To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

When you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Reading of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke 21:29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Stages of love.

When we begin to see the fruits of love growing between us, then we are drawing near to the kingdom of God. The Lord opens the doors of heaven for our souls to progress in an intimate relationship with Him. He always waits for us, and we wait for Him together.

Applied to married life:

Antonio: I’m reading “The Interior Castle,” and I realize that practically everything St. Teresa applies to the path of union with God must be in accordance with the path of union between us.

Mónica: Ah! That’s interesting that there are dwelling places in our journey towards Conjugal Love.

Antonio: Yes, in our relationship, there is also a purgative, illuminative, and unitive stage. And, moreover, they go hand in hand with the stages of the spiritual journey. We cannot move on from the purgative stage if we have not also overcome that stage between us.

Mónica: It makes perfect sense. That’s why some people try to progress towards the Lord and cannot because they are not faithful to their marital vocation.

Antonio: Exactly.

Mother,

Help us so that there may be fruits of unity between us. Thank you, blessed Mother, for not abandoning us on this path of marriage as God intended.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
Reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd:

“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Great Opportunities.

Naturally, we do not like the idea of being persecuted. It can cause fear or concern about jeopardizing our honor. Being alone, ridiculed, perhaps even slandered can befall us.

But the Lord gives another interpretation that can only be understood from a perspective of faith: they are opportunities to bear witness. Few occasions are as powerful as those moments that initially seem like great failures but over time reveal themselves as the actions of the Spirit through the saints.

Applied to married life:

Laura: At this rate, we will end up being martyrs. For now, we are ridiculed by many, going completely against the current.

Juan: It certainly seems that way, Laura. But martyrdom is the shortest path to total union with Christ. If God wills it, we hope to embrace it as the gift that it is.

Laura: Yes. It is a heroic act that clearly cannot be achieved on our own.

Juan: That’s why the martyrs have sustained the Church from the beginning, starting with our Master who gave His life for His Church in obedience to the Father. For now, my plan is to initiate small “martyr-like” acts in our relationship, surrendering my honor in every opportunity that presents itself to me. I hope God helps me because, for me, it is impossible.

Laura: It seems like a good plan for this Advent. May the Lord help us.

Mother,

A sword pierced Your Heart, making You the Queen of the Universe. Thank you for your witness, dear Mother.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

There will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down..

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 21:5-11
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Ex-Botox.

We are in the era of inconsistencies. There are more and more beauty clinics and gyms to take care of the aesthetics of the body, but at the same time, the body is increasingly profaned as a temple of the Holy Spirit. In the time of Jesus, it was votive offerings to beautify the temple, and now it’s Botox to beautify the temple of the body. But the Lord directs us all to the end, to the ultimate goal. Attention is being focused on the superficial. The temple of the body is truly beautified through communion between people. If I love my body, I shouldn’t worry about how wrinkled it gets or when its end will come. Let us not panic, because decay and death must come so that the kingdom of God can come definitively. That will indeed be beautiful, and muscles and renewed skin will have no value there. There, we will be examined for the beauty of our soul, a soul that only grows and beautifies when it loves. Here at Proyecto Amor Conyugal, we work for the beauty of the souls of spouses. And it’s free. Are you interested?

Applied to married life:

Alicia: Look, Juanjo, look how many wrinkles I have! I should have gone to the hair salon weeks ago.

Juanjo: You look beautiful, Alicia. Your soul shines even more, and it enhances your body. I don’t know anyone who has the kind of gaze you have: Clean and pure. And I don’t know anyone with a more beautiful body than yours: A body that gives itself every day to the point of exhaustion. And your smile? Incomparable. It radiates joy. Every day, you become more beautiful, to me and to God.

Alicia: Really? Don’t you think I look horrible?

Juanjo: I promise you, I like you more every day.

Mother,

Let us focus on where true beauty lies, within ourselves. Praised be the Lord, who beautifies us from within.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

He noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 21:1-4

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.

He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Of what I need.

In this Gospel passage, Christ once again reminds me that I do not have the authority or necessary tools to judge anyone. But there is something else that strikes me: the value of what the elderly woman gives is measured mainly because what she gives is all she had to live on. She doesn’t give out of her surplus, but out of what she needs for herself.

I can give from what I have left after reserving what I am entitled to, or I can give from what I legitimately deserve and need. Giving what I need, surrendering what I need and what I am entitled to. That is the true value of giving, and in marriage, we have many opportunities to do so. May the Lord, who sees us, be amazed at how we give ourselves, and not just the leftovers.

Applying it to married life:

Marriage Mentor: How was yesterday? Did you overcome the temptations of the devil in the difficult circumstance you were facing?

Carlos: It went well, thank God. Carmen brought up the same issue again and started giving reasons to defend her position, as she always does. Usually, I respond with my own reasons and the atmosphere starts to heat up, because it’s a topic that, as you know, has left us resentful. So, I gave up the need I felt to defend my reasons in order to safeguard our relationship and avoid conflict with her.

Marriage Mentor: And did that help overcome the temptation in the moment?

Carlos: At first, it seemed like it did, but then she started to be bothered by my silence. She took offense at my silence and became more and more nervous, repeating phrases I had said in previous arguments, until she ended up offending me and getting angry with me.

Marriage Mentor: What did you do then?

Carlos: I love her so much that I understood her pain. So, I gave up my need for justice and sacrificed my honor for her well-being.

Marriage Mentor: Blessed be God. You have given much, and therefore, you have loved much. It is the power of your sacramental marriage that made it possible.

Carlos: I’m sure I didn’t do it with my own strength.

Mother,

Saint Teresa of Calcutta put it very simply: Give until it hurts. Let my sacrifice for my spouse be felt, so that I know I am giving beyond what I have left. We offer this to you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

To see upcoming RETREATS AND MISSIONS click HERE

GOSPEL

He will sit upon his glorious throne, and he will separate them one from another.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Represents Christ.

When facing an exam, oh, how much I would have liked to have had access to the questions in advance! Right?

Well, Jesus loves us so much that He gives us the questions for the most important final exam we will ever face. I will be examined on love, and Jesus wants me to pass in order to enter eternal life with Him in His kingdom.

For me, as a spouse, this Gospel shows me how to live out my marital vocation well because, everything I do to my spouse, I do to Christ. In my eyes, my spouse represents Christ on Earth.

Applied to married life:

Mery: Joseph, I thank you for saying yes to the Lord; thanks to that, my life is fuller. We have been praying together for years, getting to know each other and deepeing our knowledge of God.

(Thirsty) Joseph: Mery, thanks to you because, I was thirsty for your love and didn’t know it. I wanted to see you happy and didn’t know how to make it happen. You knew how to help me delve into the truth. You knew how to wait for me patiently. You gave my soul what it needed.

(Stranger) Mery: Joseph, thank you for helping me integrate into your family of origin. How difficult it is for some wives when the families of their husbands treat them like strangers, intruders who are unnecessary and not considered friends or family. In contrast, you took care to speak well of me to your parents, giving me a preferential place and always having all kinds of details to make sure I don’t feel alone and to make me feel you by my side.

(Naked) Joseph: Mery, I realize that you have the most positive view of me among all the people around me. You always excuse me, always convey hope when I go astray. I always find in you a support, a hand to hold onto when everyone else has withdrawn theirs. I can bare my soul to you, without fear of being harshly judged.

(Sick) Mery: I greatly value how you are always by my side in sickness, taking care of me, while I have seen other husbands abandon their wives fed up with having to endure their health problems. Blessed are you, because every time you did it for me, you did it to Christ.

(In prison) Joseph: Blessed are you, because every time you saw me imprisoned by my sin, you didn’t criticize me, you didn’t underestimate me, you didn’t beat me down thinking about the harm I was doing, but you thought of me and helped me to free myself. Every time you did it for me, you did it to Christ.

Mother,

Pray for us so that each day we may love one another, drawing us closer to Christ, living the love of communion to which we are called from the beginning, when we were created. There is no better destiny for us. The Lord loves us deeply. Praise be to the Lord.