From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:43–48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers and sisters only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Widening the Heart, Overcoming Limits

Today’s Gospel exhorts us to love — but to love truly, to love everyone, beginning with our spouse. Christian husbands and wives are called to love greatly, with the Love of God, as children of God. The temptation is often to love only in proportion to the love I feel, or to the love I think I receive, and to reduce my love when things are not going so well.

If I begin to feel that you do not love me, then I will not love you either, because it seems to me that you do not deserve it. What do I do when faced with an unjust accusation, a reproach, a humiliation, or contempt for something I have done wrong, or for one of my shortcomings? Do I respond with love, or do I react by resenting my spouse, who at that moment may seem to be behaving like my enemy?

What a sad temptation we may fall into if we are not attentive.

The Lord tells us to love as the Father loves: the good and the bad, the just and the unjust, brothers and strangers, those we believe love us and those who may appear not to… and certainly to love our spouse at all times and in every situation — when things are going well and when they are not, when we feel loved in return and even when our spouse may seem like an enemy.

He invites us to widen our hearts and thus overcome the limits of our poor and meagre love. Love is an act of the will.

Spouse, I have chosen to love you, and I will pour out my love upon you especially when you deserve it least — which is surely when you need it most. In this way I will love in the image of our Heavenly Father.

 

Brought into Married Life

Mary: Do you know what happened to me today? Do you remember Fiona, my colleague at work — the one with curly hair, who drives a blue car, who has two children that sometimes come around to our house for a snack and to play with ours…?

Charles: Yes, of course I do.

Mary: Well, this morning in the café during the breakfast break, without realising that I was coming up behind her, I heard her telling some colleagues that I’m a bad friend who never helps her when she asks. Me — who always helps whenever I can! And there she was turning everyone against me. I simply couldn’t believe it.

Charles: Oh, my poor dear, what an awful thing. And what did you do?

Mary: I felt like saying a few things to her right there and then. But I asked Our Lady for help, and then I remembered that she’s having a difficult time these days — her mother is ill and she’s very worried… so I turned around and walked away without saying anything.

Charles: That was very good, Mary. But since you’ll probably see her again tomorrow, perhaps you could take one step further: repay evil with good. Go up to her, ask how her mother is doing… and see if there’s anything you can do to help her.

Mary: I’m not sure I’ll be able to… but with the help of the Holy Spirit I’m sure I can. Thank you very much, Charles, for helping me to see the situation with the eyes of God’s children and not with the eyes of the world. You truly are my fitting help.

 

Mother,

Help us to love our brothers and sisters as your Son taught us, with the love of God the Father. Blessed and glorious are you, Mother! May the Lord be praised for ever.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 5:20–26

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Divine Justice

How often we think we have nothing to confess — or that we are always confessing “the same things”. We may even begin to see ourselves as righteous because we are close to God, or drawing closer to Him. But we must look within our hearts: do I hold something against my brother, my sister, my spouse, my child, or against a couple in our group or community? Do I consider myself better than they are — not merely judging them, but condemning them in my heart?

Be careful. The Lord tells us that whoever allows anger to take root against a brother will be answerable for it, and that we should not approach the altar if we have not first been reconciled.

Lord, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation. Amen.

 

Brought into Married Life

Matthew: Patricia, my mother rang. We’re invited to a family lunch at my sister Joanna’s on Sunday.

Patricia: Again? But we were with them just last weekend…

Matthew: It seems one of the twins has finished his final degree project with top marks, and they want to celebrate.

Patricia: Oh dear… I can already imagine how smug they’ll be. I know she’s your sister, but she can be rather unbearable. I honestly don’t think Michael should come.

Matthew: What? Not go to his cousin’s celebration? They’re very fond of each other…

Patricia: I know, but I can already picture your mother and your sister asking him how much longer he’s got at university… and you know that, although he studies hard, he’s finding it difficult to pass his exams.

Matthew: Patricia, I think we need to bring this to prayer. It may be that your perspective is a little clouded.

Patricia: What? … Oh dear, you’re absolutely right. How I’ve allowed myself to be carried away by temptation! I’ll go to Confession tomorrow. Thank you, my fitting help — come here and give me a kiss.

Matthew: Thank you for receiving that fraternal correction with such love. I love you very much.

 

Mother,

Help us to purify our vision. May we remember that our most important examination will be on love.

Blessed and praised be your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 7:7–12

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
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.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

Trust in Prayer

This Gospel speaks to us with great clarity: ask and you shall receive. In other words, pray. Speak to God about the things you need. Bring before Him your worries — the good and the bad — everything you carry in your heart. The Lord always listens. He watches over you and knows better than you do what you truly need.

Many times, we do not know what to ask for or how to ask for it. Yet when we enter into a personal conversation with the Lord, we gradually come to recognise what is truly important — what we genuinely need — sometimes even realising that we already possess it, though we had failed to see it. We can become so blinded by the weight of our sin that we overlook all that the Lord is constantly giving us, even without our asking.

Moreover, the Lord is always waiting for us, longing for us to share our lives and our concerns with Him. Married couples have the grace of turning to the Lord together, for our primary mission is to reach full communion — as spouses with Him — and in that intimacy to become one, offering our lives in His name and thus making His presence visible in us, at every time and in every place.

 

Brought into Married Life

Bridget: Christopher, you seem a little worried about something, but I can’t quite tell what it is. Is something the matter?

Christopher: You know me so well. Yes, there’s something on my mind. I’ve been turning it over and I wanted to speak to you about it, but I’m not quite sure how.

Bridget: You know you can count on me for whatever you need.

Christopher: I do know that — very clearly. But first I need to pray about it. It’s something that could affect the whole family.

Bridget: That’s perfectly fine. If you’d like, I can pray with you, and then you can tell me about it afterwards. What do you think?

Christopher: I think that’s the best option. I’m certain the Lord will act through you, and that I’ll receive the light I need to share my concern with you.

Christopher: So let’s begin. We can be sure that when everything is placed in the Lord’s hands through prayer, there is nothing that cannot find a solution.

 

Mother,

Teach us to turn to prayer, so that I may treat my spouse as your Son desires of me. Blessed and praised be God.

From the Gospel according to Luke 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

The Sign Has Been Given!

For the Jews of that time, the expression “wicked generation” was no empty reproach. It immediately called to mind the ancient people of Israel — the people who had been freed from Egypt, who saw the sea parted before them, who were fed with manna and received the Law on Sinai: a people surrounded by signs and yet still doubtful, still demanding further proof.

Jesus recognises in his listeners that very same attitude: they ask for a sign, not out of a sincere desire for truth, but from insistence, mistrust and suspicion. And so He grants them no further sign. When the heart is closed, no sign is ever enough. Instead, He reminds them of two well-known examples: the Queen of the South, who travelled great distances moved by her longing to encounter the wisdom of God; and the people of Nineveh, who repented because they listened and trusted the preaching of Jonah.

Because of their hardened hearts, those Jews failed to recognise God standing before them. And we, today, run the same risk.

Spouses, the sign has been given: through our Sacrament, Jesus is present in our marriage; He is present in my spouse. Do I recognise Him?

When the heart trusts and is ready to receive, it learns to discover the provident hand of God in the small things of daily life: in a correction from my spouse, in a smile, in the children who draw us out of our comfort, in the word of a friend… Then we begin to see God in everything and in everyone.

 

Brought into Married Life

Catherine: How blessed we are to see so many conversions around us! Though I think we need to guard our hearts carefully, so that we do not start seeking ourselves.

Peter: What do you mean?

Catherine: Sometimes I have the feeling that I’m chasing extraordinary experiences — living for what is spectacular — reducing our faith to emotional moments. I think that can become a distraction, and even mislead us…

Peter: That’s true. Do you think there is anything more extraordinary than God Himself remaining hidden, out of love, in a small piece of bread?

Catherine: Exactly. So what are we waiting for to gather close around Jesus?

 

Mother,

From your heart we share the same longing: how we would love to see the tabernacles overflowing with people adoring the Lord!

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.

Blessed and praised be He for ever.

From the Gospel according to Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

Do Not Recite It — Live It

Our Father:

Teach me to look upon my spouse as a beloved child of the Father.

Who art in heaven:

You are God; I am Your creature. You are great; I am small. I do not understand everything, but I trust in You.

Hallowed be Thy Name:

May I reflect Your love through my love for my spouse, and together may we give You glory.

Thy Kingdom come:

Dethrone me. May I always do what You desire.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven:

I do not wish to convince You of my plan; I want to live Yours — and to entrust my spouse to You, even in what I do not understand.

Give us this day our daily bread:

Without You we perish. From You I await everything — the food of the body and the food of the soul.

Forgive us our trespasses:

Forgive every lack of love that breaks communion with my spouse and with You.

As we forgive those who trespass against us:

I know I shall receive Your forgiveness only if I never refuse mine to my spouse.

And lead us not into temptation:

Deliver me from pride, from self-pity, and from hardness of heart towards my spouse.

But deliver us from evil:

Show me my sin, Lord. Purify my heart so that I may love You where You most desire to be loved: in my marriage.

 

Brought into Married Life

(After a heated argument. The house is silent.)

Elizabeth: Every time we talk about this, we end up in the same place… I feel so alone.

James: And I feel attacked. It seems that nothing I do is ever enough.

Elizabeth: But do you know something? After our argument, I prayed the Our Father… and suddenly I understood. I understood so much. I can see how busy we are trying to be right, James — defending ourselves… anything but loving when our pride is hurt.

James: I can see it too. I fight against you just to prove I’m right, always trying to defend myself instead of simply understanding you — or loving you.

Elizabeth: When I said, Thy Kingdom come, I realised how often I actually resist His Kingdom, because I always want to be right and to have things done my way.

James: Oh, Elizabeth… how beautiful you are. We are so small. We cannot love without His grace, and yet we insist on trying to do it alone instead of asking for it.

Elizabeth: So… what do we do now?

James: What if we pray the Our Father together — looking into each other’s eyes, very slowly, letting each word pass through our hearts, truly begging Him?

Elizabeth: I love that idea.

James: Then let’s begin.

 

Mother,

Teach me to pray the Our Father as you did — with a heart burning with love and absolute trust. May you always be our perfect model. Praised be the Lord.