“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.’”
These are the main reasons for our Programs: to protect the dignity of marriage, to bring couples hope and to give them good strategies to grow together. This world does the opposite—encourages them to separate and to divorce and teaches them how to harmonize their egoisms, not how to be a gift of self for the beauty of their spouses.
“Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Peter approached Jesus and asked him, ‘Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.’” (MT 18: 21-22)
This is the daily life within the family: “my brother sins against me.” It could be my brother or my sister, or it could be my husband, who forgot about our wedding anniversary, or about my birthday, or about something else, and the list could be very long and detailed. We can make our marriage and our family a place of forgiveness and reconciliation when we start to practice saying: “I am sorry” and when we do not end our day without forgiveness.
“Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (MT 18: 19-20)
When we listen to these words, we think naturally about a married couple who pray together for their children, for their future plans or for their friends. We know that the most difficult part is “together,” “agree[ing[ on earth about anything for which they are to pray.” “To pray together” is based on “to be together” or to “stay together;” in one word—on their rituals. The more rituals and the more concern they have about the quality of their time together, the easier and the more natural it is for them “to pray together.”
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (RV 12: 1)
From the beginning the Church recognized in Our Lady in this narrative. She is not only the mother of Our Lord but also His first follower, the most dedicated disciple. She is a sign for us, an example and a teacher—how to love Our Lord, how to follow Him and how to live in His presence all the time.
“Mary is taken up to heaven; a chorus of angels exults.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly, to love and serve the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD which I enjoin on you today for your own good?” (DT 10: 12-13)
God, Who is love, expects from us exactly the same: “to love and serve the Lord.” And like God, Who is all love, we also can love “with all our heart and all our soul.” This way we not only imitate His love but also reach our identity, like St. Maximilian, who gave his life “to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“God has called you through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.” (MT 14: 22-23)
Everything in Our Lord’s life was based on His relationship with His Father. Prayer before action, prayer after action and action focused on His mission—remind us of our dignity, our mission and the purpose of our lives. We need moments of solitude to be alone with Him. Sometimes it could be in an evening, sometimes during the day or sometimes at its beginning; any moment of our lives is good to be with Our Lord—“my soul waits for his word.”
“I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for his word.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (MT 17: 20)
Normally, we understand that if we can’t do the “impossible,” it is because “of our little faith.” And that is true. But Our Lord teaches us that faith can grow and shows us a faith like a seed. It is our responsibility to find a way our faith can grow–what will help us to grow. Wherever there is life, there is always a space for growth.
“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (MT 16: 24-15)
We found Our Lord: we know where He is, and we follow Him. The next step is: “whoever wishes to come after Our Lord must deny himself and take up his cross.” We follow the Lord, who gave His life for us and for our salvation, so we also want to “lose our lives for His sake to find it.” Like in marriage—whoever wishes to be served and to be a receiver rather than a giver will lose his/her relationship, but whoever wishes to be a sincere gift of self rather than a demander will find a joyful relationship and happiness.
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” (JN 12: 26)
Our main concern should be to “follow Him,” which requires us to know where Our Lord is. We know some very obvious places like churches and tabernacles, the Church and the sacraments and the bible and the rosary, but also: people in need and the small ones, with whom Jesus identified Himself. He will tell us what to do; He will lead us to heaven, and we “will have the light of life.”
“Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life, says the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel about the land they had scouted, saying, ‘The land that we explored is a country that consumes its inhabitants. And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants (the Anakim were a race of giants); we felt like mere grasshoppers, and so we must have seemed to them.’” (NM 13: 31-32)
The Lord said to Moses: “Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites.” Canaan, the Promised Land (“which I am giving the Israelites”), was a place where the Lord took them from slavery in Egypt. Because of “discouraging reports” and opposition to God, His plan was delayed for 40 years. When people don’t trust God, correct His plans or reject them, they put themselves in trouble. We can see this by looking at what happens with the dignity of marriage and family when people reject God’s vision for marriage. God’s vision for the Isrealites was fulfilled, but it cost them one year for each day of disobedience.
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.” (Gospel Acclamation)
