Gospel
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Today the Lord reminds us of the importance of staying awake—ready for the moment when He comes to meet us.
Our hearts must always be prepared for Love, for Mercy, for service; ready to embrace His will and open to His grace through prayer, the Sacraments, the Eucharist, and confession. We do not know the day or the hour, and so we must live from the grace of our own sacrament: our marriage.
Let us not be distracted by our weaknesses or deceive ourselves into thinking “there is still plenty of time.”
We must remain attentive each day to our vocation, forgetting ourselves and keeping our eyes fixed on one another as the “suitable help” God created us to be. My spouse is the precious gift the Lord has given me for our shared salvation.
And so, if one of us struggles, the other encourages; if one is overcome by weakness, we pray for them; if one wounds, the other forgives; if one strays, the other gently leads them back; if one weeps, the other consoles; if one rejoices, the other shares that joy. Thus, should the Lord pass by, He will find us awake.
Let us help one another grow in Faith and Charity, so that Hope in our salvation may flourish—and together, we may reach heaven.
Applied to Married Life
James: Laura, I think we should go to the Eucharist more often.
Laura: Oh James, please don’t start. You know we haven’t got the time—work, the children, the house…
James: I really believe we could make time. As they always tell us in Proyecto Amor Conyugal, turning to grace must be our priority.
Laura: Well, my priority is making sure we eat and keeping the house running. You don’t worry about any of that, so of course you don’t see the need. You just come home and everything’s magically done!
James: Perhaps you’re right. I promise I’ll help more with the children and with the housework… but please, promise me we’ll pray about it.
Laura: I’ve already prayed about it…
(That evening, during their conjugal prayer…)
Laura: James, I’m sorry for everything I said this afternoon. Today the Lord has shown me that what truly matters is living in His grace—being with Him: the Eucharist, confession. He asks me to stay awake, always ready, because we do not know the day nor the hour. I’m really sorry. I let the evil one confuse me, and I fell into his trap.
James: My love, of course you’re forgiven. And forgive me too—I know I don’t give the same importance as you do to the things at home, which you care for so beautifully. I don’t help enough, and I don’t thank you enough.
Laura: Forgiven, my husband. Let’s really try to make time to go to the Eucharist more often—even with the children. It will do them no harm to learn how important Christ is to their parents.
James: Agreed. And I’ll take on more at home—and when I forget, just remind me. You know what I’m like.
Mother of Hope,
help us to remain always expectant, always prepared for the coming of Your Son. Praised be He for ever!