GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 11:45-56

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him.
But some of them went to the Pharisees
and told them what Jesus had done.
So the chief priests and the Pharisees
convened the Sanhedrin and said,
“What are we going to do?
This man is performing many signs.
If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,
and the Romans will come
and take away both our land and our nation.”
But one of them, Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year, said to them,
“You know nothing,
nor do you consider that it is better for you
that one man should die instead of the people,
so that the whole nation may not perish.”
He did not say this on his own,
but since he was high priest for that year,
he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,
and not only for the nation,
but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
So from that day on they planned to kill him.

So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews,
but he left for the region near the desert,
to a town called Ephraim,
and there he remained with his disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near,
and many went up from the country to Jerusalem
before Passover to purify themselves.
They looked for Jesus and said to one another
as they were in the temple area, “What do you think?
That he will not come to the feast?”

The Word of the Lord.

Of the righteous and the unrighteous.

The Spirit can speak even through the mouths of God’s enemies. It is significant that the High Priest, by virtue of his office, was a channel of God even when he was betraying Him. Such is the power of God that reigns over the good and the bad, the righteous and the unrighteous.

Applied to Married Life:

Luis: I find it difficult to believe that God speaks to me through you because I see your sin, since you have it just like I do.
Maite: I understand because I feel the same way.
Luis: But the reality is that it is He who has chosen you to be a minister of God’s graces for me. And that is why I should be attentive to God’s voice through you.
Maite: That’s a very timely reflection. Sometimes I dismiss what comes from you because of the way it’s said. I don’t see charity in your corrections, and I think they can’t come from God anymore. But this reflection makes me think.
Luis: God is God, and He manifests Himself through His ministers, whether they are saints or not.

Mother,

May we be more attentive to God’s action through our spouse. They are a channel of grace for me. Praise be to God.

GOSPEL

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 10:31-42

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.

Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.

For which of these are you trying to stone me?”

The Jews answered him,

“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.

You, a man, are making yourself God.”

Jesus answered them,

“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?

If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,

and Scripture cannot be set aside,

can you say that the one

whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world

blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;

but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,

believe the works, so that you may realize and understand

that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Then they tried again to arrest him;

but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan

to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.

Many came to him and said,

“John performed no sign,

but everything John said about this man was true.”

And many there began to believe in him.

The Word of the Lord.

Family in action.

Lord, thank you for the many good works you do every day in our lives. Indeed, they are the works of the Father, those and only those, because you always act in His name. Today I feel you asking me if I also behave like a child, doing the works of my Father. I thoroughly review these days and wonder about it. We too can do the works of the Father: I remember that husband, who had no faith. But someone whom God had placed in his path said to him, if you cannot pray, I will pray for you. After a while, inexplicably, that husband converted, and in what a way. His relationship with God became a priority in his life.

Applied to married life:

Carlos: For these days, I propose a family plan. We can do extraordinary things, if God wills it through us. We can do works that speak of God. What do you think? We can achieve love at home, being a “Family in action”: With you, wife, even when you are angry with me, or if it is me who gets angry… In every small detail of the home… When we talk with God and our children, who need to deepen their understanding…

Carmen: Doing works so that love and warmth reign in the home, creating an environment where everyone wants to be. This must be like a little piece of heaven for our family. A place where our hearts rest, where we share sorrows and joys, where our souls also rest in Jesus. Isn’t that the home of God? Those are the works of God that we can do in the family, and that demonstrate that we are His children.

Mother,

No one can tell me anymore that you do not exist because I have experienced Your action in my life. I know you are by my side. I know you lead me to your Son. Do not leave me, Mother. I live for you. Glory to God. Amen.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”

They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

The Word of the Lord.

God’s patience.

Far from feeling aversion towards non-believers or those who are distant, we should feel compassion. How much they would like to see what we see! And the tragedy is that they don’t see it.
On the other hand, we must be careful not to let the gift of faith go to our heads, lest we stop seeing Christ, as happened to the Pharisees who had the Son of God before them and, believing they already knew everything, only saw what the eyes of the flesh see.

Applied to married life:

Teresa: What have we done wrong? Our children still have one foot in the world.
Manuel: Well… I think it’s a matter of faith now. It’s not so much about insisting on what we’ve already told them many times.
Teresa: That’s true. We’re so eager for them to discover it and make a certain decision that sometimes we even exasperate them.
Manuel: That’s why I say, it’s better to pray and offer sacrifices for them and have the patience that God is having with them, as He did with us. It’s time to demonstrate our faith.

Mother,

The devil wants to instill pride in us so that we stop seeing with the eyes of faith. You, who by the grace of God are the Almighty Supplicant, deliver us from this evil. Amen.

GOSPEL

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.

The Word of the Lord

Trust in yourself.

Today we celebrate the solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the moment, it is surprising that this solemnity focuses on Joseph as a spouse. Today we especially consider the faith of this wonderful example of a husband and father, whose merits are very simple yet difficult. Simple because through faith he received the grace that allowed him to act holy in very tough situations. How important faith is to receive grace and be a good spouse.

Applied to married life:

Marcos: Prayer is so important to me. When I pray, I rest in God, in His providence. But it’s not enough to just be with Him in isolation. I only perceive that rest when I do it daily and almost constantly keep my gaze on God’s will. My day becomes ordered, my priorities, my decisions… everything falls into place. God already has it all arranged.

María: Yes, you’re right. It’s like we disarrange the pieces that God gives us to build His kingdom, and in prayer and before Him, they are reordered. It also helps me a lot that you are a man of prayer because it gives me confidence in you and your judgments.

Marcos: Thank you for your trust. Honestly, I wouldn’t trust myself if it weren’t for being close to the Lord at all times.

Mother,

May we learn to be spouses like Saint Joseph. God has mapped out the greatest path for each of us; it’s just a matter of listening to Him and following Him. Praise be to God, who loves us so much.