If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 19:16-22

“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

The Gospel of the Lord

Perfect Marriage

Love God above all things. That’s the first commandment, and it’s not easy to follow if we consider the consequences it could have on my life. The greatest love is shown when I give up something valuable because of that love. The key is: everything is a gift from God. If God gives it to me, praise be to Him; God takes it away, praise be to Him.

Priests and those who are consecrated give up marriage and family for the Kingdom of Heaven. This high-value sacrifice, made out of love for the only true Spouse, shows the relevance of the gift of celibacy or virginity they’ve received. But what about me as a husband? Am I willing to give up the gift of my marriage out of love for the only Spouse? That’s how you live marriage as a Sacrament of the Spouse’s Love. In this way, a husband who has been abandoned by his spouse can still aspire to live a truly dignified, valuable, fulfilling, and holy marriage out of love for the Spouse, even in the absence of his partner. Let’s not take this privilege away from them. Yes, it’s not a tragedy—it’s a very special privilege that God grants to a few to restore the true value of the Sacrament of Marriage according to God’s love for us.

Applied to married life

Carmel: I’ve realized that I was becoming too attached to our marriage, which is why I was so demanding about your behavior towards me.

David: I have no idea what you’re trying to say.

Carmel: Well, marriage is a vocation that involves giving myself to you out of love for Christ. If I’m putting conditions on our relationship, it stops being about giving out of love for Christ and starts becoming an attachment out of self-love.

David: So that means I should be willing to give up living in true communion with you out of love for Christ.

Carmel: Wanting that communion isn’t bad, but ultimately, the love between us is a gift from God. If we want this love to be perfect, we have to be willing to give up physical love for a greater Love, which is spiritual in our giving ourselves to the true Spouse. Look at the love Christ received in His earthly life, to the point where He was crucified—and we’re talking about the Master of all husbands.

David: With that mindset, there’s no such thing as a bad marriage.

Carmel: Exactly. Spouses who are willing to give up everything are the ones who can live a perfect marriage.

Mother,

Pray for us in our marital love.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

From the Gospel according to John
Jn 6:51-58 Continue reading →

Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 19:13-15

Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

The Gospel of the Lord

All or nothing.

Back in Jesus’ time, children had no value.

They weren’t even considered people, to the point where they were called “slaves” and “children” interchangeably. That’s why the disciples kept them away so they wouldn’t bother Jesus.

But Jesus surprised everyone by saying, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like children.”

God has a special place in His heart for those considered “nothing.” As St. Paul says, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; what is weak to shame the strong; what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are” (1 Cor 1:27-28). Therefore, “to be everything, don’t try to be anything in anything” (St. John of the Cross).

Applied to married life

Clare: I’ve spent my whole life waiting to be valued by you, and now it turns out the way is to be nothing.

John: Well, to me, you’re everything, even if I don’t always prove it.

Clare: Don’t worry, honey, sometimes the Lord allows me to feel unappreciated, even though I am, so I can love through the trial.

John: So, let’s keep trying to be nothing so that the Lord can place us where He sees fit.

Clare: Amen.

Mother,

God saw Your humility; help us to become small too, so that God can do great works in us.

Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

From the Godpel according to Matthew 19,3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”

He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”

He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”

His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

The Word of the Lord

Let him understand the greatness.

Marriage is something truly great. It’s God’s invention to make us His image and likeness in this world. Marriage allows us to become one, just as They, the Holy Trinity, are one. And the seal that God uses to unite us is the Holy Spirit, none other than the same Love that unites the Father and the Son. The same Love that made Christ one with humanity.  It’s too powerful for us to be doubting this amazing gift.  Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.

Applied to married life

Luke: Honey, we’re not really making the most out of our marriage.  

Mery:  You’re the one not making the most of it, since you never listen to me. There’s no real connection between us because you don’t understand me or even know me.  

Luke: I know I have many flaws, but despite that, God wants to build a true communion between us. We can’t limit ourselves because of our own shortcomings. We have to aim for what God can do between us, rather than what we can do on our own.  

Mery: Then I guess I’m lacking faith.  

Luke: We both are, yes. But let’s not shut ourselves off from God’s work. Let’s keep fighting with everything we’ve got and stay hopeful. The Holy Spirit will work through our Sacrament. You’ll see.  

Mery: Well… I’ll listen to you.  

Luke: But without dwelling on the dark past and with joy, okay?  

Mery: Okaaay.

Mother,

You who started this Project of Love between us, bring it to completion and fullness. We ask you with hope in God’s Love. Praise be to Him for sharing it with us.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke

LK 1:39-56

Mary set out

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months

and then returned to her home.

The word of the Lord.

The Reward for Your “Yes”

What a beautiful day we celebrate today, Mother. The day you were assumed into heaven to be with Your Father, Your Spouse, and Your Son, perfectly united in full communion for all eternity. It is the reward for Your “yes.” We, too, have said “yes,” and we long to be together with you one day. Grant us this desire, Mother.

Applied to married life:

Andrés: It’s true that we have crosses in our lives, my love, but our mission isn’t to avoid them—it’s to love through them, just as Mary did.

Goretti: It’s comforting to know that these pains are temporary. The ones that hurt the most are when your loved ones don’t love you back, but they’re also the most joyful because they bring us closer to the Lord and His sufferings.

Andrés: Yes. We want to stand at the foot of Christ’s cross, like Mary and with Mary. The rest is in God’s hands.

Mother,

Congratulations on the day of Your Assumption. Thank you, Mother, for wanting to stay close to us. Amen.