At that time: The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’
  In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
  Then turning to the disciples he said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’

In today’s Gospel, the Lord brings us back to the truth so that we don’t lose sight of what truly matters—our gaze always fixed on Heaven, on Christ. Let us direct our eyes to the source, not to the consequences. How often we find ourselves delighting in the transformation of so many marriages when we collaborate on a “Marriage in Christ” retreat, and yet the Lord gently refocuses us: back on Christ as the origin and the goal of everything we live. “Where are you placing your joy? In the ‘success’ you see in the mission I have entrusted to you? Do not anchor your joy there, because there will be times when you won’t see the fruits. Place your joy in this: that your names are written in Heaven.” This is a joy that wells up from within, because we are filled with the Holy Spirit; we are indwelt by the Spirit, and our love as husband and wife becomes a reflection of the love of Christ. Living this way in truth turns our homes into a true Kingdom of God, bearing fruit and becoming a light for all around us. We can look today to Saint Francis of Assisi: though highly esteemed among his peers, he left everything to give his life to the poorest of the poor, rejoicing simply because his name was written in Heaven.

Applied to Married Life

Isabel: Peter, while I was praying with today’s Gospel, I was thinking… do we really live the joy of belonging to Christ in our marriage?
Peter: That’s such a good question, Isabel. Sometimes I think we do… but I also think we often let the worries of the day steal that joy. Yet when we pray together, when we go to Mass, when you serve so tenderly, I feel that joy—I feel Christ present in us.
Isabel: I feel the same. When you embrace me with patience—even when I’ve been unbearable—that’s when I sense a joy that doesn’t depend on whether the day has been good or bad.
Peter: You know, my love, I think we lose that joy most when we focus on ourselves instead of on Him. But when we put Him at the centre, everything changes. Even our difficulties take on meaning.
Isabel: Yes… I notice that when I pray for you, my heart changes. I’m filled with gratitude for having you. That’s where the joy of belonging to Christ is—in giving, in serving, in forgiving.
Peter: That’s beautiful. I have an idea: each time one of us feels the joy slipping away, let’s remind each other of Christ’s promise—that our names are written in Heaven.

Mother,

thank You, because through the infinite mercy of Your Son Jesus, our names are written in Heaven. What a consolation to know we are known and loved by God! Blessed and praised be the Lord.