Monthly Archives: July 2025

What Is It That Truly Wears You Out? Reflection for married couples: Matthew 11:28-30

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GOSPEL
‘Come to me, all who labour.’

Matthew 11:28-30

At that time: Jesus declared, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

The Gospel of the Lord

 

What Is It That Truly Wears You Out?

We are right in the middle of summer, and online searches for hotels and holiday cottages are in overdrive. Everyone is looking for a place to unwind. And yet, so often we return home just as exhausted and overwhelmed as before. So, what’s the solution? Another holiday as soon as possible? Not quite…
Perhaps we’ve never paused to ask ourselves: What is it that truly exhausts me? Where am I really seeking rest?
Jesus tells us we will find rest by learning from Him — by becoming gentle and humble of heart. So if true rest lies in virtue, could it be that what drains us is sin? Could it be that the heaviest burden of all is our own self-love?
Let me never seek rest in a place, Lord, but always in You. 

Grounded in Married Life

Michael: I honestly can’t wait for the holidays. I’m running on empty. I just need everything to stop — the workload, the endless messages, this frantic pace of life… I’m counting down to the 1st of August, disappearing somewhere peaceful, breathing properly again, and finally resting.
Paula: Oh love… that’s still two weeks away. What are you going to do in the meantime?
Michael: I don’t know… what can I do?
Paula: The other day I read something that really struck me — that real rest isn’t just physical, but rest for the soul… and that it’s found in the Heart of Jesus, when we become gentle and humble like Him.
Michael: So you’re saying what wears me out isn’t the work itself, but the way I carry it?
Paula: Exactly. Sometimes the real exhaustion comes from not loving, from needing to control everything, from pushing ourselves too hard. What if you tried to rest today — without waiting for the holiday? Maybe just spend a few quiet minutes in prayer?
Michael: Oh Paula… what would I do without you?
Paula: And what would I do without you?

 

Mother,

You didn’t just seek rest in God — you were rest for God.
Teach me to live in You, and like You.
Praised be the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary!

Little, but Very Close. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 11:25-27

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GOSPEL

‘You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children.’

Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus declared, ‘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 the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
The Gospel of the Lord

Little, but Very Close

Lord, today You show me that in order to truly know God, we must become small—humble. How well You know us! When we discover the gifts You’ve given us and misuse them, we begin to think of ourselves as “wise and learned,” and how easily pride and arrogance creep in. And from there, envy, anger…
The same happens in marriage—how often do we think we’re better than our spouse? But You ask us to be humble, small, in need of one another. That’s how You designed it—that we would need each other. And in that mutual fragility, if we lean on one another with humility, if we welcome and support each other, then little by little we grow in knowledge of one another. And from there arises the union, the Communion we are called to.
But the road isn’t easy. We can’t do it alone. That’s why You come to meet us, and through our Sacrament You give us the grace and strength to overcome our pride. Little by little, You reveal Your humility to make us small—yes, small, but united, close together.
Today, as we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we look to our Mother’s humility—may she teach us how to live it.

Applied to Married Life:

Julia: It’s terrifying! It’s only been three months since our “Marital Love Project” retreat, and now we’ve got to present the catechesis at our next group meeting… But we don’t have a clue what we’re doing!
Anthony: Honestly, yes—it’s a bit overwhelming. We’ve got no theological training. Some people in the group are really knowledgeable…
Julia: True, but they’ve told us not to worry—that all we need to do is read the catechesis, pray it together over the course of the month, and try to live it out.
Anthony: That’s what they always say—it’s not meant to be a lecture. And that’s a relief! We’re definitely not “lecture” material, haha.
Julia: No, but we are excited! We’ve started something new and beautiful. So we’ll just keep going as we have—living what the catechesis invites us to in the small things, day by day. Leaning on couple’s prayer and the sacraments.
Anthony: That’s true. Everyone who’s shared before us has simply explained how the catechesis helped their marriage—how they applied it to daily life. It was very experi… what’s the word?
Julia: Experiential, Anthony… experiential! And we already have experience—these past three months: praying together (which we never did before!), noticing how we treat each other differently, look at each other differently… and especially how we’ve come to know one another—and the Lord—through our couple’s prayer.
Anthony: You’re right. What a gift! And there’s still so much more to learn, to live, to pray… We have so much to thank the Lord and Our Lady for. They’ve truly rescued us.
Julia: Yes—thank you, Lord. Thank you, dear Mother!

Mother,

Thank You for this path You’ve inspired in the heart of the Church. Thank You for Your “yes” and for the “yes” of so many couples who make Your project possible.
We praise You and give thanks, Lord, for giving us Your Blessed Mother!

Every Gift Comes with a Task. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 23:8-12

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GOSPEL

‘The greatest among you shall be your servant.’
Matthew 23:8-12

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’

The Gospel of the Lord

Every Gift Comes with a Task

Jesus rebuked the cities where He had spent the most time, performed the most miracles, and poured out His greatest efforts—because despite all this, they still refused to change their lives and walk in the light of Christ.
Something similar can happen in marriage: Christ reveals to us the truth and beauty of married love, pours out His merciful, life-giving love through the Eucharist, and insists—gently but persistently—through the teachings of Saint John Paul II, calling us to a life of self-giving and welcome. And yet, many hearts remain hardened, unmoved by the grace the Lord lavishes upon us.
Jesus warns us that the judgement will be harsher for those who have received more light than for those who never knew it. So every gift we receive must lead to a response: first, the task of purifying our own hearts, and then of giving freely what we have freely received—wherever our Blessed Mother sends us.

Applied to Married Life:

Edward: Evelyn, every time we help out at a “Project for Marital Love” retreat, I can’t help but see how mediocre our love can be. We witness real miracles in the couples around us, and yet we remain stuck. We haven’t made that firm resolution to love each other in everything.
Evelyn: Edward, it’s the fourth time the leaders have asked us to help prepare a catechesis, and every time we’ve said no. Everyone says that preparing one, though it stirs things up, ends up uniting them more deeply—it forces them to live what they speak.
Edward: And we only manage to pray together as a couple when everything feels fine. But there are so many days we don’t bother.
Evelyn: That’s true. When we do pray together properly, it really helps me to understand you and to think better of you. I believe the Lord keeps giving us opportunities—even miracles—to push us to walk this path with humility and willpower. But we still choose half-measures, and we stay stuck in pride and stubbornness.
Edward: I love you so much, Evelyn. It pains me to hurt you… and to hurt the Lord. I’m going to call the group leaders and tell them we’ll prepare the next catechesis—and we’ll start praying together properly again. I need your help to persevere every day.
Evelyn: That’s such a beautiful thing to hear. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of this husband you’ve entrusted to me.

Mother,

Thank you for never tiring of saying to us, “Do whatever He tells you,” so that we might be made new, like the finest wine at the wedding in Cana.
Blessed and praised be the Lord.

Not without you. Reflection for married couples. Matthew 10:34-11:1

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GOSPEL

‘I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.’
Matthew 10:34-11:1

At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
  ‘Whoever receives you, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.’
  When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
The Gospel of the Lord

Not Without You

In our daily lives, we often find ourselves concerned with our relationships—with our parents, wondering if we’re doing enough for our in-laws, if we’re truly looking after them. We think about our siblings and how wonderful it would be if they discovered the journey of faith we’re on…
But where is the Lord in all of this? And where are we? Do I truly know myself as a child of God and act accordingly? Do my spouse and I live as children of the Father?
Today, Lord, You remind us that above all else—and before dealing with anyone—we must begin with Love. That means living as Your children. As spouses, let us come before You together, as children of God the Father. You have promised to pour out Your grace upon us through our sacrament.
So, if I struggle to love, let me love with Your love. If I long to persuade someone, let me ask the Father in Your name. If I am hurt by how others treat me, let me offer it up to the Father as You did.
Before going anywhere ourselves, may we go in Your name, with You, and through You.
Through Christ, with Him, and in Him, to You, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Applied to Married Life:

Frank: I keep wondering if I’m loving my mum enough.
Angela: Why do you say that?
Frank: I don’t know if I’ve been visiting her as often as I should. It’s been a while since we saw her.
Angela: I think we visit her enough—if we don’t make time for us and our home, then when do we?
And just like that, Angela and Frank realised they were both acting on their own personal criteria. So they decided to take it to prayer.
The next day, after having prayed about it, they each decided to focus more on the other than on themselves…
Angela: Shall we go see your mum this Sunday? I know I need to love her, even when it’s hard for me.
Frank: Thank you so much, love. I know it’s not easy for you, and I really appreciate it. How about we have lunch with her, and come home a bit early so we can still go for a walk together—just the two of us? How does that sound?
Angela: Oh, that sounds perfect!
Both together: Thank You, Lord, for revealing Your will when we place things in Your hands.

Mother,

Thank You for showing us the way, for reminding us we are Your little children, always in need of the Father’s love.
Praised be the Lord!

Loving You in My Husband. Reflection for marriages. Luke 10:25-37

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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

Loving You in My Husband

Today, Lord, You show me how I must give myself, how I must love. To love You above all things with all my being, and my neighbor as myself.
And who is more myself than my own flesh? My husband. Through our sacrament of marriage, we are no longer two, but one flesh.
And in that flesh, I must love You by loving my spouse. Loving him always and above all else, in every circumstance, and especially when he is blinded by sin or wounded. When he least deserves it, he needs me the most.
I know this is impossible for me, but not if I live by the grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony: for You, with You, and in You, because with You, all things are possible.
Thank You, Lord, for the grace You grant us through our sacrament. Praised be Your name.

Applied to married life:

Tessa: (in prayer) Lord, You know that I give myself to others through various church activities, but today I feel You are asking more of me. That You want me to love first and foremost in my domestic church, that I give myself to my husband as You give Yourself to Your bride, the Church.
I ask You, Lord, for Your grace, because many times it is difficult for me. Because I don’t see my husband as my neighbor, but as a rival, an enemy I must defend myself against. Cleanse my vision, Lord, and give me Your grace through my Sacrament. Amen.

Mother,

Thank you for showing us the path of conjugal charity. Blessed are you forever. Amen.