shared, judging also by the evidence of the leftovers collected.

This is the difference between doing something on our own without previously giving it to Our Mother through our consecration or by entrusting it to Her. If I do it without offering it, I will believe that the results come from my effort and the merit is mine. If I give it to our Mother, I will see a disproportionate distribution with what I have given and the abundance that we all have received …

This is what we see every day in the “Conjugal Love Project”, about what happens with our marriage, with our family and with so many marriages that come to us sent by our Mother, Virgen Mary. Great miracles happen here and they make us increasingly aware of how little we put in and how small we are.

Landing in Married Life:

Peter: I love you.

Martha: And so do I.

Peter: But I love you more.

Martha: You always say that. Why do you say that?

Peter: Because it’s true. I am more affectionate than you, I don’t put up any obstacles for you to go and see your parents, I am much more attentive to you and your needs all day long, and for me you are my life, while for you I am one more thing of the many that you have to look after.

(A few years later, after her conversion to the love of God)

Peter: Wife, since we consecrated ourselves to Mary, I recognise that this love that I experience for you is not human. It is not mine. The Lord has shown me how little I am and has given me a love that surpasses me as a testimony that it is He who does it.

Martha: I thank the Lord for having made you a mediator of His grace. It is wonderful to be able to live His love amongst us.

Mother,

Thank you for taking our simplicity and making it beautiful for the Lord and thank you for giving us Him all in return. Thank you our blessed Mother.