GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 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 armour 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 word of the Lord

 

Are We Safe?

We might think that, by being closer to the Lord and having cleansed and ordered our soul, we are already saved. But in this Gospel, the Lord warns us of the danger that lurks—we must remain vigilant, live in a state of grace, frequent the sacraments, and be steadfast in daily prayer. For the devil, it is a great victory to make those closest to the Lord fall.

Applied to Married Life

Peter: Alicia, I’m feeling a bit disheartened. This morning, while getting the kids ready for school, I fell back into the same old habits from before our conversion—anger, shouting… I even threw Jaimy’s backpack to make him hurry up. I feel like everything I’m doing is pointless. What’s the use of praying and going to Mass if I slip up the moment I lose focus?

Alicia: Peter, that was this morning. When did you realise you were doing something wrong?

Peter: Right away. I picked up the backpack, handed it to Jaimy, and asked him to forgive me.

Alicia: And you think prayer and the sacraments aren’t working? Before, your bad mood would’ve lasted all day, and you’d have believed you were completely in the right. I think the devil is tempting you to fall into despair and stop trusting in God.

Peter: You’re absolutely right! And how quickly I fell… Thank goodness I shared this temptation with you—it’s helped me stop the spiral and renew my commitment to keep walking this path.

Alicia: As Father Jhon told us: “Temptation revealed is temptation defeated.” It’s so important to share what we’re going through—we truly are each other’s Suitable Help. And what a beautiful example you gave Javier by asking for forgiveness. The Lord is so good. Now let’s begin our couple’s prayer: “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”

Mother,

Protect us beneath your Mantle from the snares of the evil one. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Praised be the Lord!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:5-13

Jesus 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 word of the Lord

 

Ask with faith and perseverance

How clearly the Lord speaks to us again in the Gospel, and how clumsily we receive it. He tells us, “Ask and you shall receive,” but we could rephrase it as “Pray and persevere.” Prayer is so important for establishing a relationship with the Lord. Pray every day so you can ask God for what you truly need, and persevere so you may receive it. It’s that simple—but we often expect to receive without asking. And when we do receive, we think it’s because of how good we are or the good we believe we’ve done, forgetting that God gives us what we need because He loves us madly.

Marriage is the same way: ask your spouse, and because they love you, they will always give you the best. Let’s not forget—God unites us through the sacrament, and we have the grace to always give the best of ourselves.

Applied to Married Life

Ana: Andrew, how grateful we must be to God for our marriage and for everything He’s doing in us through the grace we’ve received since we began asking for what we truly need

Andrew: Yes, and in such a special way He’s granted it. Just look at the job I finally got after going through so much need and even thinking He wasn’t listening, despite how much I prayed.

Ana: And how well it suited you, and how much you’ve changed through that difficult trial. You went from despair and anger—thinking the Lord wasn’t hearing you—to gentleness and trust, realising that what you truly needed was a pause to reorder your life and redirect your way of thinking.

Andrew: The only thing I regret is how badly I made you feel, and I ask your forgiveness. I’m a new person now. I’ve understood that the Lord only wants the best for me and for us. It took me a long time to see it, but now I can only give thanks at all times.

Ana: How much the Lord loves us, and sometimes it’s hard for us to see it. It’s difficult to understand, but feeling so loved is amazing.

Andrew: We have to celebrate this every day, and today it’s my turn to give it all. Go rest for a while—I’m going to prepare a dinner that’ll make your mouth water.

Ana: I’m so grateful to the Lord for giving you to me, so I can be the happiest wife in the world. I love you.

Mother,

Thank you, Mother, for teaching us to ask for what we need, to seek with perseverance, and to knock always with the certainty of receiving an answer. Praise be to God.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had 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

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test.”

The word of the Lord

 

An Open Window

The disciples saw how often Jesus prayed—how He withdrew to quiet places and communed intimately with the Father. They realised that prayer was at the very heart of Jesus’ life, and so they asked Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” What’s beautiful is that Jesus didn’t give them a method or formula; instead, He began to pray Himself, allowing us to glimpse His precious Heart. Every word of the Our Father is a window into Christ’s intimacy with the Father. The Lord invites us into that same intimacy.

Jesus begins His prayer with a word that changes everything: “Father.” This awakens us to our true identity—we are beloved children. Contemplating this truth renews the heart: I am a child, in need of my Father, dependent on His love, His providence, His mercy, His protection… and so I throw myself into His arms and, like a little child, say: “Father, hold me—I’m tired! Guide me—I’m lost! Help me—I can’t do this alone!” By recognising this truth, we begin a relationship of love and intimacy, and the Our Father becomes the Heart of Jesus beating on our lips.

Applied to Married Life

Alfie: Eleonor, what do you think about praying together with the children before dinner?

Eleonor: I think it’s a wonderful idea—what better way for them to get to know the Lord! Then we can continue with our couple’s prayer, alright?

(Alfie and Eleonor persevered in family and marital prayer. Each evening before dinner, they read the Gospel and, like Jesus, prayed aloud to the Father. Little by little, their children learned to cultivate that intimacy with the Lord, which transformed their lives.)

Mother,

I love imagining your moments of prayer in Nazareth—with Jesus in your arms, repeating in His little voice the psalms and prayers you and Joseph would say.

Holy Family, make our home a school of prayer and love! Thank you, blessed Mother!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 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 word of the Lord

 

That never ends well.

Because of our fallen nature, we tend to judge others—and so much so, that we even try to get Jesus to take our side. In doing so, we may find ourselves acting like Martha, asking the Lord what He thinks about what our spouse does or doesn’t do, because we believe they should change and do things the way we do them. Martha couldn’t understand why Mary wasn’t focused on what she considered important, and above all, she couldn’t grasp why the Lord seemed unbothered by Mary’s attitude.

Let’s highlight two clear points here:

First, Jesus does not like us accusing one another in any way.

Second, Martha was mistaken about what truly mattered to the Lord.

What is that “better part” Jesus speaks of—the one Mary chose? Intimacy with Him. You may be doing many things, even within the Church—serving couples, teaching catechesis—but before your work, before your mission, He wants you. He desires that deep intimacy with you, the kind no one can take away, forged only through prayer. That intimacy will help us align everything we do with His will, for His glory—not ours.

So, take a moment to ask what Jesus is asking of you, and don’t judge what the other is doing or not doing. That never ends well.

Applied to Married Life

Rose: Oh Charles, I’ve got so much to do I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. This morning I was so anxious thinking about everything that I couldn’t even pray—and it’s been like that for a while… I’ve been all over the place. I hadn’t told you.

Charles : That won’t do, my love. Nothing is more important than prayer. In prayer you’ll find the strength and the guidance to do everything you do—always in the Lord. Never postpone that time alone with Him.

Rose: You’re absolutely right. And to make things worse, I’d started thinking that you didn’t really care about all the things we have to do, and that you’re too relaxed about what I consider important… I was judging you… I’m sorry.

Charles: I love you, Rose. I’ll be more attentive in helping you—I know I need to improve there. But without prayer, we’re going nowhere, right?

Rose: Right. All for His Glory.

Charles: So be it!

Mother,

You lived always intimately united to the Heart of your Son. Help me to live in Him, with you. Praised be you forever!

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 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 neighbour 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 neighbour?”

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 neighbour to the robbers’ victim?”

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The word of the Lord

 

Beaten but not defeated

 

To attain eternal life, the Lord leads us to the Scriptures, showing us how we ought to love God and our neighbour. Jesus takes it a step further and clarifies who our neighbour truly is: the one who feels mercy and puts it into action. In marriage, our neighbour is right there at home—someone to love in every circumstance. We may not find our spouse battered by bandits, but we will certainly find him wounded by sin, when temptation has overcome him and his weakness has left him crushed. In that moment, which may seem the least deserved, is precisely when he most needs our love. Will we walk past? Or even cause further harm? Only by the Grace of God can we grow in mercy. Let us ask for the Grace of our Sacrament, so that we may be a fitting help to that wounded heart.

Applied to  Married Life

Rachel: Luke, I want to ask your forgiveness. This afternoon I was nervous and I treated you badly—I shouted at you and lost my temper. It felt like I wasn’t even in control of myself. And I want to thank you, because you received me with kindness, and that helped me calm down and regain control.

Luke: Honestly, I could see pure anger in your eyes—it was even a bit frightening. You must have been feeling really overwhelmed.

Rachel: I love you! There I was, shouting at you, and you were thinking about me. How do you do that?

Luke: By the Grace of God. I also remembered the advice from our marriage mentor—not to focus on myself, but to imagine you lying wounded on the road, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in need of care.

Rachel: I thank God for you, my love.

Mother,

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