Gospel
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

The word of the Lord.

Choose a husband over a mobile device.

Evil diminishes human dignity, but the Lord offers liberation, requiring us to let go of worldly attachments such as pleasures, luxuries, and prideful successes. Some struggle to part with their “treasures,” resisting the Lord’s call. Those who respond positively may be directed to exclusive devotion to Him or to prioritize family and marital responsibilities before spreading the Gospel. Such obedience ensures God’s protection against the grip of evil.

Applied to married life:
Sofía expresses frustration to Ángel about her inability to manage the time she spends on mobile chats. Despite her desire to change, she feels helpless in the situation. Ángel acknowledges Sofía’s ambitious nature, noting her significant improvement in prioritizing the Lord and their relationship. Sofía appreciates Ángel’s comforting presence during moments of despair.

Later, Ángel discovers Sofía with her wrists tied to the bed, explaining it’s a deliberate choice to resist reaching for her phone, aiming for greater fidelity to the Lord. Ángel playfully suggests tying herself to him for more frequent hugs, to which Sofía jokingly accuses him of being a bit self-interested but agrees to the amusing exchange of the phone for a husband.

In a prayer, the writer emphasizes the crucial role of the Lord in keeping negativity away and hopes for His continuous presence in their marriage. Praise be to the Lord.

Gospel

he taught them as one having authority.
Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 1:21b-28.

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee

The word of the Lord.

Give me patience.

We are not called to fight against external enemies, but against those within, because the evil that sometimes torments me is in my heart. The Lord has the authority to silence it and to drive it out from within me.

But what are God’s times? God’s time is not measured in hours, but in the heartbeats of the loving Heart of Jesus. His time is the time of His love. Perhaps I have to wait longer than I would like, but it is out of love. He knows when.

Applied to married life:

Fátima: Rafa, sometimes I get a little impatient with you, you know? Because you are so…, let’s call it “calm”, that I have to always wait for you…

Rafa: I’m sorry, Fátima, I was listening to the news and I didn’t hear you. What were you saying? I still haven’t managed to do two things at once. You know?

Fátima: It’s okay, never mind. It wasn’t important.

(Later, while preparing dinner)

Fátima: Rafa, what are you doing standing in front of the microwave?

Rafa: Nothing, I put yesterday’s stew to heat up.

Fátima: And are you going to stand there staring at the microwave for the remaining 20 minutes?

Rafa: Well, because it spins…, it distracts me…

Fátima: You know what I thought? I’ll put a kneeling stool in front of the microwave and a Sacred Heart on top. That way at least, you can take the opportunity to pray for a while.

Rafa: Haha. Okay. And I will put a little Virgin Mary shrine over each switch so you don’t leave the lights on.

Fátima: Haha, in the end, you’re going to make me laugh. Lord, give me patience, because if you give me strength…!

Rafa: Haha

(That day, in prayer, Fátima discovered that the Lord had placed Rafa precisely to help her become more patient)

Mother,

We experience the authority of the Lord in our lives. Praised be forever

GOSPEL

“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Word of the Lord.

What I can do and what He can do.

When we are sent on a mission from the Lord, most of us do not feel worthy or capable. But then, I take the risk of seizing the action that God has done through me.
That’s why the Lord, from time to time, pretends to be asleep, even to the point where everything seems to be falling apart, to put us in the truth that all good comes from Him, and we cannot seize His work. So I become aware of what I can do and what He can do. This is humility.

Applied to Married Life:

Rocio: (Chatting while having dinner) Oh Paco. I’m feeling anxious… I start thinking and I keep remembering everything we have to do. I struggle to sleep at night.
Paco: Don’t worry Rocío. God cannot ask us for something He does not give us the grace to fulfill.
Rocío: Yes, like St. Augustine said: Lord, give me what you ask of me and ask me for what you want. But Paco, what are you doing sticking your nose in the glass of water? You’re making a mess of everything!
Paco: I was trying to show you that it’s impossible to drown in a glass of water. Haha. So, there’s no need to even attempt it.
Rocío: Well then show me how you’re going to mop up all the water you spilled, come on, champ. Haha. But well… Thanks because your silliness will help me not to forget it. Our problems are very small compared to God’s power.
Paco: That’s my Rocío! The greatest.

Mother,

The King of the universe and you, the Queen, walk with us. That’s all we need. Thank you, Lord, thank you, Mother.

Gospel

A man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 4, 26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

The Word of the Lord.

Against a wall.

The kingdom of God is being established in me to the extent that I allow the grace of God to act in my soul. The “sleeping” in the Gospel is not so much about doing nothing as it is about allowing oneself to be acted upon. When I do not allow myself to be acted upon, I find myself up against a wall that I keep hitting until, with humility, I accept my hardness of heart and then overcome it with the strength of grace. Today we invoke the Full of Grace.

Applied to Married Life:

María José: Juan, sometimes I feel like I’m getting stuck on my spiritual path. I think it’s because I don’t submit to you. I rebel against that idea. Whereas you, you submit very often.
Juan: Well, I have other walls that I also struggle to overcome, María José, but it’s true that without mutual submission we cannot build a beautiful confluence between us.
María José: It’s just beyond my strength.
Juan: Of course, because it is the grace of God who does it. Ask for it and you will see how it helps you.
María José: Hey, what about that pimple that has come up on your back?
Juan: That is because the kingdom of God is already within me. Three weeks ago, I pulled a muscle and I was stiff. That was the stem. The following week, I grew a tuft of hair back there. That was the ear. And finally, the grain has come out!
María José: Haha, you’re such a joker, Nene.
Juan: So that you laugh better, Nena.

Mother,

In reality, everything revolves around being obedient to the action of grace, but that too is grace. Give us that grace, blessed Mother.

GOSPEL

Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 16:15-18

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Lord’s word.

They will not harm you.

Silvia: What a blessing we have with Conjugate Love Project, Nacho. God has given us the opportunity to have a place to talk about Him. And married couples come to listen! It’s incredible.
Nacho: Of course. And how much this helps our marriage to go together in pairs to proclaim the Gospel. Because you believe in the Gospel, don’t you, Silvia?
Silvia: Of course! Down to the last comma. And that big box you brought, what is it?
Nacho: Open it and you’ll see.
Silvia: Aaaaaagh! A snake! What a horror! How scary. It’s okay that with your new business you fill the house with strange creatures, but a snake!
Nacho: Hahaha
Silvia: It’s not funny. And what if it bites us?
Nacho: Don’t worry. It doesn’t do anything. Besides, didn’t you believe in the Gospel? Well, today the Lord says, “they will pick up snakes with their hands and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them.” Hahaha

Mother,

How much the Lord protects us from evil. How much we perceive His grace. Praise be to God.