Gospel of the Day

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 6:7–13

At that time, Jesus called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals but not take a second tunic.

He said to them:

‘Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. And if any place does not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’

So they went out and preached repentance. They cast out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil, and healed them.

Infinitely Less Wise

Jesus chooses the least wise among us, and then sends us out without any resources so that it’s clear to everyone that the works are not ours—they are His.
It often happens that when a married couple prepares to evangelise, arguments arise during the preparation. Why? Because we start to take ownership of God’s work. Let it not be so among us. Let’s acknowledge that we are limited. The wisest person on Earth is infinitely less wise than the least in Heaven.

Applying It to Married Life

María: I can’t take it anymore. I’ve tried everything, but I can’t condense the content, nor create a flow that fits with your outline.
Andrés: I’ve tried to help, but whenever I summarise, remove something, or rearrange your structure, you say it’s not what you want to convey and that I’ve left out important points. So, let’s go with what we have, and the Holy Spirit will assist us. But above all, let’s not lose our unity—that’s the most important thing, okay?
María: Okay. More than what we say, the important thing is that we are one. From that, the Holy Spirit can build through our Sacrament.
Andrés: Let’s invoke Him because we’re really going to need Him.
María: That’s the point—that He speaks, not us.

Mother,

We are so small to go forth in the name of the Lord, and we experience this every time. Assist us, Mother. In you, we trust.

Gospel of the Day

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 6:1–6

At that time, Jesus went to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.
When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying:
‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? And how are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’
And they took offence at him.
Jesus said to them:
‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own country, among his relatives, and in his own house.’
And he could perform no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then he went around the surrounding villages, teaching.

This Is What You Want, This Is What I Want

If we rely too much on reason, we might find ourselves with Christ right in front of us and still take offence at him. Yes, it’s good to use our minds, but we don’t need to understand everything—or we might miss the miracles of the Lord.
He is supernatural and beyond our full comprehension. So, let’s remain open to the mystery and allow God to be God.

Applying It to Married Life

Michel: You tell me that I don’t understand you, and I really try to. I don’t know what else to do.
Asun: Well, I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling any better so that you’d understand. So maybe we should stop overthinking it and focus our gaze together on God. This is a mystery to me, but if God wants me to live with this lack of understanding, then I want to live it too.
Michel: I give thanks to God for your faith, and I will keep asking Him for light to better understand your heart. But if He doesn’t want to give it to me, then I don’t want it either—even if that has negative consequences for me.
Asun: Praise be to the Lord.

Mother,

This is what you want, this is what I want. Praise be to the Lord; we trust in Him.

Gospel of the Day

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 5:21–43

At that time, Jesus crossed to the other side of the sea by boat, and a large crowd gathered around him while he remained by the shore. Then one of the rulers of the synagogue, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly:
‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be healed and live.’
So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed, pressing in on him.
Now, there was a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all she had, yet she only grew worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, thinking,
‘If I only touch his cloak, I shall be healed.’
Immediately, the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my cloak?’
His disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing upon you, and yet you ask, “Who touched me?”’
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, fearful and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came forward, fell at his feet, and told him the whole truth.
Jesus said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be freed from your illness.’
While he was still speaking, people arrived from Jairus’ house and said, ‘Your daughter has died. Why trouble the Master any further?’
But Jesus overheard what they said and told the synagogue ruler, ‘Do not fear; only believe.’
He allowed no one to accompany him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at Jairus’ house, Jesus saw a great commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. He entered and said to them,
‘Why all this noise and weeping? The child is not dead; she is only asleep.’
And they laughed at him. But after sending them all outside, he took the child’s father and mother, and those who were with him, and went into where the child was. Taking her by the hand, he said to her,
‘Talitha cumi’ (which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’)
Immediately, the girl got up and began to walk about—she was twelve years old. At this, they were utterly astonished.
Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about this, and he told them to give her something to eat.

The Miracles of Jesus

Jesus does not want a distant relationship with us. This is why he asks who has touched his cloak—so that he can look her in the eyes and tell her that her faith has saved her. This is why he does not want a noisy crowd around Jairus’ daughter. He wants to take her by the hand and raise her, holding her tenderly.
Now, I want to close my eyes and imagine Jesus coming near, taking my hand with love, and saying to me: ‘Your faith has saved you.’
Hey! What are you doing reading this? Have you closed your eyes and imagined Jesus holding your hand? If not, take five minutes to do so before continuing in prayer.

Applying It to Married Life

Lola: Jose, what a wonderful marriage we have—where we look at each other, hold hands, walk arm in arm, you caress me, I caress you… We spent so many years distant from each other. Tenderness is so important in a marriage.
Jose: Well, we were stuck for a while, each of us living a bit separately, but how beautiful this Project has been, bringing us together and helping us express our love in new ways.
Lola: And seeing your parents, your sister, and our brother-in-law starting down the same path—what a blessing, isn’t it?
Jose: Yes! I love that my family has also joined this journey of Proyecto Amor Conyugal. This is not just a marital conversion; it is a family conversion. These are the miracles of Our Lady, the miracles of Jesus in married and family life.

Mother,

How important tenderness is between spouses. May we never lack it. Praise be to the Lord, who draws near and touches our hearts.
 

Gospel of the Day

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 5:1–20

At that time, Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.
As soon as he stepped out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. He lived among the tombs, and no one could restrain him, not even with chains. Many times he had been bound with shackles and chains, but he tore the chains apart and broke the shackles in pieces, and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day he would cry out among the tombs and in the mountains and bruise himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt before him, crying out in a loud voice:
‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name, do not torment me!’
For Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of this man, unclean spirit!’

Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’
He replied, ‘My name is Legion, for we are many.’
And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region.

Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us into the pigs, that we may enter them.’
Jesus granted their request. Then the unclean spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd—about two thousand in number—rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned.

The herdsmen fled and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people came to see what had happened. They approached Jesus and saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Those who had witnessed the event described what had happened to the demoniac and to the pigs. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus did not permit him and said,
‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’

So the man went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and all the people were amazed.

Not Just the Superficial

At first, the Gerasenes focused only on the “exterior” consequences of Jesus’ actions—the swineherds lost two thousand pigs, which led to Jesus being asked to leave their land.

Then Jesus presented them with a greater miracle, sending the man who had been freed from the legion of unclean spirits to testify about the true work of God and the arrival of His Kingdom among them.

The Gerasenes, seeing the once-possessed man—who had been under demonic control for so long—finally believed.

When we experience the Lord in our lives, let us not remain on the surface. Instead, let us delve deeper and see the Gospel reflected in our own experiences. In doing so, we may come to believe and even be sent to proclaim it.

Applying It to Married Life

Lorena: Today, Marino, I had a dream in which Jesus and I were being persecuted, and we hid together so that we would not be seen.
Marino: Wow! What a strange dream. Have you prayed about it to see if God was trying to send you a message, Lorena?
Lorena: No, but you’re right—I should pray about it.

(A few days later)
Lorena: Now I understand what the Lord was telling me through the dream and what He wants from me.
Marino: And what is that?
Lorena: That when I am pursued by temptations, He wants me to take refuge in the love of His Heart. And that same love of His is what unites you and me, Marino.
Marino: I love your dreams…

Mother,

The Lord is always at work in our lives. May we see His providential hand in everything and everyone. Praise be to God!

From the Gospel according to Luke 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purificatio naccording to the law of Moses,Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,just as it is written in the law of the Lord,Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,and to offer the sacrifice ofa pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons,in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.This man was righteous and devout,awaiting the consolation of Israel,and the Holy Spirit was upon him.It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.He came in the Spirit into the temple;and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant goin peace, according to your word,for my eyes have seen your salvation,which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:a light for revelation to the Gentiles,and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel,and to be a sign that will be contradicted-and you yourself a sword will pierce-so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”There was also a prophetess, Anna,the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.She was advanced in years,having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.She never left the temple,but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.And coming forward at that very time,she gave thanks to God and spoke about the childt to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord,they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;and the favor of God was upon him.

Never Alone

It is evident who orchestrated this moment: the Holy Spirit. Jesus never acted by Himself; He was always accompanied by the Father and the Holy Spirit. Here, we see how both Simeon and Anna are guided by the Spirit. The Gospel explicitly states it, but even if it didn’t, who else could have revealed to them that this Child was the Savior?
Jesus was never alone.

Applied to Married Life:

Alice: James, I rely on you more than you realize.
James: And I rely on you too, Alice. I used to be more independent, but now I understand how much I depend on God first and then on you. Each day, it becomes clearer why God brought us together.
Alice: God made us with limitations so we would recognize how much we need Him and each other.
James: It’s surprising that some people haven’t realized this yet. They will have to go through a lot of hardship before they do.
Alice: Let’s pray for them.

Mother,

If even the Lord, being God, chose not to be alone, how much more do we, who are so small, need companionship? Blessed be the Lord, who is always with us.