From the Gospel according to Luke 10:17–24

The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

”At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Eternal Joy

Today, Jesus, You lead us into a deeper mystery of our vocation and reveal to us a great truth: “our names are written in heaven”. What greater certainty could we have?

Our name carries with it our story, our wounds, our hopes, our desires, our littleness and our vulnerability. Everything is known and loved by You, because we are held within Your Heart.

And this is the root of our true joy. A joy that does not depend on our successes, our achievements or everything going well for us. Nor does it disappear when we fall, when we are wounded or when we carry our crosses. Because, above all, we have the certainty that we are deeply loved by You.

And from that love, You invite us to live with trust, with a simple heart open to Your will, learning each day to love as You love.

Lord, may our joy not be found in what we achieve, but in knowing that we are loved by You. May this certainty sustain our lives and help us to live with grateful, humble and trusting hearts, learning each day to love with Your own Heart.

Brought into Married Life:

Lucy: Henry, what a shame… After preparing the catechesis with such enthusiasm, only three married couples came…

Henry: Yes, but perhaps we shouldn’t focus only on the numbers. What if the Lord wanted something else, Lucy?

Lucy: That’s true. While we were preparing it, we prayed together, shared so much, listened to one another and discovered things in our marriage that needed to change.

Henry: Exactly. We thought we were preparing something for others, but the Lord was working in us.

Lucy: Then it’s clear, Henry, that we cannot measure God’s work only by the results we can see.

Henry: No. We want to see everything straight away, but God works little by little and in silence.

Lucy: Then let’s keep trusting Him and doing our part.

Henry: Exactly, Lucy. May our joy not come from filling a room, but from continuing to walk together, trusting in Him and knowing that our names are written in heaven.

Mother,

Help us to trust in Your Son and not to measure His work according to our own standards.

Blessed and praised be the Lord for ever.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 18:1–5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

Little

When the disciples ask the Lord who is the greatest, they probably expect Him to speak about greatness, power or recognition. But the Lord places a child in their midst and completely changes their perspective: in the Kingdom of God, the greatest is the one who makes himself small.

To make ourselves small means recognising that we need God and also others (who are a means through which God reaches us), especially our spouse. A child does not try to control everything; rather, he trusts his father and is willing to be taught.

In marriage, we often want to be “the most important”: to be right, to have the other person acknowledge our efforts, to have things done our way… And without even realising it, we enter into a struggle over who is more in the right.

Today, the Lord shows us a different path: to make ourselves small before our spouse. The way forward is to allow humility towards our spouse to reign in our heart, rather than self-love.

Am I able to ask for forgiveness without waiting for the other person to do so first? Can I admit when I am wrong? Can I listen without already preparing my reply? When one of us makes ourselves small out of love, we do not lose; quite the opposite, we gain: we grow in humility and our marriage gains too, because it is strengthened.

True greatness lies in the simple things we do each day with our spouse in mind: listening to them, helping them, asking about their day… In this way, we allow Christ, in His humility, to reign between us.

Brought into Married Life:

Nathan: Maggie, could you pick the children up from school today? I’m really pushed for time.

Maggie: Nathan, I’ve got loads on as well… I took them to school this morning, I’ve done the shopping, and I still need to get dinner ready.

Nathan: I know, but I have to finish this before six.

Maggie: Nathan, it always seems as though what you have to do is more urgent or more important than what I have to do…

Nathan: Yes, I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m only thinking about what I need and not about what you need.

Maggie: No, you forgive me. I could make myself small now too, instead of getting into the whole “I do more than you” argument.

Nathan: All right, darling… How about I pick the children up today while you get ahead with dinner?

Maggie: That sounds good. And this evening, if you’re really tired, I’ll take care of the children’s baths.

Nathan: I love that! See? In the end, it wasn’t about who was right, but about who was willing to make themselves small out of love for the other.

Maggie: Nathan, now you really are right!

Mother,

Help us to be like children: simple, humble and trusting in our Father.

Praised be the Lord!

From the Gospel according to Luke 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you, 
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day 
than for that town.”

Set Out on the Way!

“Set out on the way,” the Lord tells us. Husbands and wives, set out on the way and proclaim My Kingdom! Proclaim that it is possible to live the Kingdom of God in this life. It means renouncing my selfishness, my pride, my own way of thinking and the ways of the world, and living life and marriage as God intended.

At times, we may feel like sheep among wolves, as though we are going against the current, and we may be afraid. But if God is with us, we have nothing to fear. Let us trust in Him!

Let us remain firm in the Faith, live in a state of grace and turn to His Sacred Heart. There we will find strength and consolation. God alone is enough!

Brought into Married Life:

Charlotte: Luke, once again we’re going against the current. Mary told me that all her friends are going to a party. She explained it to me, and to be honest, I don’t think it would be wise for our daughter to go.

Luke: Have you explained our reasons to her?

Charlotte: Yes, and for now she has accepted them. You know that, thanks be to God, she is docile. She loves God and wants to live her Faith. But the world has such a strong influence, and it frightens me.

Luke: But Charlotte, we have to let go of fear, trust in the Lord and pray constantly. God does not abandon us. He sends us out like sheep among wolves, but He is our Shepherd; He lays down His life for His sheep.

Charlotte: You’re right, Luke. I’m the one allowing myself to be influenced by worldly ways of thinking. Our true strength is in God.

Luke: Exactly. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Charlotte: Thank You, my God, for my husband.

Mother,

Mary, our Mother, you who gave us Jesus, teach us to live His Kingdom and to bring it to everyone.

Blessed are you!

From the Gospel according to Luke 9:57–62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Forward with You

My good Jesus, these words are painful: “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” You are God, and yet You feel so alone. We get caught up in our own lives and forget about You most of the time. How often we turn to You only when we need something!

And You suffer greatly. But You suffer for us, not for Yourself, for You have fullness with the Father and the Holy Spirit. You suffer for us because You know us, You created us, and You know that we cannot be happy if we are concerned only with our own affairs, those things we consider so important.

You know that our happiness lies in receiving Your Love, in knowing that we are infinitely loved by You. We need to be loved, and the only love that can truly fill us is Yours.

And we need to love. Yet we can only love truly if we renounce our self-love, allow ourselves to be filled with Your love, and love as You love. For this, You have given us our spouse, our suitable helpmate, so that we may learn how to love.

This is what You urge us towards in today’s Gospel: to learn to set our priorities properly, to put first what truly matters in our lives — You, our life of prayer, the Sacraments and sacrifice, and our self-giving to our spouse.

And You call us to look ahead, to leave the past behind in the Hands of Your Mercy, and, with urgency, to begin a new life with You. A life made new each day.

Brought into Married Life:

Lucy: That’s enough, Luke! Stop thinking only about yourself! You don’t help me at all!

Luke: You’re so demanding! You never stop asking things of me!

(After their prayer together as a married couple)

Luke: Lucy, I want to ask your forgiveness for leaving you to deal with everything at home. I’m truly sorry for being so focused on my own things.

Lucy: Thank you so much, Luke. Forgive me for being so demanding. I don’t put myself in your shoes. You don’t do it out of malice; you simply don’t realise that I need help. And because of my pride, instead of asking you calmly, I keep quiet until I explode.

Luke: No, poor you. The truth is, I spent many years not paying enough attention to you. And now, even though I’m trying to be more attentive, I still get it terribly wrong. I really will try to do better.

Lucy: How grateful I am to the Lord! Since we began walking this path of prayer and the Sacraments, formation and acts of love, He has been able to carry out His work in our hearts. Before, it was all selfishness. Each of us was convinced that we were right. How proud we were! Now, aware of our littleness and weakness, we are trying to seek only the will of God. And although we still fall sometimes, His Hand is already becoming visible. Thank You so much, Lord! Thank you so much, Luke!

Mother,

Please help us to listen to God, to recognise our poverty, and to receive the love of your Son, so that we may love one another as He loves us.

Blessed and praised be God!

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Seeing Him in the Little Things

How could we recognise the Lord if we were to pass Him in the street today? If we do not have a life of prayer, if we do not spend time with Him each day or have a real relationship with Him, it will be very difficult for us to recognise Him. That is why it is so important to stay close to the Lord and to receive the Sacraments. Knowing Him is not only a matter of understanding, but of relationship: spending time with Him, speaking to Him and listening to Him. He is a friend who wants to be part of our lives, but we must allow Him to enter them.

We need to be attentive to all the little gifts He gives us each day. When we get up in the morning, we can thank God for our spouse, for the new day, and ask Him to help us keep Him present in every moment. Only then, when our life becomes a constant prayer, will we be able to enjoy His presence at all times: in the small and hidden things, and also in the great things, when they come.

Brought into Married Life:

James: Do you know what happened to me today? I ran into David, and he had to stop me because I didn’t recognise him.

Charlotte: David? I don’t remember him…

James: Yes, Charlotte, that lad we invited to our wedding, the one who had a house in the mountains. We used to make lots of plans with him during the first few months of our marriage. He always surprised us because he changed girlfriends as often as he changed shirts…

Charlotte: That’s right! He was such a lovely person. But he was so lost, poor thing. We used to talk to him so much, but in the end, very politely, he basically told us and the rest of the group to get lost…

James: It’s incredible. Twenty years have gone by already. From the little he told me, he’s had a rather difficult life and it has taken its toll on him. We’ve arranged for him to come round for dinner one evening.

Charlotte: It would be lovely, James, if you could rebuild that friendship. I’m sure he would appreciate having a friend who listens to him. If he was the one who stopped you, it’s because he needs it.

James: Well, he told me I looked exactly the same as ever and asked whether I was following some sort of beauty treatment. I told him I was, and that our treatment consisted of spending time every day with a very good Friend, telling Him everything about our lives: the good things, the not-so-good things… and that, because of that, we don’t carry around great burdens and we are so happy. He laughed for a while, but it certainly made him curious.

Charlotte: Just look how beautiful that is. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help him draw close to the Lord again.

James: How good the Lord is!

Mother,

Help us to carry the Lord in our hearts at every moment and to discover Him in every detail of the day.

Blessed and praised be the Lord!