Gospel of the Day
Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 4:16–30
At that time: Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll, and found the place where it was written,
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
And he rolled up the scroll, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’
And all spoke well of him and marvelled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ And he said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “ ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your home town as well.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his home town. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’
When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up, and drove him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.
The Unappreciated Gift
This passage invites us to reflect on a common reality in married life: the difficulty of recognising the greatness and the work of God in those closest to us. Jesus is rejected precisely by those who knew Him from childhood. Familiarity prevents them from seeing what God is doing through Him.
In marriage, something similar can happen: over time, we stop “seeing” the other—their worth, their gifts, or even their suffering—because we take them for granted. “Love” (misunderstood love) can grow cold, not necessarily because of great problems, but simply due to routine, habit, and lack of wonder at the reality that our spouse is a precious creature and child of God. The Lord invites us to look at our spouse with His eyes—with renewed tenderness—valuing their story, their wounds, and their gifts.
It is beautiful to see in this passage how Jesus does not conform to the expectations of His people. In our married life, it is also vital to accept that the other is not exactly as I would like them to be, but as they are. To love is not to mould the other into my image, but to welcome them, accompany them in their journey, and give myself as I am, just as they are.
The violent reaction of the people against Jesus warns us of the danger of closing ourselves off to change, of not letting the Spirit confront and transform us. In marriage, this can take the form of pride, stubbornness, or fear of giving in. But mature love requires humility, listening, and openness to mutual correction.
Applied to Married Life
Julio: You know what? Since we did the Proyecto Amor Conyugal retreat, I’ve been discovering a Rosa that I was missing before. Now I see you more and more as a gift for me and truly my suitable helper in everything.
Rosa: How beautiful, Julio, thank you very much. I also try, although, as you’ve surely noticed, many times I don’t manage it and I fall again into the temptation of not looking at you with the eyes with which the Lord looks at you.
Julio: Well, I’m not perfect either, but I admit that as soon as I notice myself criticising you inwardly, the Lord gives me the grace to realise it, and I try with all my strength not to dwell on those bad thoughts. Sometimes I don’t succeed, and that’s when I mess things up and the arguments begin.
Rosa: That’s fundamental—trying to practise that self-control, which is so hard for me. When I don’t put a stop to it, all the past gets stirred up in me, and I don’t get out of my criticisms or bad thoughts toward you. The devil often traps me, and I fall into victimhood and self-pity, without noticing all the good things you do for me and for the girls.
Julio: Well, many times I don’t make it easy for you either. You know I’m not perfect, and when I think about it—even though you’re not perfect either—I realise how difficult I make it for you to reach that self-control and to rediscover the value I have in God’s eyes.
Rosa: Well, you’ve given me very good ideas: I’m going to start putting into practice what you said, and I’ll try to stop those bad thoughts from the very beginning and, instead, always try to see you as a gift for me.
Mother,
Help me to rediscover the value of my husband each day, to learn to look at him with your mercy, and to recognise that he is an instrument of God for me.
Praised be the Lord!