GOSPEL

‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

The Gospel of the Lord

Let Her Decide

Loving God. That is the key. How to do it? With the heart, it is clear, as it means desiring only Him and His will, and that is already complicated. But what about the mind? And the whole being? I finally conclude that it will be He who makes it possible, because if I do it myself, I will only make a mess of things. My role is to throw myself into His Heart, like the lance that pierced it. He will be the one to welcome me into His wound.

Applied to Married Life:

John: Lord, I don’t see clearly what my wife is proposing. I’ve communicated my doubts to her, given her alternative options, and explained my reasons several times. Yet, despite everything, she sees it so clearly… And I feel that I am becoming internally troubled, and this situation is distancing me from her heart, which cannot be.
Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to offer you my mind and place it at Your service. I know what I will do. I will tell her that I trust her judgement more than my own and that we will do as she suggests. If she sees it so clearly, I will trust her judgement over mine. For the rest, I leave us in Mary’s hands for Her to guide us as she sees fit.

Mother,
Be the one to help me cross the threshold that separates me from the cross, so that my surrender may be complete, and my love for God and my husband may be total.