GOSPEL

“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

From the Gospel according to Mark 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

The Gospel of the Lord

What a Fence

We have the bad habit of creating isolated Catholic communities, movements, or associations that build fences to keep people from leaving. This happened even in Jesus’ time, and it was Christ Himself who did not stop them and encouraged them to continue. He was always open to letting anyone who wanted to leave freely do so… What matters is Christ. We are saved in Him, and everything else is not as important.

Now, we all follow the same Christ. We say we love all parishes, we love Opus Dei, no better or worse than the Neocatechumenal Way, and we have such high regard for Alpha Groups, the Charismatic Renewal, Emmaus, and so many wonderful religious institutes…

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for so many great inspirations that help people come to the Lord. The cornerstone, the Alpha and the Omega.

Applied to Married Life:

Louis: There is a couple from our movement who has started the Project for Conjugal Love in their parish to deepen their understanding of their vocation.

Martha: How wonderful. That enriches both our movement and their parish. And you know what I found out?

Louis: What?

Martha: That several people who started the Project for Conjugal Love and then joined our movement. And lots of others, who were previously away from church are coming back to the parishes.

Louis: Blessed be God. I’ve heard that they say the groups following the marriage itinerary are not theirs; they are parish groups following that method. They don’t even know how many couples there are.

Martha: I love the unity, richness, and openness of our Holy Mother Church.

Mother,

May we not take ownership of Your children. And if You have a better path for someone, we pray they find it soon. Blessed be the Holy Mother Church that makes us one and whose heart nourishes our spirit.

GOSPEL

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all”

From the Gospel according to Mark  9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Crossing the treshold

Jesus announces the cross, and His disciples understand nothing. They couldn’t imagine that glory is not the result of a discussion among them to see who deserves more or who imposes themselves over the others. Glory is a fruit of the cross, and the cross means giving oneself completely. Everything! Not wishing to defend myself, not wishing to take revenge, not accusing the one who despises me… Why? Because it is the way of the Lord, and that path allows me to be with Him first and to be in Him afterward.

Do I complain about being on the cross? I am no longer in Him because He does not complain. Do I get tired of being on the cross? I am no longer in Him because He remains in the Blessed Sacrament and enclosed in the Tabernacles long before I was born, and He will remain there long after I die.

But who lives the cross like this? Only the one who loves the Lord more than themselves, and that is a grace from God.

Applied to Married Life:

Martha: I still do not love the Lord more than myself, because I keep complaining about you, I am still hurt by what you say, and I react against you in my heart or even in word or deed.

Charles: We ask the Lord to allow us to cross the treshold of the cross, the one that separates the altar of sacrifice from everything else.

Martha: We ask this of you, Lord.

Mother,

We want to be the last, the servants of all. Ask the Lord for this grace for us. Praised be He forever.

GOSPEL

“Behold your son. Behold your mother”

From the Gospel according to John  19:25-34

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

The Gospel of the Lord

Your mother is my mother.

Today we celebrate the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. It might seem that this Gospel should end right after the verse where Jesus tells John that Mary is his Mother. However, the Gospel continues until the death of Jesus and the moment when His Most Sacred Heart is pierced, from which the Church emerges in the form of blood and water.

And why is this? Because Mary is the Mother of the Head of the Church, and therefore, in that moment, Mary also becomes the Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, the Mother of the Church, from which all the children of God will be born through baptism.

I gaze in admiration at Jesus in the Eucharist and ask Him: How far have You wanted to involve Yourself with humanity that You submit to the Motherhood of a human mother for eternity?

The Love of God remains a mystery difficult to fathom for someone as small as me. I want to delve deeper into Your Heart, Lord.

Applied to Married Life:

Cristina: Look, I married you, not your family.

Julian: Look, Cristina, it’s clear that you didn’t marry my parents, but by marrying me, you accepted my past, my present, and my future. And that very much includes my parents.

Cristina: of course, Julian, that sound lovely, but the reality is that your parents are your parents and mine are mine. Everyone has to handle their own problems. You know?

Julian: Look, you are a very devout woman. So I ask you to contemplate Christ. He marries humanity and accepts a human Mother, and names her the Mother of all the children of God. And God Himself accepts her as Mother and doesn’t say to Jesus, “Hey, she’s your Mother, and only yours.” Being One, He also accepts her as the Mother of God. We need to learn from Christ the Bridegroom to be good spouses. And I’m the first one, okay? Because I’m the first to admit that I don’t give myself like He does.

Cristina: Yes, let’s learn from Him. But in every way, okay?

Julio: In every way Cristina, in every way.

Mother,

Congratulations, Mother, thank you for welcoming us all as your children and for being the best Mother. The best! Blessed are you, Most Holy Virgin Mary.

Gospel

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.Receive the Holy Spirit.

From the Gospel according to John. Jn 20, 19-23.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

In capital letters.

In the beginning God breathed into us the breath of life. We were a piece of animal flesh, but God breathed into us a human spirit, a soul capable of hosting heaven. But we decided to use our intelligence, our freedom and our will to compete with God on the path of self-sufficiency. 

Then Christ breathes into us again a breath of Life, this time even more relevant, this time it is “in capital letters”, because he breathes into us a new Spirit, also “in capital letters”. This time it is eternal life, this time it is the definitive life, this time it is the Infinity, this time there are no limits. This time, aiming for the highest is no longer a presumption and becomes virtue, magnificence. 

Yes, it is in us, it is part of our soul. May we not live as if it was not there. 

Applied to Married Life: 

Maria: Why do you write today’s title in capital letters? 

Joseph: Because today I want to talk to them about Life “in capital letters”, what they can really live in their marriage, so that they do not aspire to anything less. What would you tell them from your experience as a Wife? 

María: Well, you already know that I am of few words. I rather listen, hear the Word of God and keep it in my Heart. 

I speak to you who listen to this message: Fall in love with the Love that God has for you, so that you end up in love with Him. When you discover the immense force of attraction that the Sacred Heart of Jesus experiences for you, you will be filled with joy. Your sorrows will end. I tell you this because I have Jesus here by my side, sitting next to me, and I see how he looks at you and how his heart burns for you. And I tell you: Blessed are you if you do what I tell you, because the Spirit of the Lord lives in you. 

And you, Joseph, what would you say to them? 

Joseph: Well, in imitation of Your delicacy, I will speak to them and say: To you who listen to me I tell you to be attentive so as not to interfere or stop the power of the Spirit in your soul. Forget your plans, your reasons, your desires… There is Someone in you called “Love of God” ardently wishing to lead you to become one with Us. Don’t you notice his strength? Be more attentive to Him and you will notice how He guides you. I’m telling you, I did it. 

Maria: Let’s hope, Joseph, that this time they listen to us and live the consequences of understanding our message. 

Joseph: This time yes, Maria, we ask the Father for them. 

Mother, 

Thank you for having received the Holy Spirit upon you and having opened the way for the indwelling of the Spirit of God in us. We welcome Him into our hearts today. Praise be Him, by us, for eternity.

Gospel

It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and his testimony is true.

From the Gospel according to John. Jn 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”
So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?”

It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Three Phases of the Path

On the path towards God, I begin by obeying the commandments, which means doing good in a human sense. Next comes detachment from all creation: the material (“Sell everything you have and give it to the poor”) and the immaterial (“deny yourself”). Once these steps are taken, the path culminates in self-surrender: it is the moment of “Follow me.” At this point, we no longer look at others or their paths; we look at Jesus, only Jesus, until it is no longer I who live, but He who lives in me.

Applied to Marriaged Life:

Lola: I don’t understand. If by God’s grace I no longer commit mortal sins and I have renounced all my whims and earthly desires, why can’t I achieve full communion with you? 

Peter: We are missing one thing, Lola. We need to renounce our own criteria and even our honor. We continue to argue, convinced that we are right, and we keep demanding what we deserve as spouses… We remain stuck in ourselves. 

Lola: Of course, and as long as we want to be the protagonists, we don’t let the Lord be the protagonist. 

Peter: Exactly, Christ cannot live in us if we do not allow Him to do so because we are too confident in our own criteria. That is what we are missing.

Mother,

Here we are, still striving to follow Him without looking sideways. Thank you for helping us, Mother.