Gospel
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him. Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John 3:16-21.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
The word of the Lord.
Darkness or Light
Lord, when I center my hopes on worldly things, I drift away from You, and Your things become less appealing to me, and vice versa. I am realistic; I know I have a heart affected by concupiscence, and there is a battle within my heart for its purification. A struggle between worldly passions and the soul’s longings that come from You. I know I must deny myself so that my soul can draw closer to You. This is how to avoid darkness and prefer the light, this will be my judgment. I desire to approach the light, even if my misdeeds are exposed; I do not mind the humiliation as long as I am with You.
Husband, I ask for your loving help on this path of purification.
Applied to married life:
Ángel: After the good intentions this morning, I have messed up again. The attitude of one of our children and their criticisms after I corrected them made me lose patience and kindness. I wanted to use any circumstances of my day to deny myself, accept adversities as a means of purification, but once again, I did not. Anna, I thank you because after the scene, you remained calm and seemingly fine. I assume it must have required significant self-control for you.
Ana: (Remains silent, but it is true that she suffered and offered that suffering without reproaching her husband or making faces.)
Ángel: (After a long silence in which Ángel gives Ana the opportunity to speak) What I can offer you now, Lord, is the humiliation of recognizing my smallness. As I approach Your light, I feel ashamed and annoyed for not taking advantage of this circumstance you gave me so that my heart could be freer and closer to you. But I still love you and above all, I want to be by Your side.
Mother,
I choose the light, I accept any humiliation, any adversity as a means of purifying my heart to make it capable of loving. Give me the opportunity to live them with hope, Mother. I thank you because I know you will grant me this desire. Amen.