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We belong to the Father. Reflection for marriages John 17:1-11a

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From the Gospel according to John17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,“Father, the hour has come.Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,just as you gave him authority over all people,so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.Now this is eternal life,that they should know you, the only true God,and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.I glorified you on earthby accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.Now glorify me, Father, with you,with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,and they have kept your word.Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,because the words you gave to me I have given to them,and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,and they have believed that you sent me.I pray for them.I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,because they are yours, and everything of mine is yoursand everything of yours is mine,and I have been glorified in them.And now I will no longer be in the world,but they are in the world, while I am coming to you”
The Gospel of the Lord

We Belong to the Father
Lord, You tell us that we were the Father’s first—that we belong to Him—and that He gave us to You. You say we’ve kept Your Word, and then You pray to the Father for us, those of us who are still in the world, reminding Him again that we are His.
We are Yours, Lord. We belong to the Father. We are His children, Your friends, and Your brothers. And both You and the Father pray for us. So, what should we be afraid of? Nothing—except failing to live according to Your Word. Everything else, we leave in Your hands. Thank You, Lord. We trust in You completely!

Applied to Married Life:
Steve: I’m feeling really down, love. I’m scared. Nothing seems to be working out lately. It’s like everything I try just falls apart. I don’t know what to do anymore. Sometimes I ask myself—where is God in all of this? Why isn’t He answering my prayers?
Anne: My darling, God is with us. He loves us more than we can imagine, and He’s taking care of us—always. Even in this pain, there’s a chance to grow closer to Him, to trust Him more, to give ourselves more completely to Him. And the beautiful thing is that we’re in this together. Our marriage gives us a special grace—the love of Christ is alive in our relationship, in our acts of love. So the harder things get, the more we need to trust in Him and the closer we should draw to each other. That’s how His love will win.
Steve: You’re right. My pride makes me afraid of failure—it makes me want things to go my way. But I know God’s plan is different… and so much better. I want to love more in these moments, to be more united with you, and to let God work through our love. I need more prayer, more time with the sacraments—and I know He’ll do the rest. I love you deeply.

Mother Mary,
Help us to truly understand how much You and the Father love us. Then we’ll know that with You, there’s nothing to fear. Thank You, Mother.

We are not alone. Reflection for marriages John 16:29-33

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From the Gospel according to John
16:29-33

The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

We Are Not Alone

The Lord was leaving and preparing them for it, but He was not leaving His disciples alone. In addition to reminding them that only in God can true Peace be found, He promised to send them the Holy Spirit.

What does He ask of us? That we remain in Him. The Lord is WITH us, and if we are able to know Him better, we will find Him WITHIN us.

We know the world pulls us away and can lead us to ruin—some of us have experienced this. But also, by the Grace of God, we have discovered that by living united to Christ, being faithful, and fighting every day, we can remain in Him. We are not alone—the Lord is always with us. And best of all, the Lord has already won; may He find us fighting on the right side, by His side.

Applied to Married Life

Mary: I can’t take it anymore. Sometimes I feel that between work, the kids, family, the end of the school year… I have no strength left!
Ryan: Darling, count on me—you’re not alone!
Mary: Thank you, Javi. I forget that you’re by my side and try to do everything on my own, with my own strength… and that’s when I break down.
Ryan: What if from now on, we try to find peace for our souls every day?
Mary: Are you signing me up for a massage center.
Ryan’We’ll do something even better! Let’s go to Adoration together, to experience that He is always among us, and that only with Him can we handle everything.

Mother,

We ask you to teach us to live in You, so that we may live in the Lord.

Witnesses of the Resurrection. Reflection for marriages. Luke 24:46-53

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From the Gospel according to Luke. Lk24:46-53

Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.

The Gospel of the Lord

Witnesses of the Resurrection

Christ ended His earthly life by blessing us, ascending into Heaven, and promising us the coming of the Holy Spirit. That’s why, even though He was leaving, His disciples returned filled with great joy.
This is the kind of joy all married couples are called to live. Our lives and our marriages aren’t meant to be sad journeys. Even with challenges—even with the cross—Christ is always among us. Our “almost nothing” lies in making Him present through daily prayer, allowing Him to work in us. And in return, He gives us His “almost everything”: a deep joy that flows from the heart of the ones who recognize the call to eternal love and communion—with Him and with their spouse.

Applied to Married Life:

Louise: What an amazing change we’ve gone through, haven’t we? Do you remember how there used to be so much sadness in our home?
Joe: Of course I do. Now, whenever I see a couple in crisis, I don’t just feel sorry for their pain, I feel even more for what they’re missing out on, what we’ve started to experience now.
Louise: Well, well… Let’s not forget how long it took us to truly understand and start building our marriage for real.
Joe: Yeah, no doubt. But everything started to change when we began praying. Little by little, the Lord found His way into our lives and into our marriage.
Louise: No doubt. But we can’t let our guard down, right? We haven’t done our couple’s prayer yet today, so since we’re already kind of “lifted up,” let’s take the opportunity and start now.
Joe: You never miss a beat. I’m so lucky to have you. You’re the one who’s lifted up for real!

Mother,

Help us to keep our eyes on the heavenly gifts the Lord promises, and to become living witnesses of His presence in our sacrament. Thank you, Mother.

The Two Keys. Reflection for marriages. Luke 1:39-56

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From the Gospel according to Luke. Lk 1:39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord

 
The Two Keys

This Gospel reveals Mary’s Heart, a Heart that knows what it means to live through humiliation, and knows how much that pleases God. It’s a way to make reparation for the pride that fills the world. In the Magnificat, she highlights humility. God brings down the powerful and lifts up the humble. That’s how she sums up what God does. And also, how we should live. Humility and mercy. She says both twice. Humility and mercy. Let’s stick with those two keys.

Applied to Married Life:

Frank: Do you think one day we’ll become perfect and never make a mistake again? Then we could go straight to Heaven. I long for that so much!
Anna: I believe Heaven is beyond our reach by our own efforts. If you ever see yourself as perfect, that’s a bad sign. That’s the trap of pride. We try to appear better than we truly are. But the only path to Heaven is through our humility and God’s mercy. Humility is the foundation for reaching perfection, which is love. The more humble we are, the more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, and He is the one who makes saints.
Frank: That’s why it says: “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the humble.”

Mother,

How much you teach us through the Magnificat, which you once gave us as a task. We rejoice on this day as we remember your visit to Elizabeth. We love you and we admire you!

Grace to Endure. Reflection for marriages. John 16:20-23

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From the Gospel according to John. Jn, 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Grace to Endure

Lord, I have seen You coming in that second and final coming. Then our hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away our joy. However, do we really need to wait for that moment for no one to be able to take our joy away? If that were the case, it would mean that I still have doubts about Your return at the end of time. Because if I am certain of it, why would I need to wait for that hour? I am already joyful, Lord, and no one can take away my joy.

Applied to Married Life:

Martha: Why do you depend so much on me to be joyful? If I’m doing well, great but if not, you fall apart, and that doesn’t help at all.

Peter: I’d like to say that if you’re well, I’m well. But the truth is, deep down, if you’re not well, it bothers me not to feel well myself. So yes, you’re right. I should be focused on what we’re called to become, not just on how things are at the moment.

Martha: That would really help me, honestly. But I know I don’t make it easy for you sometimes.

Peter: With Christ’s love between us, I have the grace to endure those moments. I trust He’ll help me next time. I’ll stop thinking about myself and focus on His love, which is stronger than death.

Martha: Thank you, dear. God bless you.

Mother,

We have enough faith to be joyful always. May trials not take our joy away. Praise be to the Lord who has risen.