The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
  When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

Applied to Married Life:

Myriam: Today in prayer, I found a way to get much closer to the Lord very quickly.
Jamie: Oh! That’s great! You’re going to be like Thérèse of Lisieux.
Myriam: Oh, you silly, don’t tease me.
Jamie: No, I’m serious.
Myriam: Sure, sure… Since it’s the humiliations that bring us closer to Him, I thought of recalling all those I’ve received and offering them up, thanking Him for allowing me to endure them for His greater glory.
Jamie: That sounds good. I’m sure I’m responsible for quite a few of those…
Myriam: Yes, but you benefit because once I offer them to the Lord, I can’t recall or mention them again, because they are His now, and no longer mine.
Jamie: Great! A clean slate… Freed from all my dark past, how cool!
Myriam: You’re in a cheeky mood today, aren’t you?
Jamie: Instead of a spiritual path, you’re on a spiritual avalanche.
Myriam: Haha. It seems there’s no way you’re taking me seriously today.
Jamie: Haha. No, seriously now, I think your “spiritual avalanche” is amazing. Can I join you and we offer it together? Today’s special: 2 for 1.

Mother,

You are a testament to someone who became a Servant and is now beside the Lord. Lead us close to you, Mother, through the path of humility. Amen.

Applied to Married Life:

Maddie: It is Him, I feel His presence among us. It’s so powerful!
David: And to think that others look for their marriage counsellor in books. It’s because they haven’t discovered that the true marriage counsellor is Christ.
Maddie: No one else can teach us to be spouses like He is the Spouse. Through the path of humility, gentleness, mercy, the common priesthood…
David: Every time we listen to His Word and act like Him, our marriage grows because His Love grows in us, and every time we don’t listen, we falter.
Maddie: Glory to the Lord who is within us.
David: Glory to Him.

Mother,

How much we love Your Son. Today we were overwhelmed contemplating Him teaching from the boat. What a precious Son you have!

The Gospel of the Lord

The Second Conversion

In the spiritual journey, just as in the process of marital communion, there is a first conversion, and then a second is necessary.
In the first conversion, we discover God, His plan, His Providence, His logic… We are in awe and begin to follow Him, and He starts to bring order to our lives. However, a moment arrives when we reach a certain harmony and seem to stagnate. This is the time of testing. God tests us by allowing temptations and apparent setbacks. It is the moment to recognise all this as part of God’s plan and to remain steadfast in Him, committed to His plan, until He decides to lead us out of it and take us onwards. It is then that we truly begin to soar.

Applied to Married Life:

George: This morning, I missed another opportunity that the Lord provided for me to advance towards Him and towards communion with you.

Lucy: This morning, I was demanding and snappy with you, I apologise.

George: I forgive you, but the issue is that God places these situations before me to help me grow in humility, to make me gentler, and to prepare me to be guided by Him. Yet, I still struggle to let myself be pruned. Please forgive me too, my dear, for my response was terrible.

Lucy: I forgive you. This phase is not easy, but even when we don’t understand anything, we must not blame each other. It is God who wants to make us His own.

Mother,

How many opportunities for pruning do we miss by trying to impose our own justice instead of allowing God’s justice to prevail. How patient He is with us! Praise be to Him forever.

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
  Meanwhile Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord

The Magdalena Plan

Today we celebrate the feast of Mary Magdalene, a testament to transformation through God’s forgiveness and love. After Jesus exorcised seven demons from her, Mary became a brave and faithful follower, even accompanying Him to Calvary during His Passion and Death. Her loyalty earned her the reward of being the first to witness the resurrected Jesus and to announce it to others. She was the first witness of the resurrection in the history of the universe. What a reward for her faithfulness!

Applied to Married Life:

David: Yes, I find her testimony very powerful and hopeful. How do you think we could respond like Mary Magdalene in our marriage?

Laura: The first thing she did was to bravely present her troubled past to Jesus and, once forgiven, leave it behind. I believe it’s unhealthy to try to hide and excuse our mistakes. We should face them with courage, acknowledge them, forgive ourselves, and let them go, just as she did. Cleansing our past could lead to the transformation of our marriage.

David: What you’re suggesting sounds like a sort of purification of our marital memories, doesn’t it? That is, ensuring there’s no lingering resistance to God’s forgiveness and mutual forgiveness in our recollections.

Laura: Exactly. As a second step, I suggest we commit to being very faithful to our mutual dedication for each other’s salvation. This means that whenever one of us falls into temptation, the other should be brave and remain steadfast in the face of the challenges that come our way.

David: I understand. And the reward will be being the first witness to your resurrection and you to mine. It sounds like an amazing plan. We’ll call it the Magdalena Plan. What do you think?

Laura: It sounds more like a breakfast plan than anything else. Hahaha, but okay…

David: I think you’ve just ruined my plan. Hahaha…

Mother,

We wish to live out the transformation and courage of Mary Magdalene. You loved her dearly and supported her in her faithfulness. Guide us by the hand as well. Praise be to the Lord who rewards us with His Resurrection.