Gospel

“These you should have done, without neglecting the others”

From the Gospel according to Matthew 23:23-26

Jesus said:“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,and have neglected the weightier things of the law:judgment and mercy and fidelity.But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,so that the outside also may be clean.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Inner Cleanse

How many times do we strain out the gnat with our spouse because they’ve made a mistake, only to end up swallowing a judgment towards them that’s as big as a camel? I think it’s time to clean the inside of my own heart before trying to clean the outside of  my spouse’s heart.

Applied to Married Life:

Carlos: Forgive me, wife, for all my judgments, for looking at you negatively so many times. 
Teresa: Forgive me too, husband, for not bringing out the best in you, but instead provoking you and bringing out the worst. 
Carlos: I forgive you. 
Teresa: I forgive you. Do you notice how, after this forgiveness, there’s a sense of relief and inner cleansing? 
Carlos: Completely. It brings so much healing to our Hearts just by doing something as simple as acknowledging our wrongdoings and asking for forgiveness.

Mother,

May we love each other as You love us. Praise be to the Lord.

Gospel.

“Woe to you, blind guides!”
From the Gospel according to Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.You do not enter yourselves,nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.You traverse sea and land to make one convert,and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,or the temple that made the gold sacred?And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,or the altar that makes the gift sacred?One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;one who swears by the temple swears by itand by him who dwells in it;one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of Godand by him who is seated on it.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Worthy or Unworthy of Commitment

A blind soul is one that cannot see God’s works. It sees what the world sees; that is, it interprets what it sees in the way the world would interpret it. For example, a spouse facing difficulties in their marriage may think of their partner as “bad,” unworthy of living with them. From God’s perspective, I first need to see my own responsibility in the difficulties I experience in my marriage. Am I giving of myself, or am I waiting for the other person to give themselves? Do I demand that my spouse to do what I would do, or do I accept their differences? Do I constantly criticize and exasperate them? Do I accept and forgive their sins as God does with mine?… And so on.

Finally, we must look at marriage from the perspective of the cross, as that gift through which I have the opportunity to give myself for the salvation of my spouse.

Applied to Married Life:

Ana: I think our friends aren’t giving us the best advice. Patri encourages me to leave you because she finds what you’re doing to me unacceptable and believes that if I stay with you, I’ll have a break down. And Lucas invites you out for beers and acts like a buddy, but I don’t see that he’s helping you fight for our love.

Jhon: Lucas? He’s divorced! He’s just waiting for me to get divorced too so we can go out and about.

Ana: Exactly. Listen, marriage is something of God, and I think we need to find someone of God to help us. Above all, someone who prays. Someone who is close to the Lord will know how to guide us in the things of the Lord. Don’t you think?

Jhon: I agree. I want to keep fighting for our marriage. I still love you, even though I don’t know how to love you as you deserve. As for me,  let’s move forward.

Mother,

May we always pray fervently to have the light necessary to guide others, not according to our own criteria, but according to God’s justice and mercy. Thank you, Mother, for showing us the way. Blessed are you, Mother.

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 6:60-69

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God. 

The World of the Lord

So I don’t back down.

The love Jesus shows me is demanding, and marriage is about following Jesus, our Bridegroom. For that reason, I need to be ready to risk everything. But if I see our union as just something about ourselves, and not as a promise of eternal life from God in Christ, I might be tempted to give up.

As Saint John Paul II said, Christ reveals the man to the man himself. When we see Christ’s Passion as the model for our marital commitment, it can seem unreachable and, honestly, not very appealing. Today, Jesus asks me, “Does this make you waver?” His sacrifice for the salvation of the world will be wasted on those who reject it, those who reject the gift.

But I trust Him, and I know, I’m sure, that if He’s sending me, it’s because it’s possible.

Applied to Married Life:

Paul: We’re both really proud. It feels like we’re never going to be humble enough to build a marriage the way God wants.

Marriage Mentor: So, what makes you different from any other couple living together?

Paul: Well, what changed our lives since our conversation is that through faith, we know it’s possible to live as a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church before we die, since the marriage bond lasts “until death do us part.” So, He’s going to make our union possible in this life, before we reach the next. Our flesh-and-bone ideas won’t work; it’s “the Spirit that gives life.”

Marriage Mentor: That’s right! That’s faith!

Lord,

We believe. Lord, You have the words of eternal life—words that, when we contemplate them together in our marriage, we truly live and experience them in our lives. How can we repay the Lord for all the good He’s done for us? We will lift the cup of salvation and call on His name.

Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 1:45-51

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The World of the Lord

Consistent.

There are positive values that are popular in our time, and one of them is consistency. Life can’t just be a series of days and events without direction or meaning. Every person needs to have a goal, a path, and a reason (a “why”). What are mine? The goal should be good, beautiful, true, and just. The path should be effective and progressive. And the “why” should be motivating.

My goal: God. My path: my vocation to marriage. And my “why”: I was created out of love, to love (it’s the greatest and most beautiful thing I can do).

With that in mind, consistency means always aiming for the goal, staying on the path, and strengthening my motivation (the “why”) every day. Get rid of anything that demotivates me, and keep discovering more and more each day the beauty and greatness of my mission. This is the way, this is my way.

Applied to married life:

Chris: Son, have you figured out what your vocation is yet?

Ray: Yes, Mom. I want to be a husband.

Chris: Why?

Ray: Because I feel like God is calling me to it. I’ve seen your marriage up close, and I feel like I was made for this. I know it’s a tough road, one meant for saints, but I see you both together. After many arguments, I still see your connection. After all the struggles to fit together, I see you becoming more united each day through sacrifice and discovering the beauty of your calling. I see how you’re both walking closer to God together, and I want to experience that. You’ve brought life to those around you—life to us, life to the marriages and families that surround you—and there’s no greater miracle… I feel in my heart that I was made for something great, and what I see in you both seems like the greatest thing I can do with my life.

Chris: I’m so happy, son, that we’ve had the grace to show you what Love is. Well, you know what to do. Prepare yourself and your girlfriend to face a path that demands everything from you, but that’s why it’s so great and beautiful.

Mother,

Saying “I love you” to God is easy; saying it through our imperfect spouse, that’s not so easy. That’s why marriage is a path to holiness, a path only worthy of God’s children. Let’s not waste this beautiful calling. Thank you, Mother, for calling us to discover God’s Love Project for our marriage.

You shall love the Lord, your God and your neighbour as yourself. 

From the Gospel according to Matthew Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

The World of the Lord

He pushes me to love you.

We were created in God’s image, and everything about us is explained through Him. Even the commandments reflect this similarity: “The second is like the first.” In fact, it’s impossible to love God and not love your neighbor, and vice versa. And our closest neighbor is obviously our spouse. Anyone who says they love God but doesn’t love their spouse is lying. Loving God with all your heart, soul, and being is like loving your spouse as yourself. These are the two main commandments. I mustn’t forget them…

Applied for married life

Fred: I don’t get why you love God more than me.

Hannah: Because by loving God more, I can love you more.

Fred: I still don’t get it.

Hannah: God is freeing me from my attachments, my sins, making me freer to give more of myself to you. Remember when I was addicted to TV series? You used to complain that I wasn’t with you on Saturday afternoons. Well, God has shown me that it’s more important for us to spend Saturdays together. What do you think?

Fred: That makes sense.

Hannah: Exactly. He’s helping me let go of my selfishness, and He’s directing my desires toward our union… In fact, He’s pushing me to love you more.

Fred: Well… I’m starting to like the fact that you love God. I might need you to teach me how to love Him, too.

Hannah: Fred, you’re so good! I really love you!!!

Lord,

By welcoming my husband and my family, may I welcome You. By giving myself to them, may I give myself to You. By loving them, may I love You. Mother of spouses, pray for us. Amen.