From the Gospel according to Mark. Mk 3:13-19

They are there and they are sent.

Jesus calls those He wants, and He has called you and me. He calls us first to be with Him and then He sends us to proclaim the Kingdom.

We can, however, be among those who seem to be with Him and do a lot, but whose hearts are elsewhere; or we can be among those who only want to be with Him but find the spouse burdensome.

Let us consecrate ourselves to Mary and, through her, to the Heart of Christ, who loves us and calls us.

Applied to Married Life:

Natalie: Do you think we’re the kind of people who talk but don’t act?
Mike: Well, we do a lot for appearances, but between you and me, I think we lack enthusiasm and passion. Do you think we’re the kind of people who honor Him with our words but keep our hearts far from Him?
Natalie: Not far from Him, but far from each other’s hearts. We need to live more fully our “consecrated like” bond to each other for love of Christ.
Mike: So, we’ve got work to do to be like those who “are there and are sent”.
Natalie: Yep, we do.

Mother,

We are consecrated to you, and you have chosen us to be “consecrated” to each other as we are to the Lord. Give us the strength to make it a reality. Thank you, Blessed Mother.

Gospel.

From the Gospel according to Mark. Mk 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

The Gospel of the Lord

Fingers in the Socket

Just as God’s love is perfect and ours, by contrast, misses so many things, there also exists a perfect anger of God, compared to our own, which is often deplorable. God’s anger is for our good and out of love for us, while ours is often quite selfish.

When does God apply His anger? When faced with the hardness of our hearts. When we insist on not listening to Him, on rejecting His plan, and this results in harm to ourselves. If you see your child, after you’ve warned them several times that sockets are dangerous, about to stick a metal object into the socket, wouldn’t you shout at them? It’s not an offensive shout, it’s not accusatory, it’s not against the child—it’s for their salvation. In the same way, God acts with us in certain situations where, because of the hardness of our hearts, there is no other way to secure our salvation.

Applied to married life

Fatima: Father Tim, I’ve realized that when my bad anger flares up against my husband, it’s often because God, moved by His righteous anger, wants to give me a wake-up call for my conversion.
Fr Tim: That’s a very good observation, dear Fatima. I, too, sometimes find myself compelled to apply God’s wrath to certain people for their salvation. It’s my responsibility. Then, they can either respond by getting angry with me or by reacting and returning with a contrite heart, which is the first step toward conversion. So, Fatima, my dear, when that bad anger comes over you, take a closer look to see if it’s not God calling you to conversion—especially if He has already placed you in that situation multiple times.
Fatima: Thank you, Father. I repent for not heeding those calls from God through my husband. May I receive absolution?
Fr Tim: Yes, of course. God loves you greatly and forgives you.

Mother,

May we not respond with anger to the wrath of God, but rather be humble and embrace the conversion to which He calls us. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Gospel.

From the Gospel according to Mark. Mk 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

The Gospel of the Lord

We could have never imagined.

How much we, men and women, love making ourselves the protagonists of everything. God exhorts us to dedicate at least one day to place Him at the center, yet we turn it into a rule, and from that moment on, we become the protagonists because we comply with the rule. It’s like someone who attends Mass daily because they’ve made a commitment and seems to think they’re doing God a favor by showing up every day. Or like the husband who, simply because he doesn’t get divorced and stays home, believes he’s fulfilling his duties. But where is the love of God in all this? Where is the desire to be with Him? Where is the love of a husband who gives thanks to God every day for allowing him to share a common intimacy with his wife?
Let us not honor God with our lips but with our hearts. Pope Francis is right when he says this generation lacks heart. Let us embrace the heart of Jesus and fall in love with Him.

Applied to married life:

Sile: How wonderful, Matt, is to walk this journey of the Project of Marital Love hand in hand with Mary, a path that draws us ever deeper into intimacy with the Lord together.
Matt: I never knew such a path could exist, Sile—one that could lead us to a relationship with the Lord and with each other that we could never have imagined.
Sile: What a difference! How we now live and savor every Eucharist, every marital prayer. I don’t even know how to thank God for so much.
Matt: And to be accompanied by this wonderful community of couples who support us, who share this same journey—it’s beyond words. I can only give glory to God.
Sile: Glory to God.

Mother,

Thank you, thank you for leading us on this path toward the Lord. Blessed are you forever, Mother.