The Gospel of Luke 9:57-62

The Cost of Following Jesus

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.
Jesus replied, Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.

He said to another man, “Follow me.” 
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

The Word of the Lord. Continue reading →

From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 9:51-56

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

Word of the Lord

Wow!

Santiago and Juan must have been quite impulsive. That’s probably why Jesus called them the “sons of thunder.” The truth is, there are few times when Jesus “rebukes” his disciples, but this is one of those occasions. Wishing harm upon someone, no matter how great the wrong they’ve done, deserves a serious reprimand from God. The Lord does not desire anyone’s destruction, not even His enemies. He desires restoration and conversion. That should be the wish of all God’s children.

Applied to married life:

Marta: I’ve told you a thousand times to be more careful with the chairs. If they hit the wall, they chip the paint. 
Alberto: Oh, come on! You’re always correcting me. Don’t do this, be careful with that… It’s exhausting! 
(A few minutes later, Marta accidentally drops a jar of tomato sauce, splattering the wall and everything around it.) 
Alberto: (Thinks: Wow! I’m so glad! Now I can rub it in about the wall and show her she’s not so perfect…No! That would be revenge against myself. It would mean taking pleasure in her misfortune, and that’s not what God wants. Besides, I love her so much. Poor thing, she must be feeling awful, knowing how hard she is on herself when she makes a mistake. I’m going to encourage her and help her clean.) 
Alberto: Oh no, sweetheart, what bad luck. Don’t worry, we all make mistakes. Don’t feel bad—it’s just stuff, and you’re worth so much more. Let’s clean it up together, okay? But please don’t feel upset about this. It breaks my heart to see you down… 
Marta: Thank you, love. You’re such an example to me in this. I’ll ask the Lord to help me be as understanding with you next time and to care more about how you’re feeling than about the situation.

Mother,

The Lord came to save, not to condemn. Through faith, we know that among us is a Love that has made us one. May we always be aware of this. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 9:46-50

An argument arose among the disciples
about which of them was the greatest.
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child
and placed it by his side and said to them,
Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
For the one who is least among all of you
is the one who is the greatest.

Then John said in reply,
Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name
and we tried to prevent him
because he does not follow in our company.
Jesus said to him,
Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.

The Poorest Among Us

Whoever welcomes the little ones in the name of Jesus is the most important to God. These are the ones God needs, those willing to cast out demons in His name. Those who help others in the name of Jesus, freeing them from evil. Our family, too, must give itself to other families.

Today, there are many spouses who lack love. They are the poorest of the poor. They need someone who understands them, who guides them, who teaches them to love. They are lost, like sheep without a shepherd. Let us rescue them in the name of the Lord. He needs us; we are important to Him, for He has entrusted us with the mission to save them.

Applied to Married Life:

Alberto: There’s a couple going through a really tough time. Shall we call them and meet up this weekend?

Mercedes: But we have so much to do.

Alberto: The Lord needs us. They’re suffering, and we can organize ourselves to make time for everything—for the kids, for us, and for them. We need to show them there’s a better way. They’re seeing each other in the wrong light, letting their emotions control them. They’re missing out on something great and beautiful because of the hardness of their hearts.

Mercedes: But then you have to make it up to me, okay?

Alberto: Fiiine. I’ll make us a delicious dinner on Saturday, just for the family.

Mercedes:Deal! Thanks for pulling me along. I’m proud of you.

Mother,

The Lord has chosen to need us. It is an honor to work for Him. It is a joy to see the suffering healed. The work He allows us to be a part of is priceless. Glory to God!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

At that time, John said to Jesus,

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

The word of the Lord.

Thank you!

How important it is not to be a scandal for the little ones. The issue spouses have is that we represent the image of God for our children. And because we are Christians, we are also surrounded by many who want to see us fall in order to air the scandal of Catholics and discredit the family of God. We are in the spotlight, and it is very important to act in the name of Christ, therefore we will only succeed if we belong to Christ. He has won us with His Blood.

Allow us today to give thanks, especially to all those who have given us a glass of water, have supported us with their presence or with their work, have invited us, or/and have welcomed us into their home, on those trips in which we have gone to announce the Gospel of Truth and the beauty of marriage, any of the couples sent on the mission of “Marital Love Project”.

Congratulations! To those who have taken care of us, because you will not go unrewarded. In the name of the Lord, thank you!

Applied to married life:

Juanjo: Children. Shut up once and for all! I’m fed up with you.

Marisa: (She comes closer and whispers in his ear) Juanjo, please don’t talk to the children like that. This isn’t good for them. They’re not doing anything wrong, they’re playing…

Juanjo: (Again in a loud voice while the children listen to him) You? Are you going to give me lessons on how to educate my children? You’re the one who educates them badly, you’re buying them unnecessary treats. You’re turning them into spoiled people.

Marisa: (She notices how a huge fire heats up inside her, and it seems like she is going to explode against her husband. But then she remembers that Christ is between the two of them, and whatever she says to him necessarily pierces the Heart of Christ. Thanks to being of Christ, she begins to look at her husband with mercy, and she manages to see that he is nervous. Something is wrong with him, he is blinded. He does not know what he is doing. So first she is silent and then… she loves him) Honey, come on, you are a great father, and a wonderful husband. I know that something has happened that has made you a little nervous today. Don’t worry. We’ll talk about it later. Kids! Please, Dad has a lot of responsibilities and needs a little silence, okay? Who loves Dad?

Kids: Me, me, and me… they all answer raising their little hands.

Marisa: Very well, so today, since we love him, as a gift to him, we are going to give him some space and be quiet, okay?

(Putting the children to bed)

Juanjo: Guys, I’m sorry I yelled at you like that. I was worried about something that happened to me, but you’re much more important, and I love you so much. Will you forgive Dad?

Children: Yessss. Good night, Daddy. I love you…

(At the end of the day, during the marital prayer)

Juanjo: Marisa, I would like to ask for your forgiveness, my behaviour has not been the best. Thank you very much for your help and support. You have taken me out from the darkness I was in. Lord, I thank you very much for my wife. She helps me a lot to get closer to you.

Mother,

Mother of Spouses, pray for us. Queen of the “Marital Love Project”, pray for us. Amen.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 9:43B-45

While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

The word of the Lord

Admiration and humiliation.

Jesus’ reaction to the admiration from everyone is to tell his followers: “Get this into your heads: the Son of Man is going to be handed over by men.” This refers to the apparently “lowest” moment of his life on earth when he was going to be treated like a criminal. He does not want to lose sight of that moment.

While we as spouses try to immediately put aside our misery and smallness and put ourselves above each other, Jesus repeats to himself over and over again that his destiny is to be humiliated and killed.

This is the path that the Husband teaches me: Avoid admiration and let yourself be humiliated. Because whoever humbles himself will be exalted by the Father.

Applied to married life:

Rachel: You have to see how hard you try to look good to others, huh? That’s right. They have idealised you.

Paco: Raquel, you’re hurting me.

Rachel: Well, you put up with it. This is the third time you’ve left your cell phone at home. And now, when we’re separated, how can I find you? You make a lot of effort for the others, but for me, you don’t make any effort at all.

Paco: Sorry, Rachel, I didn’t do it on purpose. You know get distracted very easily. Next time I’ll try to pay more attention. You matter more to me than anyone else. (Paco prays quietly: Lord, I offer you this bad time for the love I have for my wife, so that You can help her get closer to You).

Rachel Well, it doesn’t look like. I’m very disappointed. I don’t know how I’ve put up with you for so many years.

Paco: (Paco gets quiet and offers the intention for his love to Rachel: Wife, you’re not taking my life from me, I’m giving it for you).

Mother, 

Jesus, the Master, teaches us to avoid praise and admiration from others, and to be humble. How difficult it is for us to understand this, but if He teaches us this way, we will do it. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.