GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 10:21-24

Jesus 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.”

The Word of the Lord

Do Not Miss Christ

Only the soul that makes itself small before God and before its spouse can contemplate the truth without deception. For pride swells the heart and also swells the eyes, making them blind; whereas humility opens them to the light. How often we present ourselves before our spouse as though we were great! We think we know everything, we need nothing; we walk in the arrogance of “me, myself and I,” and in doing so we close the door through which grace enters.

It is those who recognise themselves as small who alone see what so many longed to see but did not: the divine love moving miraculously within two poor human creatures. Do not forget that it is within your reach to live a marriage in the image of Trinitarian Love, to live a love as ardent as Christ’s for His Church, for which He ardently longed to give Himself. But to enter into this supernatural love we must humbly confess that we are small — because we are — and strive that the heart may live in a constant cry of love: Lord, we need Your grace!

Do not say it is impossible, for then we deny the power of God, we scorn the strength of grace, we diminish the fire of our Sacrament. And I ask you: why then did Christ die upon the Cross? Why did He shed His Blood if we allow it to be wasted upon the ground like useless water? Let us not permit a single drop of the Blood of Our Lord to be lost. Gather it with reverence, kiss it with love — it is your Sacrament — and know that in that Holy Blood lies your strength to live a promise which the world misses because it misses Christ.

You will be witnesses of that which many longed to see and did not, to hear and did not, because they thought they already saw. Be light in the midst of darkness; shine, letting Christ shine. Enough of the great — what is needed are the small, who make Christ great in their marriage. And do not miss Him, I beg you, for in missing Him you miss Christ!

Applied to Married Life

Joe : Maria, SOS… Martha our daughter told me in the car, half in tears, that she hasn’t been invited to Lucía’s birthday… and I didn’t know what to say to her.

María: Don’t tell me, Joe.

Joe: Thank goodness Alfie was talking to me at the same time, so I started answering him instead. Anyway… I need your perspective, because I felt such sorrow… I was about to answer her out of my anger, honestly, because my heart broke, but now I know I mustn’t, even though right now I can’t see clearly. I need you.

María: Oh, our little Martha… It hurts me too… but it’s true that it’s never too early to teach them how God looks at each situation they face. We cannot pass on what is in our own hearts, but rather teach them to love as God loves.

Joe: Yes. I thought of telling her it doesn’t matter, that surely it was just an oversight… but I know that isn’t enough.

María: I see an opportunity to tell her first that she doesn’t have to be invited to every birthday, that not everyone always chooses us, and that it’s all right.

Joe: We could tell her that surely she too has, at some point, left out a friend from her own birthday party without realising it, even though that friend would have loved to come.

María: Exactly. And we can also teach her that, even though sometimes others don’t choose us, God always chooses us first. And that Jesus understands better than anyone what it means to feel excluded, to not be chosen. If she feels a little pain at not being invited to the party, Jesus feels that same pain in His heart when we don’t choose Him. So she has the chance to do something wonderful: to console the Heart of Jesus.

Joe: Afterwards we could tell her to go and give a kiss to the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and say: Now I understand you a little. I choose you.

María: I love that. May our children learn, as we are learning, that in every painful situation there is always a hidden treasure that draws us closer to Jesus.

Joe: What would I do without you?

María: And me without you!

Mother,

You presented yourself, even though you were the Mother of God, as the smallest of the small. In your humility lay your greatness. Praised be you forever! Praised be the Lord!