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In three steps – Reflection for married couples – Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

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Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Matthew
1:1-16, 18-23

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

In Three Steps

Today we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And, on this day, she gives us Jesus. The marvellous thing is that, although it is her birthday, she is so generous that she gives herself so that the gift may be ours. Nothing less than this: she gives us the Saviour who delivers us from our sins.

God prepared a people and a womb in which to be born. A love story answered by Mary, who cradles this God who longs to “pitch His tent” among us. Salvation reaches every marriage that welcomes Jesus into the story of their family.

Mary signifies a new beginning for the chosen people. That is why we entrust ourselves to her, so as to begin new, despite our wounds. If we are as docile as she is, and welcome the plan of Love that God has for our marriage, we shall witness great miracles.

We also look to the docility and trust of Saint Joseph, who, though feeling unworthy of so great an honour, accepted the mission entrusted to him: to guard the Saviour of humanity. In spousal prayer, husbands and wives receive their mission to collaborate in God’s plan, and, like Joseph, we feel bewildered by our smallness.

Three steps for a gift. First, Jesus waits for us to welcome Him into our marriage. Then, through the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and our self-giving, He transforms our hearts and deepens our union. This is the path of salvation. Finally, God proposes to us a mission, according to the gifts He has given, and calls us to collaborate in His plan of salvation for humanity. Shall we say yes, as the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph did?

Brought into Married Life:

Naomi: I think we did the right thing in moving to another country. It was what the family needed. Though I do miss our marriage group, the catechesis, the times of adoration… I’m afraid of loosing everything we have received.

James: That’s true. Welcoming Jesus between us, spousal prayer… it has brought about a change in our life that we never could have imagined… It has saved us!

Naomi: There are so many marriages here in this country that need to know the truth… What if what they told us is really true – that God has sent us here for them?

James : Us? Well, the Virgin would have had poor judgement indeed! No, no, no… Though we shall bring it to prayer, and let the Holy Spirit tell us.

(After that prayer, and with the bewilderment of feeling so small, they accepted the mission that the Holy Spirit entrusted to them. They went to the priest of their parish, and today many couples have come to know this gift and, with the grace of God, have been able to transform their marriage.)

Mother,

Thank you for the gift you have brought to humanity; thank you for Jesus our Saviour. Thank you, Saint Joseph, for saying yes and trusting, accepting the mission of guarding God, who had made Himself small and weak in order to assume our humanity. Praise be to God!

To triumph in the battle – Reflection for married couples – Luke 14:25-33

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From the Gospel according to Luke

14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

To Triumph in the Battle

A disciple is one who follows the Master so as to have His very heart, and thus to be able to act like Him, live like Him, love like Him. We are wounded by sin and do not know how to love. Even when we try, on our own we cannot. We must first be filled with the love of God, so that our heart may begin to resemble that of Jesus. Then I shall be able to love my husband, my father, mother, children, brothers and sisters, and so forth. That is why the Lord tells us that if we wish to love as He loves, we must first follow Him, carrying our cross. He will give us what we need in order to triumph in the battles against sin.

Brought into Married Life:

(Claire comes home and once again finds everything left in a mess and unclean.)

Claire: Once again everything’s been left lying around… no doubt each one is in their own room doing what they want. (But as she goes to look for her children to scold them, she stops and thinks: I don’t believe this is the right moment to start a war; I shall place myself in the Lord’s hands. She withdraws to her room to pray.)

Claire: Lord, I am weary of the same thing day after day. Yet I know that You are at my side. I shall seek a passage where You show me how to act. (She opens the Gospels and comes upon the passage of the Passion where Jesus looks at Peter after his denial. She reflects on what that look must have been — the gaze of Jesus each time we deny Him and give way to our passions… At that moment Peter arrives.)

Peter: Hello, darling!

Claire: Hello, my love! You know, I feel truly blessed to have you as my husband, to have this family, and above all because the Lord watches over us each day and teaches me how to love and to feel loved by Him.

Peter: I love coming home! Since we did the retreat, everything has changed, and I can see in your eyes the love of God.

Claire: It is a great grace indeed that He has granted us: that we have discovered how He loves us, and so may strive to love like Him in every circumstance of our life.

Peter: Only He can make this possible. Let us continue to trust. I love you, my wife.

Mother,

Do not allow us to turn aside from this way to which You have called us, that You might teach us how to love. Glory be to God!

The union in Christ brings spouses together. Reflection for marriages Saint Luke 6:1-5

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Gospel of the day 
Luke 6:1-5
‘Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?’
On a Sabbath, while Jesus was going through the cornfields, his disciples plucked and ate some ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.’

The union in Christ brings spouses together.
Jesus places the needs of human beings above the rigidity of the law. He does not deny the value of the Sabbath but places it in its rightful place, at the service of man. The law is made for man, not man for the law. The purpose of the law is to give the greatest glory to God. In our marriage, sometimes we want our spouse to follow the rules, “what should be,” but we forget that what truly matters is real love, mercy, and knowing his heart. Rules and law without love suffocate, judge, and break communion. We see that Jesus does not remain on the sidelines; He defends His own publicly. In the same way, that is what spouses are called to do: to protect one another. Not allowing the “modern Pharisees” in the form of criticism, social media, or obsessive leisure disguised as necessity to enter into the communion of the heart of our marriage. Just as “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” let us persevere in prayer and the sacraments (mystical life), and let us make an effort (ascetical life) so that at all times we may do the Will of God with a simple and humble heart.

Brought down to married life:
Philip: Esther, this week I’m going to train on the bike every day after work because in two weeks I have the race, so don’t count on me for Mass these days or for Saturday catechesis.
Esther: But Philip, it’s very important for us to attend the Eucharist every day, and we had committed to preparing the catechesis.
Philip: You know that it’s my dream to take part in that race, and besides, exercising is really good for my health. I also think I deserve it because work stresses me a lot, and cycling helps me release that stress. You know I’m not the type to go to bars for beers.
Esther: Lord, what am I going to do with this man! … Darling, it saddens me deeply that you put your own well-being before this path of purification of our heart and the communion we are building. I’m going to the room to pray before dinner.
…After a while…
Philip: Can I pray with you, Esther?
Esther: Of course, come, so the three of us can be together.
Philip: I think I was being very selfish, clinging to my own criteria. What if I wake up early these days to do spinning, so we can still go to Mass together?
Esther: Thank you, Lord, for knocking on our door, and my Philip has opened it. A kiss, my love.

Mother,
Thank you because through perseverance in prayer and the sacraments you teach us to make decisions for Him, with Him, and in Him.
Blessed and praised be the Lord.

Good Fruit. Reflection for marriages Saint Luke 5:33-39

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Gospel of the day 

Luke 5:33-39
‘When the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast.’
At that time: The Pharisees and scribes said to him, ‘The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.’ He also told them a parable: ‘No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, “The old is good.”

Good Fruit
Sometimes we offer fasting or sacrifices, but our heart is not joyful—because we are not doing it out of love—and then that sacrifice bears no fruit.
In this passage, the Lord tells us that if He is present, He makes all things new. And if we unite our sacrifice with Him, to offer it to the Father, then it will bear much fruit. He makes all things new: new wine in new wineskins.
If those sacrifices are made with love, He will work in our hearts and in our marriage. Because when we unite them to Him, grace enters through our sacrament.
How many times do I fast but fail to love in my marriage, or in my daily life? Let us do everything for Him, with Him, and in Him, so that our acts of offering may bear abundant fruit.

Applied to Married Life 
Berioska: Hi Carlos, how are you?
Carlos: Well, pretty tired from work.
Berioska: Oh… okay, sorry, I’ll let you be—I’m going to go pray for a while.
Carlos: Wow, she doesn’t even bother to talk with me about the kind of day I’ve had. Why don’t we just chat a little?
But while praying, Berioska realises she should be present with Carlos. So, even though she is very tired, she offers her sacrifice united to the Lord.
Berioska: Darling, forgive me. How was your day? What would you like for dinner?
Carlos: Berioska, my love, with how tired you are, don’t worry about me. Let’s just have something simple…
And after preparing dinner and talking, they sat down to eat together and had a wonderful evening.
Carlos: Thank you, Berioska, because you help me see how the Lord’s Love overcomes tiredness—and everything.
Berioska: Thank you, because you help me see what truly matters.

Mother,
You united yourself to the Lord in His holy sacrifice, even to the extreme of suffering, in order to give us eternal life. Teach us to unite ourselves to Him as you did, to the very end, so that we may bear fruits of life.
Blessed and praised be the Lord!

Out into the Deep with Mary. Reflection for marriages Saint Luke 5:1-11

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Gospel of the day
Luke 5:1-11
‘They left everything and followed him.’
At that time: The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God. He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left
everything and followed him.

Out into the Deep with Mary

If you want a different result, do something different. This idea makes sense, doesn’t it?
In this passage of the miraculous catch of fish, Peter and his companions had been struggling all night without catching anything. Now they are tired, and Jesus tells them to set out again—row out into the deep—and let down their nets. Jesus goes with them.
Without excuses, because they believe and trust in Him, they obey. And the result—against all human logic—is astonishing.
With Him, everything changes. All our actions, however small they may seem, if we do them in His Sacred Heart, take on unimaginable value. He divinises them. We only need faith and trust in Him, in His Word. He makes the work of our hands prosper.

Applied to Married Life
Santiago: Fátima, I’ve been meaning to tell you something: I’ve noticed a change in you—how you look at me, how you care for me, how you show me affection. There’s a special something about it.
Fátima: Oh Santi, I’m so glad! The truth is that lately I’ve been trying to live more closely with Our Lady and in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and this helps me so much, especially when I’m tired or unmotivated.
Santiago: Well, it really shows. I’m going to try it too.
Fátima: I love that. Let’s both go together with Jesus, out into the deep, into His Heart.
Santiago: This is going to be amazing!

Mother,
We want to be under your mantle and for you to take us by the hand, out into the deep, into the Heart of Jesus.
Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.