to ensnare him in his speech

“Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.” (MK 12: 13)

I do not believe that there is anyone who wants to be in this company: “some Pharisees and Herodians.” Those who spend days and weeks in training (“70 days around the world, his and her world” for example) to learn how to defend our spouses, knows perfectly how easy it is “to ensnare him/her in his/hers speech.” We know that it is never good, never leads us to good results, and it never makes us happy. On the contrary, whenever we defend our spouses (from our mistaken patterns of interpretation in our inner dialog) we grow in love, compassion, understanding, and in our bond with each other.

“May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.” (Gospel Acclamation)