From the Gospel according to Luke 5:27-32

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

The Gospel of the Lord

The Wicked

Looking at it this way, one might say, How wicked the scribes and Pharisees are! But when we apply it to our own lives, it turns out that I reject the one who has offended my family, the one who has looked down on me so many times, or even my spouse when he or she treat me with indifference—suddenly, they are the bad ones, and I am the good one who doesn’t deserve any of it.
However this is not the case. The Lord is not like that. He draws near to them to love them and give them another chance.

Applied to Married Life:

David: What you did today completely caught me off guard. After I spent the whole time paying attention to everyone except you, after ignoring you throughout the entire celebration, you still came to me with a smile and gave me a kiss—without even giving me time to ask for forgiveness.
Carmel: Well, I love you. Why would I hide it?
David: Yeah, but you must be holding something against me.
Carmel: Not at all. It’s true that you didn’t handle it well, but wouldn’t it be better to help you do things right now rather than make it harder for you? That’s what the Lord is asking of me, for you.

Mother,

Thank God the Lord has chosen to love sinners. If not, what would become of me? I commit to doing the same. Praise be to God.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 9:14-15

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Without Him

In this Gospel, Jesus, You identify Yourself as the Bridegroom. That is the kind of relationship You have chosen with the Church, and therefore with me—and, by extension, with my spouse as well.
Your surrender is not half-hearted; You want it to be total. You want to unite Your destiny with ours. That is why, as we prepare to live Your Passion, we fast. We are getting ready to deeply miss You, Lord, in these days that take on a solemn shade of purple.

Applied to Married Life:

John: Many times, I ask myself, What would be of me without you? Many times, I savor each kiss as if it were the last. I know that sounds a little gloomy…
Megan: Well, yeah, a little bit.
John: I know, but it helps me appreciate every moment with you. It’s like Lent.
Megan: Yes, we become aware of the Lord’s death, and that helps us live the joy of the Resurrection at Easter in a new way.
John: Exactly. This Lent, I want to practice that with you every day. That way, I’ll become more aware of what it would mean for me to be without the Lord—just as I do with you.

Mother,

Help us prepare well this Lent. Thank you, Blessed Mother.

From the Gospel according to Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”

The Gospel of Lord

The Great Difference

In the different degrees of love, there comes a moment when the lover loves what their beloved loves. Today, Christ, my Beloved, tells me that He will suffer greatly, be rejected by the most “respectable” people, and be crucified for my spouse. Then He asks me if I love my spouse enough to do what He does. His resurrection will come afterward—the triumph of God’s glory—but am I willing to follow in His footsteps first?

Applied to Married Life:

Will: Lorraine, I’m experiencing the great difference between simply living with you and being willing to give my life for you. It’s a massive difference, only smilar to following Christ to the cross.
Lorrain: That certainly seems like a huge step, Will. But that also means a lot of suffering because of me, doesn’t it? Who will sustain you?
Will: The Lord. To live this degree of love, one must go through the different stages of prayer with Christ until reaching the “prayer of stillness”, where you allow Him to work in you. The Lord strips you of everything until you are ready to give yourself in silence, even in rejection and difficulties, without complaint. This is a work only He can do.
Lorrain: So, no matter how much we try, this is not something within our power. It’s about progressing in intimacy with Him.
Will: Exactly. There’s no other way.

Mother,

We must love Jesus greatly to be willing to be despised and to give ourselves with Him. We love Him dearly, but give us more of His love. May He be praised forever.

From the Gospel according to Mark. Mark 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus, ‘We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Well Paid

When we talk about labor contracts, no one ever feels they receive more than they give. However, in missions for the Lord, which are not financially compensated, we all agree that we receive far more than we give. That is a mark of the Holy Spirit—when He moves through us, He always leaves His imprint.
Today, we can say that we are witnesses to the truth of this Gospel.

Applied to Married Life:

Rachel: George, do you know how to tell if you were truly the one behind an act of service to others?

George: Because before doing it, I entrusted myself to the Holy Spirit?

Rachel: Well, yes, but also because afterward, you experience being blessed with a gift from God just for having given yourself.

George: That’s true. I’ve felt that before. And another sign is that I don’t feel tired while I’m serving others. Instead, I finish with a desire to do it again. Doesn’t that happen to you, Rachel?

Rachel: Yes, yes, it does! The only problem is that if I leave it too, that desire fades.

George: That’s true! So, it’s best to give ourselves often, so we don’t lose that drive.

Mother,

The Lord rewards even our smallest acts of service most generously. Blessed be the Lord.