Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 9:1–6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
The Only Bag We Need
Jesus calls the Twelve together and sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We too are called and sent. As married couples, we have a beautiful way of evangelising: by showing the beauty of our vocation and making God’s Love visible.
When a married couple remains united to the Lord through the Sacrament, their human love is gradually transformed into a divine love, becoming a mirror in which the world can look and discover how God loves. That visible love is the only bag we need. Our true strength lies not in what we carry in our hands, but in our union.
How beautiful it is to be able to evangelise together, showing our love and bearing witness to the work God is doing in our marriage!
What is it about marriage that enables it to represent God’s love here on earth? What a great mystery! What greatness!
Today, during this little time of prayer, I ask myself: Can someone encounter Christ by looking at our marriage?
Lord, make us a living sign of Your love.
Applied to Married Life
Christine: Were those Anne and Louis sitting at the table next to us?
Oscar: Yes. We hadn’t seen them for such a long time.
Christine: But they seem like completely different people… They were on the verge of separating. They used to say there was no hope for their marriage…
Oscar: Well, look at the change in them. I wouldn’t have given them a chance. I was surprised because she even said to me, “Now we thank God even for that difficult time.”
Christine: For that difficult time?
Oscar: Yes. She told me that it was precisely then that they discovered they couldn’t do it on their own, and they began to let God into their marriage.
Christine: Well… I don’t know exactly what God has done with them, but you can tell He has done something… and something very beautiful!
Oscar: What do you think about giving them a call and arranging to meet up another day, so they can tell us about it?
Christine: Yes. Something has stirred in me too… Perhaps we also need to make a little more room for the Lord.
Mother,
How beautiful it is to have you in our marriage too. Blessed are you!