To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

“He is not God of the dead, but of the living”

From the Gospel according to Luke 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.”
And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

More, every day.

Some couples are troubled by this Gospel: “So much time building communion only to be separated in eternal life?” That’s not what God wants or what Christ says. He is referring to the fact that we will not be united by the sacrament of marriage, but in a much better way: we will be perfectly united by God Himself, through divinization. A perfect and complete union.

 

Applied to married life:

Anna: How are you feeling today, my love?

Barry: (With a weak voice) I am in a lot of pain. I know I have little time left in this world. I just hope that God gives you comfort and strength when I’m no longer with you.

Anna: I pray that you will be ready when the times comes. You know what I’ve learned? There are very powerful experiences of spiritual connection between spouses after one of them passes away. Will you be with me when you are with the Lord?

Barry: Of course, I will. I’ll be closer to you than ever. After all, my mission is to guide you to heaven, and I can continue doing that from above.

Anna: I won’t be able to physically touch or hug you, but I will continue to love you, more every day.

 

Mother,

What God has united, He surely does not want to separate. He will never cease to unite us, more every day. Praise be to the Lord.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

You have turned the house of God into a ‘den of thieves.’

From the Gospel according to Luke 19:45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

The gospel of the Lord.

 

Always with you.

The Lord´s house is our soul, and it must be a house of prayer. A place of intimacy with the Lord. My life depends on that presence of the Lord. He is in the deepest part of me. He is in our marriage, in my acts of love. I just need to keep Him in mind, minute by minute. Lord, may I always have you present.

 

Applied to married life:

Luke: Hey, thanks for picking me up. I am exhausted.

Sharon: Give thanks to the Lord.

Luke: Yeah, but it was you who came.

Sharon: No, I came by the grace of God. He guides me, acts through me. Give thanks to the Lord, please.

Luke: Thank you, Lord, and thank you for this wonderful wife.

 

Mother,

Always with you, always with Him. Praise be to the Lord.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

 

“If you only knew what makes for peace”

From the Gospel according to Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying,

“If this day you only knew what makes for peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

 

 

The gospel of the Lord.

 

While he cries.

 

It is true that we are surrounded by enemies encroaching on our lives, robbing us of peace. These are all the tasks that must be done, messages that must be read, apparent obligations that are not really obligatory. We are constantly bombarded by distractions from what is important, demands that I impose on myself or that society imposes, proliferating rules, complaints… If I let them, these enemies can destroy my joy, my patience, my kindness… and my supernatural merits. They can literally sweep away everything that God wants for my life, leaving no stone unturned. This happens when we do not recognize God in our lives. Then, we can make Him cry. Could it be that the Lord is watching my life while crying?

 

Applied to Married Life:

 

Jack: I can’t find a way to pause. So many resposabilities are overwhelming. I can’t sit in peace before the Lord every day.

Kate: Jack, I know. . I’ve wanted to help you because it’s evident that your responsibilities are consuming you. Even if you had an extra two hours a day, you will fill them too.

Jack: Well, that’s true… but I don’t know what to do.

Kate: I suggest that when we pray together, you vocalize your prayers all the time, or if it’s a more meditative prayer, write it down. That way, you focus more on prayer and don’t let the enemies that steal your peace slip in.

Jack: That sounds like a wonderful idea, Kate. I think that can help me truly focus on the Lord and dedicate that time only to Him.

Kate: Shall we start now?

Jack: Just a moment, I have to send something quickly…

Kate: Carlos… Shall we start now?

Jack: Yes, sorry. I was starting off on the wrong foot. I love you, Kate.

 

 

Mother,

 

Neglecting to allocate time to the Lord, failing to keep Him in mind, disrupts our peace and makes the Lord cry. We do not want to bring Him sorrow, we want to console Him. Grant us the grace to be faithful to our prayer times and work to keep the Lord in mind more each day. Praise be to the Lord who loves us.

 

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

Why did you not put my money in a bank?

From the Gospel according to Luke 19:11-28

While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’
He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.'” After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

The gospel of the Lord.

 

Faithful in the small things.

It’s undeniable that we are insignificant, and our efforts, no matter how great they may be, have no intrinsic value before God. But look at the Blessed Sacrament. Look at Jesus in the bread. He teaches me: His Holy Spirit transforms the bread into Christ, won’t He do the same with us? We just have to be faithful in the little that we are and surrender it to the Lord for Him to work the miracle.

 

Applied to married life:

Ana: Thank you, James, for insisting and inviting me to breakfast this morning. It’s not so much about the food, but because I needed to talk to you.

James: Thank you for accepting my offer after I messed up with you yesterday. Also, thank you for valuing my effort to restore communion with you.

Ana: You are very important to me. When you are far from my heart, anxiety and sadness take over. You are the most important to me. Being well with you gives me strength to overcome all the challenges and crosses I bear, but without you, the world collapses on me.

James: It makes me happy seeing you happy. Just that. I don’t need more. Because that’s when I know I am doing God’s will, and the Lord is present with us and will act in us by the power of our sacrament.

Ana: Can I have a hug?

(And this scene doesn’t conclude with a fade to black but with both of them blending into a beautiful hug ..both human and divine. The end.)

 

Mother,

The mine that God has given me is worth more than all the gold mines in the world. It is my spouse. May I know how to respond to such a wonderful gift. Praise be to our King.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

From the Gospel according to Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

The gospel of the Lord.

 

“You are important to me”

Zacchaeus feels valued. He knows he is important to Jesus, and this leads him to convert and be saved. As spouses, to help each other towards salvation, we have to make the other feel important to both, me and God. We tend to diminish each other with our corrections, but it is only love that heals and saves. Jesus involves Himself in Zacchaeus’s salvation by y disregarding public opinions, that would affect his reputation, and staying at his house. Today, Jesus tells me: “Hurry, set aside all your securities because it is necessary that I rest within you today.”

 

Applied to married life:

Tony: Laura, I know you’re suffering. I want to accompany you in your suffering. Can I do so in the presence of the Lord?

Laura: Yes, thank you, Tony. Let’s place ourselves in His presence, and I’ll share it with you.

(After a few minutes)

Laura: Holy Spirit, guide me in expressing to Tony the challenges I’m facing. Tony, I felt hurt when you corrected me in public. I know it wasn’t your intention to hurt me, but that’s how I felt. I know you love me and don’t want to harm me, but I can’t help experiencing this pain that creates distance between us.

Tony: Wow, Laura. I truly regret being the cause of your suffering. Making you suffer is the last thing I want. How can I help you in moving past this? I’ll do whatever it takes.

Laura: It would be helpful if we prayed and contemplated certain stations of the cross together, aligning ourselves with the Lord’s sacrifice. Would you join me?

Tony: Certainly, Laura. I love the idea. Together, we can see this situation through God’s eyes to understand His loving designs.

 

Mother,

May we help each other with and for love. Praise be to the Lord.