GOSPEL

I have not come to bring peace, but division.  
Reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

The Word of the Lord.

“Burning” Spouses

Encountering Christ has profound effects on me. He sets my life on fire, burning away all that is old to sow something completely new. It is an inner revolution, in which everything that once interested me ceases to interest me because I have discovered something, or rather, Someone, who infinitely surpasses it: Christ.  
He and His plan for me fill me with joy and hope. Yes, my life makes sense, my suffering too, my relationship with my husband becomes something sacred, everything around me is a gift, and difficulties turn into opportunities to reach Him.  
How poorly we do it when we evangelize with a sour face or when we live marriage as a burden, for we do not convey the truth. The Gospel is not repression; it is liberation. And everything else, I consider garbage.

Grounded in Married Life:

Cristina: You talk about the necessity of encountering Christ to heal and build our marriage, but I don’t understand why.  
Marriage Tutor: To love, I must fill my heart with love. God is love, and He is the only one who can give it to me. My heart is filled with good thoughts and good wishes towards my husband. It is important to maintain a heartfelt relationship with Him because from the heart flows life or death. The heart is capable of eternal growth in hate or in love. Do you have experience of your heart growing in hate or in love?  
Cristina: Yes, that is true.  
Marriage Tutor: And what are your thoughts and desires towards your husband?  
Cristina: I don’t wish him any harm, but my thoughts towards him are not good, to be honest.  
Marriage Tutor: Well, every temptation you experience is a question for your soul: Who are you? A child of God or an earthly being? Do you follow your passions or love God? God allows temptation as a means by which we manifest ourselves against or in favor of Him. Every temptation is an opportunity for the heart to grow in love and union with Him, and therefore, to grow in love for your husband and your family. These are the true “burning” spouses, those whose hearts burn with pure love.

Mother,

The Lord has captivated my heart, and that causes me to stop sinning in thought, for my thoughts are on Him and His work. If I only think of Him and the mission He has entrusted to me, then I will give glory to God with my life. Blessed and praised be the name of the Lord.

GOSPEL

To whom much is given, much will be required.  
Reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Luke 12:39-48  

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Word of the Lord.

What He wants to give you.

Who is the faithful and wise servant? It is the one to whom much has been given, and the Lord expects him to manage it properly, that is, to live in a way that manages it.

Today I was before the cross and I was saying to myself: If I love my spouse and love the Lord, I should give my spouse what the Lord wants to give him. Then, in the Eucharist, seeing the offering of His Body and Blood, I questioned myself again: That offering is what the Lord wants me to manage. I have received it from the Lord, and He wants to give Himself to my spouse, but He wants me to be the one who administers that offering with my own offering.

In such a way that, if my spouse is a sinner, I have reason to dedicate myself for him or her. And if they are more sinful, I have even more reasons to dedicate myself for him or her for their sanctification. That is to be a faithful and prudent spouse.

Grounded in Married Life:

Ramón: Today I looked at the Crucified One, and it seemed to me that He was calling me and saying: “And you, what?” “Don’t you see how I give myself for your wife? And you… what?” I felt shaken by grace and eager to give myself to you. That Crucified One reproached me. Then I said to the Lord, “Lord, I would like to give myself like You, but I feel held back because sometimes she doesn’t deserve it.” When she despises me, when she doesn’t value my offering, when she is not faithful to her marriage promise… I feel that she doesn’t deserve it. Then the Eucharist began, and I contemplated the Blood of Our Lord. And of course, I recognized it immediately: That is the Blood unjustly shed for our salvation. That Blood is the proof that we did not deserve His suffering. Shortly after, in the action of thanksgiving, the Lord, who had just entered into me, said to me: “She deserves whatever I choose to give her, which is My Body and My Blood, and she deserves you to deliver it to her along with Me.” Then, overwhelmed and remorseful, I asked the Lord for forgiveness for not having given myself for you as many times as you deserved and I had considered otherwise. My heart was twisting inside, becoming aware of the fact that the less you deserve it according to my judgment, the more you deserve it according to the merciful love of God. And the pain turned into repentance and into a desire to truly love you, in the way of God.

Mother,

To whom much is given, much will be required. I look at the Crucified One, and this phrase pierces my soul deeply. Mother, grant us the grace to respond to so much love. Blessed be the Lord.

Gospel

Blessed are the servants whom the master finds alert when he comes.

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”

Word of the Lord.

Regarding what He does in you.

There are many possible interpretations of being “alert.” But today we wanted to focus particularly on one: being in love with the Lord and with each other, because, moreover, one thing leads to another.

When I love the Lord, the gift of Piety leads me to love my spouse as well. Because He loves my spouse, I necessarily have to love them: that we love each other as He has loved us. But if I love my spouse, I will want the best for them above all. And the greatest thing I can wish for is that Christ makes them one with Him. Therefore, by loving my spouse, I will also love the Lord.

Grounded in Married Life:

Ramón: In Mass, during communion, I like that we receive communion together. Do you know why?

Rosa: No. Why?

Ramón: Because I see the Lord entering into you. In that moment, I experience immense gratitude to the Lord for what He is doing in you. He is incorporating you into His Heart. Until now, I was enamored by Him wanting to incorporate me into His Heart. But lately, I like to focus more on what He is doing in you, how much He loves you, and how above all He wants to unite you to Him. Well, that makes me love Him much more and with more gratitude than when I think about it for myself.

Rosa: So, does being aware of what He does in me and the love He has for me unite you more to the Lord than what He does in you? I believe that the love you have for me is becoming greater than yourself. I believe that this love must come from God. I love it. It seems to me that the Lord is doing great things in you.

Mother,

May we keep the lamp of love constantly lit, day and night. May the Love of God penetrate more and more into us until we become one, a community of communion. Blessed be the Communion of God, One and Triune.

GOSPEL

Whose will it be what you have prepared?
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”

The word of the Lord.

Insurance company.

The best life insurance is not of this world. It is not a life insurance policy, but rather Life with a capital L. Because the best life insurance consists of being rich before God. 
Therefore, the best insurance company for us is the company of our spouse, because in our Marital Love, we can be rich before God!

Grounded in Married Life:

Silvia: Why do you use a capital ‘L’ for Life in today’s commentary? 
Paco: Because today we should talk about how to achieve Life with a capital ‘L’ in our daily married life. 
Silvia: And how would you say we do that? 
Paco: I believe our marriage is like an insurance contract in love, which we maintain by paying daily premiums of love, so that when an accident occurs, we have that insurance providing us with the necessary coverage. 
Silvia: Oh dear! It’s so clear you’re a man… That sounds rather unromantic. But well, I understand what you mean. That security comes not from the things of this world, but from maintaining God’s love between us. 
Paco: Bravo… you’ve put it much more beautifully. The things of this world decay and disappear. The Love that God gives us through the Holy Spirit remains and leads to eternal Life.

Mother,

May we be rich before God through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Praise be to God who gives us treasures for heaven through our marriage.

GOSPEL

For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
From the Gospel according to Mark 10:35-45 or 10:42-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee,came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink,and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them,”You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them,and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you.Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Submitting to Save

When Jesus steps into a dispute among His disciples, He doesn’t rely on human reasoning to settle it; instead, He applies the Gospel. In those moments, He encourages them to serve one another, to submit just as He does, giving His life as a ransom for many.

Applied to married life.

Martha: Thank you, husband, for teaching me through your willingness to submit. I’ve noticed that when I feel upset with you, instead of standing your ground, demanding what you think is fair, you choose to submit, humble yourself, and love me.

William: Thank you for the recognition, but you know this isn’t something that comes from me. It’s the Lord, who helps me give myself for your sake.

Martha: Praise the Lord. I hope to be open to the Holy Spirit, to no longer oppose you, but to submit to you as I would to the Lord.

Mother,

May we learn to be humble and small, so that the Lord may lift up our love. Blessed be God.