“But he said in reply to the one who told him, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.’” (MT 12: 48-50)

Different kind of relationships: as a sibling or a child; important is that Our Lord wants to be with us in a relationship which is based on family. Not only a friend or neighbor—this relationship is temporal, but with your family, you are always connected, you are always in a relationship. Our Lord wants us to be connected with Him in the most familiar way; He is not only my Lord but also my brother.

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’” (MT 12: 38)

They “wish to see a sign from Him” not to believe, but to see miracles, to experience something special. It is like expecting from our spouses to see how much he/she loves us, instead of being focus on what we can do for them. True faith or true love is when we are givers of selves, not demanders.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’’” (MT 13: 29-30)

One of my the most favorite parables; the parable is about patients, reality, longanimity, prudence, and kindness. It is about seeing what is invisible (‘An enemy has done this’) and protecting what is fragile and could be easily destroyed (“if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them”). When we use the strategy form this parable we can defend our spouses faster and easier.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.” (MT 12: 14-15)

Not every place, every job, profession or environment is good for us, for our vocation or our identity, for our marriage or family. When we reflect, when we ask the right questions, when we build the right environment and are supported by others and support others, we are able to “withdrew from that place” and start a new one.

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.” (MT 12: 1)

Thank God, it’s Friday 😉 It is not only the name of an American restaurant but also a common phrase in our vocabulary; the weekend is coming! And we collect our “hunger” to answer to them. And this is a very good option to reflect on our hunger—it is a hunger for a good relationship, time with my beloved one, or other things. The quality or kind of these hunger will show me my hierarchy of values.

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Come to me, everyone who works and you are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (MT 11: 28)

We have our own strategies when we need to rest. Some of them are very healthy (going for a walk, spending some time in nature, listening to classical music, taking a nap, meeting a spouse or calling a friend); some are not healthy (drink alcohol, play a game on the computer, etc.). Our Lord reminds us that the best rest comes from Him: a moment of meditation, a moment of prayer, adoration or Holy Mass is not really an action, it is a moment of presence in His presence, it is a moment of not being doing. And it is most important for us to relax – to immerse in the silence of His presence. We are human beings above all, not human doers.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” (MT 11: 25)

I like children and I like childlike. I like their world—their enthusiasm, simplicity, trust, and joy. I like how fast they forgive, how fast they came back from tears to smiles, how much they love, and express their love. How amazing our world could be when we will be more childlike and less serious to each other.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.” (MT 11: 20)

This is why we write every day our gratitude on paper. To see how many amazing, “mighty deeds had been done” in our lives to be grateful, to be thankful, to repent, and reorganize our lives for deeper love and the stronger gift of self. Those who are grateful are respectful of “His mighty deeds.”

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.” (MT 11: 1)

For Our Lord, the most important time was with His Apostles. He gave them instruction, He explained to them everything, He taught them and “gave commands.” “When Jesus finished” “he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.” We have ourselves as spouses, as the most important people. This is our vocation, our identity, and our way to holiness and to heaven. When our relationship is the most important we are making our lives right and in order.

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables…” (MT 13: 1-3)

On one side we have the truth to say, on the other side we have the way in which the truth should be said. Both are important. Sometimes we need to say something by action, sometimes by “parable,” sometimes using metaphor or an example. There are many ways to say something. The same we see in marriage—so many ways and languages to tell your spouse how much you love her or him. Be flexible, be creative, and always reflect which way is the best for your spouse, not for you. Your spouse is the receiver of the message, you are the sender. Good communication is when the receiver understood the message, not when the sender sent an announcement.

“The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower. All who come to him will have life forever.” (Gospel Acclamation)