Longings of the Soul. Reflection for marriages Matthew 10:24-33

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GOSPEL 

Do not be afraid from those Who kill the body. 

From the Gospel according to Matthew 10:24-33

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master.If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!

“Therefore do not be afraid of them.Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Longings of the Soul

For marriages, this Gospel is a call to live their spiritual union above all, putting their flesh at the service of the desires that God has sown in their soul. Neither the things of the world, those that affect the material and the temporary, can affect the love between us, which by the action of the Holy Spirit endures forever.

Applied to married life:
Helen: I am so tired of these little falls we have between us… Our marriage should be on another spiritual level.
Ian: (Taking her hand) I know, my love. But we can’t lose hope. The Lord has committed to making us holy through our marriage.
Helen: Yes, but I have a thirst for communion, an insatiable thirst that seems never to be quenched.
Ian : What really matters is our love and our faith, not so much our results, which depend on God’s grace. If we stay united in God, nothing can destroy our marriage.
Helen: You are right. We must not let difficulties distance us from God or from hope in our marriage.
Ian: Together we can learn to love each other despite any obstacle. Let’s trust in God and in the power of our sacrament.
Helen: I love you so much…
Ian : And I love you. You know that my love for you is supernatural, don’t you?
Helen : I know.

Mother,

Praised be the Lord who has given us this precious gift of the Sacrament of Marriage to begin living the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Do not get tired. Reflection for marriages Matthew 10:16-23

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GOSPEL


“For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
From the Gospel according to Matthew 10:16-23

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
The Gospel of the Lord.

Don’t get tired.

No one can take away the glory of God from us. Have I tried to humiliate my spouse or has my spouse try to humiliate me? Don’t get tired and don’t let him/ her get tired, because neither of you has the power to take away even a bit of His glory. On the contrary, depending on the attitude of the persecuted, God might glorify them, as He does with the Holy martyrs.
So, do  not feel defeated. These situations can bring much glory to God.

Applied to married life:

Tony: Our daughters are lost because of you; you raised them this way.
(Three days later)
Tony: Why are you trying to impose your views on me? I know more about this subject because I’ve studied it.
Margaret: You are the one who raises our daughters poorly because you’ve always been too hard on them. Things don’t go your way because you’re always wrong, while I’m always right. That’s the reality.
(And so, day after day)
Margaret: (In prayer) Forgive my pride. To purify my soul, Lord, you ask me for meekness and humility. You are with me, steering my life, what can I fear? I truly deserve all contempt, and You deserve much more for Your greater glory. My greatest desire, Lord, is to resemble You and not hold any ill will against my husband. So, Lord, I promise not to reproach him anymore and offer myself for his sanctification.
Tony: (In prayer) Lord, forgive my immense pride. As reparation, I have the opportunity to offer myself in all the reproaches my wife makes towards me. Don’t hold it against her and accept my sacrifice for her salvation and for Your greater glory.
(And both accepted the cross and sanctified each other).

Mother,
Let us live persecutions in your Heart. Praise be to the Lord who wants to strengthen and purify our love.

What a “jackpot”. Reflection for marriages Matthew 19 27-29

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GOSPEL
“Will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
From the Gospel according to Matthew 19:27-29
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit e unternal life.”
The Gospel of the Lord
What a “jackpot.”!
If you want to be rich, immensely rich, we know a system: Come help in the Project for  Conjugal Love. Because this is a ” Project” for the “rich” and, moreover, you will make some very good contacts…
It’s a Project for the “rich” because there are many here who have given up a lot to be able to help marriages and families together with other couples, and all those who give themselves are receiving a hundred times more (you can ask them). 
You also make good contacts, the most influential ones, not because this Project is elitist, which it absolutely isn’t, but because this Project belongs to Mary (first super contact) and I won’t even begin to tell you about the contacts She can introduce you to. 
So, come to the Project for Conjugal LOVE and you’ll hit a big jackpot…
And if you don’t like it, there are many other projects within the Church where you’ll surely “get rich” because they also give you a hundred times more.
Applied to married life:
Alex: Anna, what would you say has come from regularly collaborating with Project for Conjugal love?
Anna: To start with, a huge change in our marriage. A wonderful family of spouses who give themselves with great joy. The luxury of being on the front row witnessing the conversion of hundreds of marriages and people, and the rescue of hundreds of families… And you?
Alex: In addition to what you’ve said, we’ve learned a lot about the truth and greatness of marriage and family. We’ve also met many incredible priests, we’ve grown much closer to Mary and the Lord, we’ve learned to live a Conjugal spirituality in which we share our faith together… And it has helped us integrate more into our parish and collaborate in it, taking advantage of everything we’ve learned and experienced.
Anna: We give many thanks to God, because He has given us much more than a hundredfold.
Alex: Infinite thanks, Lord.
Mother,
I love being in Your Project. Blessed are you, Mother.

Go after the lost sheep.Reflection for marriages Matthew 10; 1-7

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GOSPEL
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
From the Gospel according to Matthew 10:1-7

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: First, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Go after the Lost sheep
To whom does Jesus send His Apostles? To the lost sheep, which means, to those who do not deserve it.
This is the way we should love our spouse. If I wait for him/her to deserve it, I will no longer be a messenger of Christ.
Applied to Married Life:
Jhon: I’m tired of her. It’s always the same old story and nothing changes. I want to give up and stop fighting to build a communion with her.
Anna: But listen, it’s now, precisely when she is not being faithful to her promise to give herself to you, that the Lord asks you to love her more and to rescue her.
Jhon: Yeah, it’s easy to say, but if it were happening to you, let’s see how you would act.
Anna: The fact that I might do it wrong should not console you. Doing what the Lord asks of you, with His grace, is what will console you.
Jhon: Ok. And if I don’t do it, how can I hold my wife accountable? I am also failing in our commitment. Thank you, mentors, for being our guide.
Mother,
We are sent to rescue our spouse, especially when they are lost. May we be faithful to our mission. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Good news! Reflection for marriages. Matthew 9:32-38

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GOSPEL


The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few
From the Gospel according to Matthew 9:32-38

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
The Gospel of the Lord

Good news!

To help sinners, Jesus takes the following steps: 1. He goes out to seek them; 2. He acts with courage; 3. He proclaims the good news to them; 4. He heals them; 5. He instills hope in them.
There may be His disciples who: 1. Stay back; 2. Do not speak of God out of fear; 3. Offer solutions based on their own criteria; 4. Give an endless diagnosis, highlighting all their faults and sins; 5. Show them the difficulty of the path that lies ahead.

Applied to married life:

Myriam: Forgive me, husband, because I realize that with you I am not being a good Christian.
Peter: Why do you say that?
Myriam: Because I am always criticizing everything you do wrong, and I distance myself from you because sometimes are very anoying. 
Peter: Well, it’s also true that there are times when I am anoying.
Myriam: Yes, but I should be like Jesus: Come to you in your worst moments, talk to you about the good news of God’s plan for you, give you love to heal your pain, and give you lots of hope. And I see that I do just the opposite.
Peter: How good that you have realized  that, it’s because the Lord wants to change your heart into His Heart. That is very good news!
Myriam: Thank you, husband, IS It you who really are the good news.

Mother,

In this Project of Yours, you have wanted our path to be converted by showing greatness and beauty. Praise be to the Lord and His wonderful kingdom.