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The Moment of Truth. Reflection for marriages: John 6:60-69

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GOSPEL

Who shall we go to? You are the Holy One of God
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:60-69
After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?
‘It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life.
‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
The Gospel of the Lord

The Moment of Truth.

When the moment of truth arrives, our faith demands tough decisions, because the Lord asks everything from us in order to give Himself completely.
We might experience moments when our faith falters, when the moment of truth comes and we are asked to dedicate all our free time, or a fixed portion of “our” money, or to attend daily Eucharist, or spend an hour in prayer each day… Or to live our sexuality with the dignity it deserves… Then, we might start to think that this is madness.
But Lord, if we do not give up our possessions and our criteria to follow you, where else shall we go?

Applied to Married Life:

Martha: Forgive me, John, I was deeply hurt by your disregard for me, to the extent that I deemed you unworthy of me. I needed time away from you.
John: I’m sorry, Martha. It seems you misread my actions and take offence at things I do not intentionally do or say to demean you, and I can’t fathom why you’re offended. It gets to the point where it feels like anything I do or say could be turned against me.
Martha: What’s lacking is sensitivity, and you enter my heart like a bull in a china shop. But never mind. I’m prepared to stop being self-centred and to love you as you are, as the Lord asks of me.
John: Thank you. I had already concluded that your desire to distance me was the Lord’s way of refining my self-love, and I had already accepted this. Regardless, I intend to continue loving you as God wishes.

Mother,

May we be willing to give everything for the love of God. To deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Him. Praised be my Lord.

Blessing Not Abolished. Reflection for marriages John 6:52-59

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GOSPEL

My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:52-59

The Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father,
so whoever eats me will draw life from me.
This is the bread come down from heaven;
not like the bread our ancestors ate:
they are dead,
but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.’
He taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue.

The Gospel of the Lord
Blessing Not Abolished.
God astonishes us by bestowing supernatural life upon us, offering His flesh, that flesh He receives from the Most Holy Virgin Mary. It seems a contradiction that He would give us the greatest supernatural good through something as human as flesh, in such a marital, conjugal way, through the gift of the flesh.

This is God, who takes on what is ours, elevates it, and makes it His own. Therefore, the gift of marriage is the only blessing that was not abolished either by the punishment of original sin or by the punishment of the flood. Because from this becoming one flesh would come our salvation.

What further mysteries might Marriage hold that we are still unable to discern?
Applied to Married Life:
Charles: Amelia, I want to live my dedication to you as God intends me to live it: as an offering to God. This is how the Lord lives it when He gives us His flesh, as a priest who offers his own sacrifice.
Amelia: And how can that be done? Because obviously, the way Christ surrendered on the cross and our conjugal surrender are not the same.
Charles: This is something supernatural, so it is not within my power. To begin with, by nourishing myself with the Eucharist, which is the Bread of Life allowing Christ to be in me and I in Him, then by praying before I surrender to ask the Spirit to be the one who works through me, and finally, by not seeking anything for myself in that act, just surrendering.
Amelia: The Lord transforms us into Him in each Eucharist, so I do not rule out that it might be possible. Let’s trust in Him.
Charles: Let’s trust in Him and distrust ourselves.
Mother,
Your Son sanctifies us with the flesh you bestowed upon Him. Grant us also the grace to purify ourselves with our own. Praised be the only Priest.

Hunger and bread. Reflection for marriages John 6:44-51

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GOSPEL

I am the living bread which has come down from heaven
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:44-51
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘No one can come to me
unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me,
and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They will all be taught by God,
and to hear the teaching of the Father,
and learn from it,
is to come to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father,
except the one who comes from God:
he has seen the Father.
I tell you most solemnly,
everybody who believes has eternal life.
‘I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate the manna in the desert
and they are dead;
but this is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
The Gospel of the Lord
Hunger and bread.

The Father has sown within me desires that illuminate the path He has laid out for me, and the foremost of these desires is Christ. Indeed, I yearn for Life, thirst for Truth, long to discover the Way, and crave Communion.
After awakening this hunger in me, the Father provides the Bread that quenches it by bestowing upon me Christ Himself. In Him, and only in Him, do we together achieve completeness—He as the Head and we as the Body.

Applied to Married Life:
Heather: At the start of my conversion, I believed I could attain communion solely with God, excluding you.
Archie: Many Christian marriages are at that juncture. What led you to realise that it wasn’t possible?
Heather: The Father had also instilled in me a longing for communion with you, and I realised that when I was graced by God and united with you, my heart found peace in you and grew nearer to the Lord.
Archie: God has embedded hints within our hearts, and these hints are those very desires. Thank you, Father, for these calls that guide us towards the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Mother,

You are also among our desires. Who doesn’t need a Mother? Who doesn’t require you as a Mother? Praise be to the Father.

The solution. Reflection for marriages John: 6:35-40

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GOSPEL

It is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son should have eternal life
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:35-40
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.
But, as I have told you,
you can see me and still you do not believe.
All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away;
because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will,
but to do the will of the one who sent me.
Now the will of him who sent me
is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me,
and that I should raise it up on the last day.
Yes, it is my Father’s will
that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life,
and that I shall raise him up on the last day.’
The Gospel of the Lord

The Solution.

God’s will is clear, that anyone who believes in Christ should be saved by Him, because He is not external to us, but is the Bread of Life. He is life for me, for my husband, and for my family. He is my sustenance. Long live Christ the Redeemer!

Applied to Married Life:
Susan: We have numerous unresolved matters… so much to amend, so many disagreements… It’s quite dispiriting.
Noah: Well, I’ve found the solution and His name is Christ. Let’s continue to look towards Him, bow before Him, and have faith. He is Life, Susan.
Susan: Indeed. He is life.
Mother,
Thank you for bringing us to the Lord. We can never thank you enough. Thank you, blessed Mother.

Satisfy my needs. Reflection for marriages John 6:30-35

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GOSPEL

It is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:30-35

The people said to Jesus, ‘What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’
Jesus answered:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven,
it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven,
the true bread;
for the bread of God
is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.’
‘Sir,’ they said ‘give us that bread always.’ Jesus answered:
‘I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Satisfy my needs.

Yes, I am hungry, a hunger within that is only satisfied by you, Lord. It is the hunger for true love in my marriage; the hunger to break free from routine to live each day with a renewed marriage; it is the hunger for you to deliver me from the evil that imprisons me, self-destructs me, and hurts my husband. Give me your Bread of Life in the Eucharist, satisfy those spiritual needs that unsettle me. Through Your Marriage with the Church, you saved us. Through ours, you make us holy. Praise be to the Lord.

Applied to Married Life:

Olga: I don’t know what your religion brings to you. To me, it’s brainwashing. They’ve got you all brainwashed. You need to be more modern.
Mario: Do you really want to know? I can tell you about my experience, but you have to be sincerely open.
Olga: Sorry, I am open. I have no prejudices.
Mario: Great. I’ll tell you what has happened in my marriage since we embarked on our faith journey together. These are real experiences because you’ve spent a lot of time with us and you know there’s been a change.
Olga: That’s true.
Elena: Well, the Lord is teaching us to love, and in our intimacy with Him, He is mysteriously transforming our love. And I have to tell you like this because that’s how it’s been. I no longer see my marriage as a prison, but as a liberation from my whims, my selfishness, my false securities; I don’t see it as a trap I fell into by mistake, but as a test that makes me strong, that gives meaning to my life; it’s not a burden for me, but a grace that allows our love to spread to our children and beyond; I also don’t see it as the effort of two, but as a vessel being filled with God’s Love, through which He acts and performs His divine works. I don’t know, I wish I could express it better, but that’s the most I can say.
Olga: (Moved)
Elena: Hey! Olga, what’s wrong, dear?
Olga: I want to live what you both are living.
Mario: Don’t worry… You’re thirsty for Love, it’s normal, and it’s within your reach. You can live it. Come with your husband, and my wife and I will help you. By God’s Grace, we’ve become Marriage Mentors, serving other marriages.

 

Mother,

The Eucharist, what a great nourishment! Our sacrament united with that of Redemption, what Divine Grace! What nourishment these sacraments from the side of Christ are. Praise be to the Lord for His Abundant Mercy. Amen.