Gospel 

If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. 
From the Gospel according to Luke. LK 11:15-26
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Finger Against Tools

The devil relies on his tools, which are primarily temptations, but he also creates confusion between spouses, complications designed to weaken us, like social pressures and trends… But do not worry. The reign of God has come, and the finger of God is stronger and will take away all the tools the devil trusted in.

Applied to Married Life:

Adele: There is no communion between us because there is so much disagreement. As soon as I say something, you immediately say the opposite. When will we reach unity of will? 
Declan: I don’t know. I wish I could see things as you do, but if I don’t, should I stay silent? Or is it better that I offer my perspective in case it might help our discernment? I believe God takes these different views into account, and from our communion, His will must emerge. 
Adele: You’re right. I think what God wants is for both of us to be willing to surrender our wills, so He can overcome any temptation the evil one may be placing to divide us. 
Declan: Completely agree. I love that you see it this way. Well, at least this time we are not in opposition, right? Haha. 
Adele: No, not this time. Haha.

Mother
,
May we use God’s tools to overcome the devil and his tools. Praise be to God, who rules with His mighty finger.

Gospel

Ask and you will receive.

From the Gospel according to Luke. LK 11:5-13Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

The Gospel of the Lord.

To a greater extent.

We can receive the Holy Spirit to a greater or lesser degree. It depends on our spiritual journey, on our openness to receive Him within us. In some way, the Spirit gradually takes possession of our soul to the extent that we ask for it and make space for Him.
First, He illuminates our understanding through charity; then He begins to take possession of our will, which is converted to justice through fortitude. Our emotional layer becomes filled with hope through prudence, and our sensory layers align with the vision of faith through temperance.
In the end, we see through faith, feel through hope, and act through charity. In heaven, we reach the beatific vision of God, which illuminates and transforms everything fully in Him.

Applied to married life:

Luke: Do you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in you more and more?
Laura: Absolutely. First, through the insights He gives us in our knowledge of the Lord; second, because I see a transformation in us; third, because I see how He works in others through us, and most of all, because we love the Lord more and more, and we love each other more and more.
Luke: Yes, we do notice it. I felt I wasn’t noticing His presence at all. Forgive me, Holy Spirit, for not being more attentive to Your action in us.

Mother,

Send us the Holy Spirit and help us prepare our souls to receive Him. Praised be He forever.

Gospel.

Lord, teach us to pray
From the Gospel according to Luke. Lk 11, 1-4.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 
Give us each day our daily bread. 
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. 
And lead us not into temptation”.

The Gospel of the Lord.

As Part of You

We have a very “individualistic” view of prayer, but prayer is always in community. It seems that we address the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit personally. The reality is that the Father gives us everything through the Son in the Holy Spirit, and all our prayers reach the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Our prayer as the Body of Christ, as the Church, is united with Christ’s prayer to the Father and is made possible by the action of the Holy Spirit within us.
In this sense, there are people who do not understand marital prayer because they consider it should be something personal. But we ask ourselves: Is it possible, as spouses who are one, to pray without considering that we are one? Furthermore, is it possible to pray without considering our prayer as part of the prayer of the Church as the Bride, united with the Bridegroom to glorify the Father?
I may physically be alone, but can spiritual individualism exist? Our final destiny is the communion of saints. Let us move in that direction.

Applied to Marriage Life:

Alfred: When I stand before the Lord in prayer, I cannot present myself without considering you, without considering that we are one. Even if you are not by my side. Similarly, how couldn´t I have Jesus in mind when I speak with Mary or the Holy Spirit when I speak with the Father.

Carmel: I love the awareness of our vocation that the Spirit has given you, living marital spirituality in this way. That is something I need to learn. I find it hard to live contemplative prayer while experiencing myself as part of you.

Mother,

We unite ourselves with Your Son in His priestly prayer when He asks the Father that we may be one as You are one. Praise be to God, one and Triune.

Gospel.

Martha welcomed him. Mary has chosen the better part.
From the Gospel according to Luke. LK 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

First, “to be.”

As much as we may want to, what we can offer to the Lord is not comparable to what He can give us. In fact, He is more pleased when we receive the nourishment He offers us than with anything we might do for Him. For this reason, we have this principle: “To be, before doing.” Only if we ARE Eucharistic Spouses, we will be able TO BE Missionary Spouses, and in this way, we will carry His Word for the sanctification of many spouses who are busy with many things but, at the same time, they are lost like sheeps without a Shepherd.

Applied to married life:

Charlie: I have so many things to do that I don’t have time to pray, and when I do pray, I get distracted thinking about all my pending tasks. 
Margy: You don’t have time for God, nor do you have time for me. That is what happens when we are consumed with worldly things, which are vanity of vanities. In the end, pride takes hold of us because we believe we are indispensable, but the truth is, when we die, the world goes on as if nothing happened. 
Charlie: I understand what you’re saying, and I think you’re right, but how do I stop this whirlwind of a life I’m living? 
Margy: Your work is important, but I suggest you set a schedule and be inflexible with it because the rest of the time is needed for the only thing that is necessary. That’s how the Lord refers to that time with Him and with me: The only necessary thing.

Mother,

With each passing day, we are more aware of the fact that the Lord is the only thing necessary. Everything else will be given to us in addition. Praise be to the Lord, who gives Himself to us without measure.

And who is my neighbor?
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Marital Mercy

Mercy can stop when your spouse is no longer in need. As long as he/she is getting knocked around by life and temptations… he/she needs me. So what should I give him/her? A piece of advice? Nah. I need to give what can really help him/she recover. Maybe some affection, a word of encouragement, or maybe even offer myself to God for them.

Putting it into a marital context:

John: Today, my wife woke up all anxious because she says things aren’t going well between us. I’ve tried to cheer her up, but that hasn’t worked. I made her breakfast and did some chores, but that didn’t calm her down. Lord, I offer myself for her. Give her peace and let me take on her nervousness. I’ll try to recognize what she feels it´s my fault, even if I don’t see it or understand it. Hopefully that helps.

Mother,

Show us the way of merciful love between spouses. Thanks, Blessed Mother.