GOSPEL

Herod ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem. Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew 2, 13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.

Word of the Lord.

New “Herods”.

Today we celebrate the day of the Holy Innocents. Today we learn that holiness is a gift from God and does not depend on our “merits,” although we should be ashamed every time we speak of them. These children are reigning with the Father, and we could say that they have done nothing to deserve it. They suffered martyrdom, but it was against their will and they could not prevent it. The fact is that they have already participated in the death of Jesus and now participate in His resurrection by pure Divine Grace.

But in the end, God is God of everything and everyone. That defenseless Child Jesus is saved, because God saves him, thanks to Saint Joseph, His Custodian, who protects him by doing what He dictates. Let us do the same with our children, whatever God tells us to do.

Applied to Married Life:

Ramón: How are you, Marta. I haven’t seen you in a long time. Are you not coming here anymore?

Marta: No, we changed the children’s school.

Ramón: And why is that?

Carlos: We didn’t like the environment or the education they were receiving. Even though it was a religious school, Eucharistic celebrations were not frequent, nor were there acts of penitence… and what was taught was not in full communion with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I want my son to be happy, and I know that he will only be so if he follows the path of truth. So, if they are showing him a somewhat misguided path, I will do whatever it takes to ensure that my son is saved. Then come the disappointments and tears, as has happened to my neighbors when their oldest daughter came in the door with a suitcase and two small children, because she can’t stand her husband anymore and is separating. Poor neighbors, poor daughter, and poor children. They have a rough road ahead. We are praying a lot for them and trying to redirect the situation, because they have no idea how to love or what marriage is.

Ramón: Hey, but going back to the school, what you’re telling me is very interesting. Please, tell me, tell me about the details you discovered about the education at our school and also tell me about the school you are taking them to now…

Mother,

The new “Herods” are killing the consciences of children, distorting God’s law. They want to show a god that is not God and a love that is not Love. Mother, we are willing to do everything for the salvation of our family and our children. Praise be to the One who is the Truth. Amen.

GOSPEL

They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first.
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 20:1a, 2-8

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

The Lord’s word.

Why do you believe?

Today we celebrate the day of Saint John the Evangelist, known as the beloved disciple. Why did John believe in the resurrection? Because of the clues he saw in the shroud that wrapped Jesus’ body. Experts say that the correct translation of the Gospel would be the following: “Simon Peter following him entered the tomb and saw the shroud unsoiled, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the shroud but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.” In other words, what John saw is that all the cloths in which they had wrapped Jesus were there, just as they had put them, and that’s impossible unless the resurrected Jesus passed through the shroud and the cloth on his head without untying the tight knot that was used to close the mouth of the deceased.

They were not irrefutable evidence, but they were clues, and John believed in the resurrection. Billions of others have believed after him, maybe also because we have perceived some indication that made us believe.

Applied to married life:

Andrew: Laura, why do you believe?

Laura: I have had many experiences with the Lord. I have experienced how the Father loves me, how he has taken care of me, and how Jesus intervenes in my life and transforms me and those around me. And you?

Andrew: I would almost say I believe because of everything, but if I have to choose something, I would say it’s because I know how our marriage was before I found Him, and I clearly see that a miracle has occurred between us. Before our conversion, nobody thought our marriage would last.

Mother,

I believe that you were the first to believe. Blessed are you. Thank you for going before us in everything, blessed Mother.

GOSPEL

It will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Reading of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 10:17-22

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.”

The word of the Lord.

The Key to Life.

Following Jesus commits us. We will encounter many difficulties on the path of the Lord, but as He himself says, “The one who perseveres will be saved.” The key lies in perseverance. Let us talk about it.

To persevere is to remain steadfast in my Project of Love, even when circumstances are adverse or goals are not being fulfilled. In love, perseverance is called faithfulness, and it is the key to Life.

I am responsible for persevering in love, and that is what I will be judged for, because that depends on me. The one who perseveres will save their marriage and save themselves. Therefore, for this coming year, there is only one key: perseverance. Take heart, spouses!

Applied to married life:

Antonio: Look, Teresa, I know I’m not doing it all right and that I keep messing up. I see you affected by my lack of tact all the time, but I can assure you that I love you.

Teresa: It’s just that I don’t understand why you don’t take it more seriously. I tell you the same things many times and you ignore me.

Antonio: I know, Teresa, and I’m sorry. But I want to keep fighting to love you better. That’s all that matters to me in life because, besides, it’s the only true legacy I’ll be able to leave our children: to be a witness of God’s love between us. I can guarantee you that I will keep fighting to love you better because I love you.

Teresa: I know, Antonio, but many times I don’t appreciate you either. I just hope that in those moments, you recognize it and ask for forgiveness.

Antonio: That’s what I will do.

Mother,

Help us to persevere, even when we believe that our Project of Love is impossible, that we do not give up, and that we continue to fight for what God asks of us: to love each other as He loves us. That is our mission, and He never stops loving us, no matter what we do. Help us, Mother, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOSPEL

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

It has changed the world.

Dear spouses, the Truth and grace have come to us through Jesus Christ. He became man and sanctified our daily lives. He elevated what had no value and gave it infinite worth. Now we can be conformed to Him and be saved in Him. Now we can embrace Him and kiss Him in heaven, for our God is also human. Glory to God and His loving designs.

Applied to married life:

Martin: Susana, Christmas should change our lives. Don’t you think so?
Susana: It should, Martin, it should. But it should have been the same last year, and the year before…
Martin: Yes, but perhaps because we don’t receive the Child Jesus with faith. Maybe because we don’t embrace the grace that this brings to us. I think we lack faith.
Susana: That might be true. Let us prostrate ourselves before the Child and ask Him for that faith this year. What do you think?
Martin: Sounds perfect to me.

Mother,

You know well how the world changed with the coming of Your Son. May we receive Him this time. Praise be to the Child Jesus!

GOSPEL

You will conceive in your womb and bear a son.

From the Gospel according to Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord

Holidays or Christmas?

Due to one woman (Eve), we lost the original innocence that allowed spouses to see each other, as the Creator sees us. Through another woman, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, who initiates this missionary project of Marital Love for Marriages, it becomes possible in Christ to recover, through the revelation of the Word and the action of the Holy Spirit, that way of seeing each other.

Mary, mediator of God’s mercy, “Mirror of justice and cause of our joy.” In you, He wanted to recreate everything anew and and set forth on the path of eternal forgiveness (“Gate of heaven”). Everything had to begin again in you (“Queen conceived without original sin”), and thus, you became the second Eve (“Mother of the Church”). Once again, a sinless woman willing to obey (“Virgin most faithfull”) to pave the way to the New Covenant (“Ark of the covenant”). In you, out of pure love, God pours out all grace (“Mother of divine grace”), even God Himself is given to us through you (“Mother of Christ”). Mother, you are such a great gift to all of us that we cannot help but thank God for you (“Virgin most renowned,” “Queen of the family,” “Queen of peace…”).

Applied to Married Life:

Victor: Happy holidays!

Martha: No,Victor, no. I want to celebrate Christmas, not just “holidays.” Because I was struggling in our marriage: I felt lonely, helpless, tired of everything, depressed. But then, I took hold of Mary’s hand by consecrating myself to her and placing everything in her hands. She led me to Jesus, and I regained enthusiasm; I no longer felt alone, gained renewed strength, received His grace, and was filled with hope. My Mother brought me to Jesus, and He transformed my life, completely turning things around— my perception of marriage became a divine calling, my self-control improved, I became more open to His will, my perspective towards you, my husband, shifted, and my life expectations expanded significantly… This is the Christmas I want to celebrate. God is born in my heart to make everything new. God is born in our marriage to bring us salvation. God is born in the world to redeem it.

Mother,

Intercessor of all graces, we give thanks to God for the gifts He has granted you to intercede for us. From here, we also wish you a joyful Christmas Eve. It wasn’t a very pleasant night for you, but then Christmas came. God never disappoints, and neither do you. Thank you, Mother!