From the Gospel according to Luke
8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Look how you shine!

The evangelist recounts these words of Jesus after speaking about the coming of the Kingdom and how we must welcome it into our hearts. The Kingdom is Christ arriving in our lives. Christ is that light which radiates from the lamp. A light not meant to be hidden, but to be lifted high so that it may brighten every part of our reality and transform it. Only the light of Christ can heal the wounds that hurt us so deeply, and only the light of Christ can bring us to the fullness to which we are called in our vocation as spouses. When marriages live under that light, we become that burning lamp which Jesus uses to illuminate the world. Without that light, the world cannot see, cannot understand; its heart grows increasingly dull until it even loses what it once thought it possessed.

Brought into Married Life

Rachel: Luke, we need to pray for Laura. Today, after Mass, she came to me in tears and said that watching us receive Communion together with such tenderness made her remember her broken marriage and how deeply she feels the loss.
Luke: We will pray for them. Nothing is impossible for God. We too could have lost everything if Christ, through His grace, had not enlightened us. In that way, He revealed what we were doing wrong and showed us all that He had in store for us.
Rachel: It’s true… Your relationship with your family caused so many arguments and wounds… we could have lost it all!
Luke: I give thanks to God for lighting up our lives each day.

Mother,

Lead us to your Son, so that His light may shine upon us and show us what we must change within ourselves, that our lives may give glory to God. Thank you, Mother! Praised be the Lord!